"Song of the Shirt"

The "Song of the Shirt" describes the hardships and cruelty that the factory workers had to endure for hours a day. This song explains the weariness, fatigue, and monotony of work in the factory and the unfair and dangerous conditions that they had to face. It also explains that human lives meant almost nothing to the factory owners, that they could easily be replaced if anyone was injured or died because of unsafe machinery. Life was very harsh and depressing for the factory workers, because they worked all day for hardly any pay in very hazardous and potentially deadly conditions. It was very hard for workers to support their families on such little income and every day was a constant struggle to survive.