Merle Haggard sings about the kind of people who never stop working, but it’s not so bad. In 2009, Camron rapped how much he hated working a bad job and wanted a better one: “I shoulda been a fireman, learned to do wiring, then get retirement, I blame my environment!” Sung in the style of a chain-gang song, Dan Reeder gives us all a foul-mouthed chant to hum when we have more work than we want. R&B, rock ‘n’ roll and blues underground legend Jerry “Boogie” McCain lets us know exactly how lousy his boss is. “Welcome to the Working Week,” Elvis CostelloĮlvis Costello paid tribute to lousy jobs on his debut album, “My Aim Is True,” and sings “I know it don’t thrill you, I hope it don’t kill you.”Ģ0. “Take This Job and Shove It,” Johnny Paycheck/David Allan Coeĭavid Allan Coe summed up the thoughts of a lot of workers with this song that became a hit for Johnny Paycheck in 1977.ġ9. The Red Clay Ramblers’ version is even more stirring than Kahn’s original.ġ8. Si Kahn’s song about a mill closing down and a man being out of work is moving and sweet. “Aragon Mill,” The Red Clay Ramblers/Si Kahn Paul Robeson’s version is chilling, and Joan Baez brought Woodstock to silence with her rendition.ġ7. This song about his ghost returning to inspire union workers was written in 1936 after a 1930 poem by Alfred Hayes. He was executed in 1915 for a murder most historians believe he didn’t commit. Joe Hill was an early martyr to the labor movement.
Merle Travis’ own version is terrific, but Dolly Parton’s version will break your heart.Ĭo-written by Dave Loggins, this 1985 hit is simply a celebration of blue collar workers, who can thank labor unions for establishing the 40-hour work week.īilly Joel captured the despair of living in a town where the steel mills were closing and the prospect of a decent job in the town you grew up in was disappearing. It’s stark and poetic in the saddest way. This truly is the greatest song about the job of coal mining. “Dark As a Dungeon,” Merle Travis/Dolly Parton Ford’s 1955 hit is the classic, but Stan Ridgway’s electronic 1999 version is well worth checking out.ġ2. This is one of two of the best coal mining songs ever recorded, both of them written by Merle Travis, who was the son of a coal miner. “16 Tons,” Tennessee Ernie Ford/Stan Ridgway It’s a rare song that leaves you thinking long after it’s over.ġ1. A few of the songs here are destined to become staples of the folk scene, which song will depend on the singer because the work done with lyrics (some of which do make liberal use of four-letter words in explicit context if you are easily offended) and arrangements are stunning and hilarious.In one of his best and deepest songs, Knoxville’s RB Morris weighs in on the folks who dismiss their own responsibility in the questionable jobs they might do. This is one that is not going to get a lot of airplay, because it is not going to fit anywhere, yet it should not be missed. The songs are well put together and contain some wonderful word play, and there are some very good intelligent lyrics without sounding the least bit contrived, cute, or forced.
#Dan reeder work song full#
It is a disc that grows to full appreciation with every listening. It runs the gamut, from the folk of "Three Chords," to the sly blues gospel sound of "My Little Bitty Pee Pee," to the field chant of "Work Song," to whatever else enters Reeder's head and he decides to put down on this magnificent disc. It is a powerful maiden disc and one that is complete in every way in itself, and yet leaves the listener hungering for more. Reeder wrote all the songs, produced the disc, played all the instruments, did the art work, did all the vocals, recorded and mixed this, and it seems, made some of the instruments.
From the first song all the way through to the 18th, and several glorious trips later, the listener is still captivated by the intelligence and wit contained in these relatively short, yet very complete, vignettes. The simple fact that Dan Reeder's self-titled album is on John Prine's record label speaks volumes for this disc right off the bat.
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