[Verse 1]

             
I was born in 

              
the shadow of 

              
a cotton mill 

              
smokestack, do

              
wn in an Alaba

         
ma bottom land

.
             
Where my Grand

              
pappy broke hi

              
s back, pullin

              
’ on a cotton 

              
sack, to raise

              
 my Pa to be a

            
 cotton mill m

an.
            
I got a lot of

              
 memories of g

            
overnment comm

            
odities, -----

              
--- when all o

              
ur meat came i

    
n a can.
            
While the boss

              
 man on the hi

            
ll cut a steak

              
 and ate his f

            
ill, called up

              
on to clean hi

             
s grill, a cot

         
ton mill man


[Chorus]

             
Lord, don’t le

             
t my son grow 

             
up to be a swe

             
aty cotton mil

  
l man.


[Verse 2]

             
I grew up in t

              
he gloom of a 

              
cotton mill we

              
ave room, with

              
 weaver’s glue

              
 and calluses 

           
all over my ha

nds

I didn’t have 

a honeymoon, c

ouldn’t leave 

my cotton loom
              
I swore my son

              
 would never b

             
e a cotton mil

  
l man
            
I watched my w

            
oman cry, when

              
 our baby daug

            
hter died, ---

              
--  I couldn’t

              
 make her unde

 
rstand
            
Why the doctor

              
 never came, t

   
he lack of mon

ey was the bla

me,
            
I cursed the d

              
ay that I beca

             
me a cotton mi

   
ll man.

[Repeat Chorus]

             
Lord, don’t le

             
t my son grow 

             
up to be a swe

             
aty cotton mil

  
l man.


[Verse 3]


The company ta

ught us all th

e rules, on ho

w to work thei

r spinning spo

ols
              
So the boss’s 

              
son could driv

             
e a big black 


sedan

The company ow

ned the houses

 and the compa

ny owned the g

rammar schools
              
It’s hard to b

              
e an educated 

           
cotton mill ma

n
            
They figure yo

              
u don’t need t

            
o learn, anyth

              
ing but how to

            
 earn, the mon

              
ey that you pa

       
y upon demand
            
To the general

              
 store they ow

     
n or else they

 take away you

r home
            
And give it to

              
 some other ho

             
meless cotton 

     
mill man


[Repeat Chorus]

             
Lord, don’t le

             
t my son grow 

             
up to be a swe

             
aty cotton mil

  
l man.


[Repeat Chorus]

             
Lord, don’t le

             
t my son grow 

             
up to be a swe

             
aty cotton mil

  
l man.