Little Mary Phagan' was a true song about a young girl who'd been murdered by her boss at a pencil factory in Atlanta, and something about the melody had stayed locked inside Ella's head. She didn't think for a minute that Goldberg's brother or Dobbins or anybody else at American would ever murder her, but she knew for certain that working there might kill her just the same.”
-- Narrator (chapter 1)

Importance: This song," Little Mary Phagan," is the tune Ella uses for her ballad, "The Mill Mother's Song." This seems to be a foreshadowing of Ella's fate, though it was apparently not anyone from American (the textile mill where Ella works as the novel opens) who kills her. There are many dangers associated with working here, including damage to the lungs and the dangers of working with the machines.

She didn't want charity or kindness or relief or pity. All she wanted was...
-- Narrator (chapter 1)