a workmans life

From the song  the factory workers worked long hour almost seemingly endless amounts of work. they would work form the morning to the night with little or no break to help them, they would receive the minimum amount of sleep allowed. Often the life a worker was hard in the textile mills being forced to so endlessly which would not help the fingers of the workers quickly tiring them out which would sometimes have dangerous consequences.  From the song the factory owners and or mangers would consider them easily replicable cheap labor. With the workers receiving as little money as possible, which would prevent the from paying rent and forcing them to work even harder and longer to make more money to sustain themselves. When the writer talks about death  and how it reminds him of his rag covered self  with no emotion no thought just work.