All work and no play makes us all very cranky and impossible to live with. It can also makes us stage a riot, as it did in 1886 in Chicago. The “Haymarket Riot” was a direct result of the working conditions in this county during the late 1800’s. The “Industrial Revolution” was typified by the average worker putting in 12 hour days, 7 days a week! Not to mention the children, as young as 5 and 6 years of age, who were also punching the clock and earning a tiny fraction of what they should be paid. This was no easy work either; they were slaving away in dirty factories, dangerous mines and hazardous mills. Working conditions were abysmal; there was no or inadequate sanitation, and no concern for fresh air or worker’s health. All of this to barely get by!
This gave rise to the first labor unions; they began organizing strikes and rallied to draw awareness to working environments and to protest the extraordinarily inhumane conditions in which they were expected to toil. These protests forced employers to make concessions, to improve conditions, to increase pay and to implement and enforce child labor laws.
On September 5, 1882, 10,000 brave souls didn’t show up for work; instead they organized a march from City Hall to Union Square in NYC, and effected the first Labor Day Parade! Labor Day became a federal holiday in 1894. Labor Day also signals the end of summer for many of us; but it was forged in the bravery and spirit of early Patriots who understood people matter more than profit.
Today we still observe Labor Day with parades; we also have sporting events, social gatherings, barbeques, and hopefully a whole lot of goofing off. Family Leisure encourages you to take advantage of Labor Day and any day you have the opportunity to relax with family and friends.
Here’s a Labor Play List for your gathering:
ROCK
Hard Day’s Night- The Beatles
Money for Nothing- Dire Straits
Workin’ in the Coal Mine- Lee Dorsey
Cleaning Windows – Van Morrison
Blue Collar Man (Long Nights)- Styx
Taking Care of Business- Bachman Turner Overdrive
9 to 5- Dolly Parton
Manic Monday- The Bangles
Working for the Weekend- Loverboy
Workin’ For a Livin’- Huey Lewis & The News
Working Class Hero- Plastic Ono Band
Working on the Highway- E Street Band
Career Opportunities- The Clash
Door To Door- Creedence Clearwater Revival
Working On The Highway- Bruce Springsteen
Workin'- Lynyrd Skynyrd
Bang On the Drum All Day – Todd Rundgren
Back on the Chain Gang – The Pretenders
Working Hard, Playing Hard – Ted Nugent
Finest Work Song – REM
Working for the Man – Roy Orbison
Working at the Car Wash Blues – Jim Croce
Blue Collar Man - Styx
Welcome to the Working Week – Elvis Costello
Maggie’s Farm – Bob Dylan
Salt of the Earth – The Rolling Stones
Making Thunderbirds – Bob Segar
COUNTRY
Long Hot Summer Day -Turnpike Troubadours
Workin’ Man (Nowhere to Go) -Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
Mariano -Robert Earl Keen
One More Payment - Clint Black
I’m Tryin' - Trace Adkins
Lord Have Mercy on the Working Man -Travis Tritt
Eat at Joe’s - Suzy Bogguss
Hard Hat and a Hammer - Alan Jackson
East Bound and Down - Jerry Reed
Oney - Johnny Cash
Working Man - John Conlee
Working in the Coal Mine - The Judds
Call the Captain - Steep Canyon Rangers
Family Man - Craig Campbell
This F***ing Job - Drive-By Truckers
The Dollar - Jamey Johnson
John Henry - Bill Monroe
Beat Me Down - Wade Bowen
Shiftwork- Kenny Chesney and George Strait
Working Man Blues- Merle Haggard
Take This Job and Shove It- Johnny Paycheck
Busy Man- Billy Ray Cyrus
Still Got A Finger- Blake Shelton
Work Hard, Play Harder- Gretchen Wilson
Working Man’s Ph.D- Aaron Tippin
Hard Workin’ Man- Brooks & Dunn
Hands of a Working Man – Ty Herndon
It's Five O'Clock Somewhere- Alan Jackson
Beer on the Table – Josh Thompson
Assembly Line- Randy Montana
Hard Hat and a Hammer- Alan Jackson
18 Wheels and a Dozen Roses – Kathy Mattea
Drinking Class – Lee Brice
Something More – Sugarland
The Factory – Kenny Rogers
It’s Quittin’ Time – Keith Whitley
Forty Hour Week – Alabama
Blowin’ Smoke – Kacey Musgraves
National Working Woman’s Holiday – Sammy Kershaw
Amarillo by Morning – George Strait
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