Some songs don’t just speak for a generation—they sweat for it.
That’s what “Working Man Blues” is.
Released in 1969, this Merle Haggard classic isn’t polished or poetic for the sake of it—it’s raw, real, and rooted deep in the dirt of everyday life. It’s the sound of lunch pails clanking at 6 a.m., steel-toed boots hitting gravel, and hands that don’t know softness but sure as hell know pride.
Merle wrote it for the folks who don’t clock out just because they’re tired—who keep going because someone’s gotta put dinner on the table and shoes on little feet. And he didn’t just sing it—he was it. A former convict turned blue-collar poet, Haggard knew what it meant to work hard, love deep, and carry the weight without complaint.
“I keep my nose on the grindstone, I work hard every day…”
There’s a reason this song still resonates.
It’s not just nostalgia—it’s recognition. It reminds us of our fathers, grandfathers, uncles, and neighbors. It’s the anthem for the guy who never called in sick, who fixed what broke, and who never needed to say “I love you” because his whole life was proof of it.
And when that signature guitar lick kicks in, it doesn’t feel like a song—it feels like coming home from a long shift, kicking your boots off, and knowing you’ve done right by the day.
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Lyrics
It’s a big job gettin’ by with nine kids and a wife
Even I’ve been workin’ man, dang near all my life but I’ll keep workin’
As long as my two hands are fit to use
I’ll drink my beer in a tavern
And sing a little bit of these working man blues
But I keep my nose on the grindstone, I work hard every day
Get 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
Sometimes I think about leaving, do a little bummin’ around
Throw my bills out the window, catch me a train to another town
But I go back working, I gotta buy my kids a brand new pair of shoes
I’ll drink a little beer that evening
Cry a little bit of these working man blues, here comes workin’ man
Well, hey, hey, the working man, the working man like me
Never been on welfare, and that’s one place I will not be
Keep me working, you have long two hands are fit to use
My little beer in a tavern
Sing a little bit of these working man blues, this song for the workin’ man