Kinderhook Hoopskirt Works
Rasputina Lyrics

On one side was Albany Avenue
The Kinderhook Hoopskirt Works was situated near Albany Avenue.

On the other side a rushing creek
There was a creek rushing on the other side of the Kinderhook Hoopskirt Works.

Laid in Flemish bond
The brickwork was laid in a Flemish bond pattern.

Three stories high, a fortress of brick
The Kinderhook Hoopskirt Works was made of brick and was three stories high.

This was a place of employ
The Kinderhook Hoopskirt Works provided employment for people.

The Kinderhook Hoopskirt Works
The Kinderhook Hoopskirt Works was a factory that produced hoopskirts.

But it still hurts
The memory of working there still causes pain.

When I think of the privileged captivity
The artist feels trapped and confined despite her privileged position.

Of the mill girl like me
The artist is a mill girl who works in the Kinderhook Hoopskirt Works.

Kept sequestered
The mill girls were kept isolated from the outside world.

Only seen on a rope bridge
The only way to see the mill girls was to look at them from the rope bridge crossing the creek.

That hangs high over the stream
The rope bridge was suspended high over the rushing stream.

We are kept like galley slaves
The singer and her colleagues feel like they are slaves working in the factory.

While strangers decorate our father's graves
The mill girls' fathers are buried nearby, but strangers tend to their graves.

A dark secret of this river, this creek
There is a mysterious and unsettling aspect to the creek near the Kinderhook Hoopskirt Works.

This stream, oh what does it mean?
The artist is curious about the significance of the stream.

You'll hear no flattery at the factory
The workers in the Kinderhook Hoopskirt Works do not compliment each other.

There comes an undertone of frantic in her stitchery
The singer detects a sense of urgency in her work as she sews.

Idle talk do the turn to the wicked
Gossip often turns cruel and unpleasant in the factory.

Take a listen, you'll surely see
If you listen closely, you will notice what is happening in the factory.

Between the girls a foul ensued
There was a conflict or an argument between the mill girls.

Our heroine turns in word
The artist decides to speak up.

To her collection
The singer takes out her collection of smiles.

To examine her collection
She looks at her collection of smiles.

Her collection of two hundred and twenty-five smiles
The singer has amassed a collection of two hundred and twenty-five smiles from her colleagues.

Each decision we make is based on love or fear
Our decisions are influenced either by love or fear.

Shall I be kind or cruel or fake?
The singer wonders if she should be genuine or put on a facade.

Shall I now shed a tear?
The artist questions if she should show her emotions.

You can see them up in the windows of the factory
The mill girls can be seen through the factory windows.

Any night of the week
They can be seen any night of the week.

Like beautifully-gowned wax figures on display
The mill girls look like mannequins dressed in beautiful clothing.

with the loveliest eyes you've ever seen
Their eyes are enchanting and mesmerizing.

Squinting to baste the flouts
The mill girls squint as they sew hoopskirts.

Basting underskirts as big as wagon wheels
The mill girls sew underskirts that are as large as wagon wheels.

Stabbing feelings with a needle
The harsh working conditions and being trapped in the factory cause emotional pain for the mill girls.