"Millworker" tells the poignant story of a young woman in the 1800s, trapped in the drudgery of a textile mill after her husband's death leaves her with three children to feed. She finds brief escape in daydreams of her father and grandfather, but recognizes the sad truth of her wasted life and poor choices. James Taylor wrote this song for the Broadway musical Working, deeply impressing himself with his ability to inhabit a female perspective so completely. Playing this song means stepping into the shoes of someone resigned to a difficult fate, finding small moments of internal solace amidst the relentless grind.