[Verse 1]
Oh, the stories in a workin' woman's hands
Nicotine stained, rough as sand
West Virginia tobacco rises up from the docks
Roll it and tipped in box upon box

[Chorus]
Well, it's five o'clock freedom and the whistle would blow
The gates would burst open and the river would flow
Lit up like matches that dance, on they go
Where are the factory girls of cigarette row?

[Verse 2]
There was joy in their hearts, black in their lungs
Lines of laughter, smokin' three nons
Tellin' stories of life, love, loss and war
Your wife's tale of how to keep young

[Chorus]
Well, it's five o'clock freedom and the whistle would blow
The gates would burst open and the river would flow
Lit up like matches that dance, on they go
Where are the factory girls of cigarette row?

[Verse 3]
Now the factory's shut, turned into flats
But you can't smoke out souls, they keep comin' back
West Virginia tobacco rises up from the docks
The ashes and embers will never be lost

[Chorus]
Well, it's five o'clock freedom and the whistle would blow
The gates would burst open and the river would flow
Lit up like matches that dance, on they go
Where are the factory girls of cigarette row?
Five o'clock freedom and the whistle would blow
The gates would burst open and the river would flow
Lit up like matches that dance, on they go
Where are the factory girls of cigarette row?

[Outro]
Lit up like matches that dance, on they go
Where are the factory girls of cigarette row?