Galbraith chose to set Sandburg's narrative poem for its colorful language and its tailor-made setting in the early 20th century mills in Pittsburg (once spelled without the "h") and neighboring towns Homestead, Braddock and Birmingham. The factories in Youngstown, Ohio and Gary, Indiana are also credited in the poem.

Galbraith's work features 20 distinctive movements with enticing titles such as "Ghosts Hide in Steel," "Luck Moons Come and Go," and "Pearl Cobwebs in the Windy Rain," each employing the first phrase of one of Sandburg's beguiling and spellbinding verses. The composer's musical renderings of the poet's verses are wide-ranging and masterfully in sync with the spirit and meaning of each of the texts.
— Martha Tablewight