Country music and songs about work go together like…Brooks & Dunn, a shot and a beer, or a hamburger and ketchup. The subject of the “working man” (and woman) in of country music has been around as long as long as the genre. In honor of National Blue Collar worker day, take a moment and relax. Here are 11 awesome country songs about work.

Work consumes most of our days, no wonder song many songs have been written on the subject. In turn, it makes perfect sense there are also so many songs about drinking because hard working America just needs to let off some steam.

Clocking In And Out

Have you ever had a job where you stared at the clock just waiting for it to chime 5:00? There’s a song about that. You’ve likely been overworked, underpaid and certainly underappreciated. What a way to make a living? There’s a song about that too.

Artists from Dolly Parton to Kenny Chesney have represented this country’s laborers. Some of the songs are pure escapism bliss. Others on this list honor our foot soldiers. And some just paint a picture of our daily lives.

If there’s too much month at the end of the money and your weekends are too short, there’s a jam for you here. Relax. Enjoy these 11 awesome country songs about work. Hard working America, consider this your shout-out (and your soundtrack). We see you, we hear you and we appreciate you. Oh hey, and happy Friday!

• 1. 9-5

  Dolly Parton 

  The quintessential working woman song from one of the hardest working women in showbiz! Dolly wrote this and released it in 1980 for the movie of the same name, that she also starred in. It also served as the “centerpiece” of her 9 to 5 and Odd Jobs album. (Wikipedia)

   

• 2. Hard Workin' Man

  Brooks and Dunn 

  Ronnie Dunn, of Brooks and Dunn, wrote this #4 hit. It was the title track of their sophomore album from 1993. The popular duo also won a Grammy Award for this working song. scoring the honors of 1993’s Best Country Performance by a duo or group. 

   

• 3. Smoke Break

  Carrie Underwood 

  A top 2 hit for Carrie in 2015, this song isn’t about smoking at all. It’s just a metaphor for needing a break, when the stress of every day gets to be too much. Underwood wrote this one with Chris DeStefano, and Hillary Lindsey. “A stiff drink and a long drag” are merely a more lyrically dramatic way of saying a hard working person needs an escape once in a while.

• 4. It's 5:00 Somewhere

  Alan Jackson and Jimmy Buffett

  You know how a work day can feel sluggish. That old clock is moving slow and the workday passes like molasses. We’ve all been there. Oh, and your boss just puts you over the limit. You want to call him out, but instead you just call it a day. That’s what Alan Jackson and Jimmy Buffett are singing about in this iconic 2003 7 week #1 smash hit. It was the first #1 for Buffet and it put Alan Jackson on pop radio, as it was a crossover hit.

• 5. Workin' Man Blues

  Merle Haggard

  The country legend wrote and recorded the ultimate ode to the “working man” in 1969. It went on to be covered by many artists, and became one of Hag’s signature songs. He considered it a tribute to fans, who were primarily blue collar workers. 

• 6. 40 Hour Week (For a Livin')

  Alabama

  No song better exemplifies this topic than “40 Hour Week (For a Livin’). This 1985 hit from one of country music’s most successful acts is a literal salute to America’s blue collar workers. From the auto workers in Detroit, to the steel workers in Pittsburg. The tune resonated so much with listeners, it spent record amount of weeks at the top of the charts. Racking up a total of 19 weeks at #1.

• 7. Drinkin' Class

  Lee Brice 

  Is this  you? We’re up when the rooster crows/ Clock in when the whistle blows/ Eight hours ticking slow/ And then tomorrow we’ll do it all over again…” Lee Brice hit the nail on the head in the story about all the hard working folks looking to release some pent up frustrations of the working class and joining the “Drinkin’ Class.” 

• 8. Honey, I'm Home

  Shania Twain

  Shania turns around a classic 1950s way of life in one simple song. She’s had a hard day at the office and is requesting, if not demanding, her partner pour her a drink, rub her feet and get her something to eat. The artist who inspired a generation with her songwriting, subject matter and performances connected with every working woman on this 1998 #1 ditty.

• 9. Little Man

  Alan Jackson 

  Jackon’s 1999 top 3 hit described his feelings about the demise of hard working small business people, and their struggle to survive in a big business, do-it-yourself world.

  “He pumped your gas and he cleaned your glass
  And one cold rainy night he fixed your flat
  The new store came where you do it yourself
  You buy a lotto ticket and food off the shelf
  Forget the little man
  Forget about that little man”

• 10. Shiftwork

  Kenny Chesney and George Strait

  This 2007 collab was released in December of 2007. It was the 3rd single released from Kenny’s Just Who I Am: Poets & Pirates album. The song peaked at #2 on the Billboard country charts.

• 11. Blowin' Smoke

  Kacey Musgraves

  Always a clever songwriter, Kacey’s “Blowin’ Smoke,” from her debut album Same Trailer Different Park, paints a picture of a burned-out waitress who believes there’s a better life waiting for her. So many of us tell ourselves the same thing, but not all of us do anything about it. Mostly, we’re just “blowin’ smoke.” In the story she does leave behind the apron and her small town to catch a bus to Vegas. We’ve all worked jobs we didn’t like for money we didn’t like, and the trash talking is just a way to survive, unloading our frustrations and dreams.

   

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