Rolling Mills Of Middletown
By Tom T. Hall
Written by Tom T. Hall
Album: The Storyteller (1972)
Tabbed by Larry Mofle
9/6/21

Capo 1

    F                C     Am         C        G        C
The rollin' mills of Middletown, roll on, roll on, roll on

  C                                      D    G        C
I knew him well, old friend of mine from down Kentucky way
   C                                    D           G       C
We had some high, good times my friend, back in our younger days
  F                 C         G                C
I knew he shouldn't marry any woman quite that wild
     F          C                    D7               G
Then later on I learned that she had been expecting a child
C                                  D         G      C
He got his job at makin' steel and bought himself a home
          F                C     Am        C        G        C
Where the rollin' mills of Middletown roll on, roll on, roll on


Well there's money in those steel mills boys and he made quite a bit
He worked all night, she shopped all day bought everything that fit
A helper on the BOF, three thousand degrees at a round
His wife was just about that hot in the bars in ol' Middletown
Of course, he was the last to know, oh, but listen to my song
While the rollin' mills of Middletown roll on, roll on, roll on


Key change to C# (move capo to 2)

One night the foreman on his turn said cool down No 2
And he told my friend to go on home as soon as he was through
He stopped into a little bar to have a good cold beer
His woman and some day turn guy were dancin' closely there
Oh I knew him well and in his mind there must have been a storm
While the rollin' mills of Middletown roll on, roll on, roll on


They say he never spoke a word, he just turned and walked away
And no one knows exactly what took place that fateful day
Some say they saw him near the tracks at furnace No 1
With heat so hot the hubs of hell would seem just barely warm
Well, they never saw my friend again did he do something wrong
While the rollin' mills of Middletown, Ohio roll on, roll on, roll on