Bette Midler

Songwriter: James Taylor

Producer: Arif Mardin

Now my grandfather was a sailor
He blew in off the water
My father was a farmer
And I his only daughter

Took up with a no good
Millworking man from Massachusetts
Who died from too much whiskey
And leaves me these three faces to feed

Millwork ain't easy, millwork ain't hard
Millwork, it ain't nothin'
But an awful, boring job
I'm waiting for a daydream
To take me through the mornin';
Put me in my coffee break
Where I can have a sandwhich and remember

And it's me and my machine
For the rest of the mornin'
For the rest of the afternoon
For the rest of my life

Now my mind begins to wander
To the days back on the farm
I can see my father smilin'
And me swingin' on his arm

I can hear my granddad's stories
Of the storms out on Lake Erie
Where vessels and cargos
And fortunes and sailor's lives were lost

Yeah, but it's my life that's been wasted
And I have been the fool
To let this manufacture
Use my body for a tool
As I ride home in the evenin'
I'm staring at my hands
Swearin' by my sorrow
That a young girl ought to stand a better chance

Oh, but may I work the mills
Just as long as I'm able
And never meet the man
Who's name is on the label

Whoa, it's me and my machine
For the rest of the mornin'
For the rest of the afternoon
For the rest of my life . . . wasted

Bette Midler is a Grammy-winning singer, songwriter, comedienne and actress. Named in honor of Bette Davis, Midler’s career began performing off-broadway until she developed the stage persona The Divine Miss M while singing at the world-famous Continental Baths gay bathhouse. A pre-fame Barry Manilow, the venue’s in-house piano player, produced her Grammy-nominated debut album which scored three US top 40 singles including the Grammy-nominated “Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy”. Midler took home the Best New Artist Grammy that year, her first of three career wins.

Throughout the 1970s, Midler found further success with music, Broadway, television and film. The Rose, Midler’s 1979 acting debut, earned her both Oscar and Academy Award nominations, and its namesake song won her a Golden Globe and another Grammy – also giving Midler her first success overseas.

The early 1980s proved less successful for Midler with four under-performing singles and a box office flop with the film Jinxed. However, the second half of the decade would prove far more fruitful with a handful of very successful films including Down and Out in Beverly Hills, Ruthless People, Outrageous Fortune and Beaches, the latter featuring a chart-topping cover of “Wind Beneath My Wings” that won Midler her third Grammy and is considered one of the greatest songs in American film history.

more tracks from the album

Thighs and Whispers

From the album

Thighs and Whispers (1979)

Bette Midler popular songs

MillworkerBette Midler

Bette Midler

Thighs and Whispers