I cut my teeth in a cotton mill town
Somewhere south of Macon
Mama fed me a bottle from a moonshine still
To wash down the beans and bacon
And papa worked the night shift, mama worked day
Never dreaming one day I'd turn and walk away
I'd turn and walk away from that cotton mill town
Somewhere south of Macon
Mama told me not to let my petticoats show
Northeast, southwest of Macon
Don't ever let my feelings show
'Cause they'll ruin my reputation
I took a walk in the woods one Sunday
And the world turned dark and still
I first made love in a cotton mill town
Somewhere south of Macon
That mill town south of Macon
Still had a hold on me
And my folks, they feel forsaken, Lord
But me, I'm feelin' free
And I'd rather roam around
And live until I die
Than to spend my life as a mill man's wife
Too tired to wonder why
I'm gonna slip into my calico dress
And go down to the Greyhound station
Gonna lay my hard-earned dollar down
For a one-way destination
Gonna tell that late-night driver
"Lord, mister, take it slow"
While I wave farewell to that cotton mill town
Somewhere south of Macon
That mill town south of Macon
Still had a hold on me
And my folks, they feel forsaken, Lord
But me, I'm feelin' free
I'd rather roam around
And live until I die
Than to spend my life as a mill man's wife
Too tired to wonder why
That mill town south of Macon
Still had a hold on me
And my folks, they feel forsaken, Lord
But me, I'm feelin' free
I'd rather roam around
And live until I die
Than to spend my life as a mill man's wife
Too tired to wonder why