LYRICS OF LABOR

Songs carry stories. Lyrics of Labor looks at the music shaped by work, struggle, and the people behind it.

  • The Wreck of the Old 97 – Johnny Cash

    The Wreck of the Old 97 – Johnny Cash

    A train running behind schedule. A boss who needs the mail on time. A worker pushed to make it happen—no matter the risk. The Wreck of the Old 97 isn’t just a folk standard; it’s a workplace autopsy set to steel wheels and coal smoke.

  • Sixteen Tons – Tennessee Ernie Ford

    Sixteen Tons – Tennessee Ernie Ford

    A foot-tapping baritone with a gut-punch message: “Sixteen Tons” turns coalfield economics into a four-minute warning about work, debt, and dignity. From company stores and scrip to modern debt traps, this Lyrics of Labor entry digs into why the song still feels uncomfortably current.

  • 1913 Massacre – Woody Guthrie

    1913 Massacre – Woody Guthrie

    The first entry in Lyrics of Labor digs into Woody Guthrie’s “1913 Massacre,” a stark retelling of the Italian Hall disaster in Calumet, Michigan. We walk through the lyrics, the strike behind the song, and how one Christmas Eve tragedy became a lasting indictment of corporate power.