Merle Haggard

Workin' Man Blues

It's a big job just gettin' by with nine kids and a wife
I been a workin' man dang near all my life
I'll be working long as my two hands are fit to use
I'll drink my beer in a tavern,
Sing a little bit of these working man blues

I keep my nose on the grindstone, I work hard every day
Might get a little tired on the weekend, after I draw my pay
But I'll go back workin, come Monday morning I'm right back with the crew
I'll drink a little beer that evening,
Sing a little bit of these working man blues

Hey hey, the working man, the working man like me
I ain't never been on welfare, that's one place I won't be
Cause I'll be working long as my two hands are fit to use
I drink a little beer in a tavern
Sing a little bit of these working man blues

Sometimes I think about leaving, do a little bummin around
I wanna throw my bills out the window catch a train to another town
But I go back working I gotta buy my kids a brand new pair of shoes
Yeah drink a little beer in a tavern,
Cry a little bit of these working man blues

Hey hey, the working man, the working man like me
I ain't never been on welfare, that's one place I won't be
Cause I'll be working long as my two hands are fit to use
I drink a little beer in a tavern
Sing a little bit of these working man blues
Yeah drink a little beer in a tavern,
Cry a little bit of these working man blues
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Elegaic masterpiece | Reviewer: Steve Borrow | 9/26/09


Bob Dylan engages in a dialogue with Country legend, Merle Haggard’s anthem to the working man bearing the same title which is why it is Working Man Blues #2. Merle paid homage to the working man who gets up every day, year in and year out, has a quiet beer occasionally, never tosses in the towel for an easier life, and never goes on welfare. He invited us to “Sing a little bit of these working man blues”, which Bob’s employ’s in his reprise.

Bob presents an elegiac and quite mournful portrait of the modern industrial and agricultural worker in this age of rapid globalisation, where jobs have been shipped abroad, and farming communities decimated by the advent of runaway shops and regional consolidation of agricultural production. The lyrics present these issues in somewhat fragmented fashion, perhaps like a David Lynch short, where you feel you have understood the overall meaning, but the imagery remains obscure.

In these Modern Times, Merle’s heroes have been forced to either compete for dwindling wages or remain idle and dependent upon government support. This is has a devastating impact upon the psyche of those who have structured their lives around a solid work ethic and financial independence.

There is a reference to the issue of terrorism and the deleterious impact all this social changes has exacted on personal relationships, such as disturbed sleep induced by worry, the breakdown of marriages (nice salute to Ramblin’ Jack Eliot – “I sleep in the kitchen with my feet in the hall”), and the pressure to leave and find work elsewhere. There is an obvious reference to the acquisition of farm properties through foreclosures and the devastating consequences this has had for those communities.

This is one of the most poignant songs about the common man ever composed.



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