WRITTEN BY Dan Reeder
PERFORMED BY Dan Reeder
APPEARS ON Dan Reeder (2004)
Little is known about Dan Reeder other than that he is an expatriate living in Germany and that he writes ribald, idiosyncratic songs performed with homemade instruments and equipment. John Prine happened to hear a demo tape of Reeder's first album and signed him to the Oh Boy! label.
A typical chain gang tune -- which Reeder appropriates here -- provided a rhythmic sense for convicts performing what amounted to slave labor, and also served as a vehicle for lyrics with hidden meanings about race and freedom. Reeder erases all of that and focuses on the work itself: Exhausting, meaningless, and unrewarding. Perhaps, one suspects, these are words that convicts might have sung if they could have gotten away with it.
"Work Song's" lyrics speak for themselves: One the one hand, a joke; one the other, a blunt expression of weariness with a dead-end job. They remind me of a story told about Teddy Kennedy when he first ran for the senate in 1962. Kennedy's opponents derided him as a rich kid (he was 30 at time) who had done nothing to merit his financial largesse. As Kennedy shook hands early one morning outside of a Massachusetts factory, a workingman approached him and said, "Ted, they tell me you've not worked a day in your life." The man paused, then went on: "You haven't missed a thing."
LYRICS
I got all, all the fuckin' work I need
I got all, all the fuckin' work I need
Heh, heh! Zen Doo-Wop! Repeat the koan to reach enlightenment. Where did you find this guy? I noticed you used one of his tunes in one of your regular blog posts the other day.
ReplyDeleteHi, Roy. Rock-and-Rap Confidential reviewed this album when it came out. As usual, I was looking for something different, so I picked it up. It's one of my faves. Check out Reeder's web site to see his guitars and equipment -- they're pretty cool. Unfortunately, RRC now publishes sporadically and only by email. I do recommend subscribing to their mailing list, which you can do through the web site.
ReplyDeleteYou gotta love the brevity in the lyrics!
ReplyDeleteThe man doesn't waste words!
ReplyDeleteWell that was fun! I'll definitely have to check this guy out more--good harmony singing there. & loved the T Kennedy story.
ReplyDeleteAmerican politics is a gold mine of story telling, and that's one of my favorites. Despite Reagan's prowess at it, Lincoln was the best.
ReplyDeleteInteresting song and artist! Don't forget to tune in to (KRVS.org), for next week's, five day, Festival International! Wish you were here, cher!
ReplyDeleteCool video! The lyrics is funny though... Haha
ReplyDeleteThis is nice... Thank you!
ReplyDeletewas in season 1 of weeds
ReplyDelete