Hills was born to a family of missionaries in India and grew up in Michigan. She studied at Interlochen, where she played in a band with Chris Brubeck and Peter Erskine. In 1976, she moved to Chicago and was a co-founder of the record label Hogeye Music. After releasing a few records on Hogeye, the label was bought out by Flying Fish Records in the mid-1980s. In 1984, Anne briefly was a member of a trio (along with Tom Paxton and Bob Gibson) known as the Best of Friends. In 1988 she began collaborating with Cindy Mangsen, with whom she released two duo albums. Together with Priscilla Herdman the three singers recorded as a trio in 1990 and again in 1997. In 1998, she contributed renditions to tribute albums for Pete Seeger and Phil Ochs. The 2000s saw her collaborating with Tom Paxton and singing in a fourpiece called Fourtold with Steve Gillette, Mangsen, and Michael Peter Smith.
In addition to her musical endeavors, Hills also acts on the live stage. Additionally, she collaborated with Liz Paxson on a children's book with an accompanying album, featuring Hills and her daughter, Tamlyn. She lives in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, and is married to Mark Moss, editor of Sing Out!.
Sound Of The Looms
Anne Hills Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Eight hours a day of hard work in good company
It's just a job to you but whatever happened
This place pulled me through
All of the gossip the coffee and cigarettes
Not much vacation time but I have no regrets
When I walked through these doors
And she's missing the sound of the looms
Missing the feel of the weave in her hand
Her children are grown and she's here on her own
And she's missing the sound of the looms
I get up early, a habit too hard to break
Watching the sunrise my heart and my fingers ache
Those years raced along just like the silk train
Here and then gone
And she's missing the sound of the looms
Missing the feel of the weave in her hand
Her children are grown and she's here on her own
And she's missing the sound of the looms
The end of another long day
The hours turn slowly, more slowly
Than the dust in the shafts of light
And restless with memories I toss in the night
Cause it's not just the job that you do
It's the family and friends you helped and who helped you
The lives we shared
Woven together with work, love and care
And she's missing the sound of the looms
Missing the feel of the weave in her hand
Her children are grown and she's here on her own
And she's missing the sound of the looms
Oh, oh, oh, oh,
Missing the sound of the looms
The song “Sound of the Looms” by Anne Hills is about a woman who held a textile factory job for years and found purpose and community in it. The woman tells the singer that this job and her family were her life, and that eight hours a day of hard work with good company was better than anything else for her. The job gave her a sense of purpose and meaning that lingered even after her children had grown up and moved away. She talks about the coffee and cigarettes, not much vacation time, but she has no regrets about choosing this line of work.
She reminisces about the feel of the weave in her hand and the sound of the looms, saying that she misses it greatly. Her daily routine was something that she had grown accustomed to and enjoyed. She continues to wake up early to see the sunrise but feels restless and lonely without the noise of the looms. She recognizes that it is not just the monetary benefit of doing her job as it allowed her to be part of a family of hardworking people that shared their joys and sorrows.
Line by Line Meaning
This was my life she said, this and my family
She states that her work was her life, along with her family.
Eight hours a day of hard work in good company
She worked hard for eight hours a day, but it was pleasant because she had good colleagues.
It's just a job to you but whatever happened
To those who never worked in that place, it would just be a job, but to her, it was much more.
This place pulled me through
This workplace helped her deal with something difficult and challenging.
All of the gossip the coffee and cigarettes
The workplace gossip, coffee, and cigarettes were constants in her life.
Not much vacation time but I have no regrets
She did not have much vacation time, but she does not feel remorseful about it.
When I walked through these doors
As soon as she enters this workplace,
I was more than a mother with children and chores
She was not just a mother who had to take care of her family but something more than that.
And she's missing the sound of the looms
She yearns for the sound of the looms since she associates it with a lot of different memories and emotions.
Missing the feel of the weave in her hand
She misses the sensation of running or handling the fabric in her hands.
Her children are grown and she's here on her own
Her children are adults now, and she is alone in that sense.
I get up early, a habit too hard to break
Waking up early is something that she cannot avoid even if she wanted to.
Watching the sunrise my heart and my fingers ache
At that time when the sun rises, her heart and fingers ache for something she cannot explain.
Those years raced along just like the silk train
The years spent working in the industry went by quickly, just like the silk train.
Here and then gone
The years have come and gone too quickly when she realizes them.
The end of another long day
It is the end of a tiring day.
The hours turn slowly, more slowly
As the day goes by, time feels like it slows down.
Than the dust in the shafts of light
The passage of time is slower than the dust seen in the light that enters the spaces around her.
And restless with memories I toss in the night
She feels agitated and unsettled at night due to the many memories that cross her mind.
Cause it's not just the job that you do
She implies that it is not just the job that matters.
It's the family and friends you helped and who helped you
What matters is the community that supported her and everybody who benefitted from her help.
The lives we shared
The lives of those who worked together and shared experiences.
Woven together with work, love, and care
Tying everything together with work, love, and concern.
Oh, oh, oh, oh,
A series of expressions that reinforces the emotional impact of the song.
Writer(s): Hills Anne E
Contributed by Hunter F. Suggest a correction in the comments below.