Although Rovics is not strongly associated with any particular political or ideological movement, his lyrics and recorded interviews encompass a wide range of left-wing, humanitarian interests. He has suggested a commonality or synthesis between these varied ideologies in several of his radio interviews, and cites his music as a means to disseminate these ideas. His provocative and catchy lyrics bring to mind a modern-day Woody Guthrie or Phil Ochs.
Read more from Wikipedia
Additional information, huge collection of free mp3s, sheet music and links. Official website.
Minimum Wage Strike
David Rovics Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
There was a feeling in the air.
Everything was quiet.
Things were different everywhere.
The Wobblies were back again,
With Joe Hill at the mike,
When all the minimum-wage workers went on strike.
There was no one flipping burgers.
All the grills were cold.
Onion rings were in their bags.
Fries were growing mold.
There were no baristas at Starbucks
Asking, "How many shots would you like?"
When all the minimum-wage workers went on strike.
There was no one pumping gasoline,
No one driving from town to town,
No one at the registers.
All the highways were shut down.
The cars were stuck in their garage,
Businessmen on bikes,
When all the minimum-wage workers went on strike.
The fruit was falling off the trees.
No one to load the trucks.
Corn was rotting on the stalk,
No farm hands to shuck.
The workfare workers were hanging at home,
Spending the day with their tykes,
When all the minimum-wage workers went on strike.
Yuppie parents were housebound.
Their nannies left the job.
Wal-Mart workers said,"Enough
Of our labor has been robbed."
The FootLocker was locked up.
The boss had to take a hike,
When all the minimum-wage workers went on strike.
(Repeat first verse)
The lyrics of David Rovics's song "Minimum Wage Strike" describe a hypothetical situation where all minimum-wage workers in various industries go on strike and demand a higher wage. The song paints a picture of the impact of such a strike on different aspects of society. The first verse sets the scene with a feeling of anticipation - something is about to happen. The reference to the Wobblies (short for Industrial Workers of the World) and Joe Hill, a famous Wobbly songwriter and activist who was executed in 1915, places the song in a historical context of labor activism. The strike in the song is not just about wages, but also about workers' dignity and collective power.
As the strike progresses, the absence of minimum-wage workers is felt in various industries. Fast food restaurants have no burgers or fries to serve, coffee shops have no baristas, gas stations have no attendants, and highways are shut down due to lack of transportation. The strike extends beyond urban areas to include agricultural workers, who leave crops unharvested. The disruption of the status quo affects not only workers and employers but also consumers and society as a whole. The song suggests that a minimum wage is not just a basic economic right but also an essential component of democracy and justice.
Overall, "Minimum Wage Strike" is a call to action and a protest song that challenges the assumption that minimum-wage workers are disposable and powerless. The use of hypothetical situations and exaggeration serves to highlight the importance of the issue and the urgency of the demands.
Line by Line Meaning
When I awoke one morning,
The story is set in the morning when something unusual takes place.
There was a feeling in the air.
There was a certain energy in the atmosphere that signaled a change was happening.
Everything was quiet.
The usual sounds of the morning were absent due to the strike.
Things were different everywhere.
The strike had adversely affected all parts of the town, making everything seem different than the usual.
The Wobblies were back again,
The Industrial Workers of the World (IWW), also known as the Wobblies, was a union that organized the strike.
With Joe Hill at the mike,
Joe Hill, an IWW labor activist and songwriter, was leading the strike movement.
When all the minimum-wage workers went on strike.
The strike was organized by minimum wage workers, who were protesting for better pay and working conditions.
There was no one flipping burgers.
All fast food chains were closed due to the absence of burger-flipping workers.
All the grills were cold.
The grills that are usually used to cook burgers and other fast foods were not being used.
Onion rings were in their bags.
Onion rings and other fast-food items were left packaged in their bags waiting to be sold.
Fries were growing mold.
The fries that were not sold the day before were left overnight and thus were now growing mold.
There were no baristas at Starbucks
All Starbucks locations were closed as the baristas were a part of the minimum wage strike.
Asking, "How many shots would you like?"
The question commonly asked by Starbucks baristas when making coffee orders.
There was no one pumping gasoline,
All gas stations were closed as fuel pumpers were their minimum wage workers were on strike.
No one driving from town to town,
Without fuel, no one could drive anywhere.
No one at the registers.
All stores were closed as sales clerks were on strike.
All the highways were shut down.
Without people to run essential services like gas stations and fast food restaurants, the highways came to a standstill.
The cars were stuck in their garage,
Most cars, deprived of fuel, were stuck in their garages leaving the streets empty.
Businessmen on bikes,
Due to the transportation disruption, business people were using bikes as an alternative mode of transportation.
When all the minimum-wage workers went on strike.
The strike instigated by minimum wage workers was the cause of every disturbance and discomfort.
The fruit was falling off the trees.
Without farmhands to harvest, the ripe fruit was falling off the trees, wasting food supply.
No one to load the trucks.
Without truck loaders to pack harvests, the trucks remained undeployed.
Corn was rotting on the stalk,
Like the fruit, crops were rotting where they stood due to the absence of farmhands to harvest them.
No farm hands to shuck.
Without farmhands, there were no workers to shuck corn.
The workfare workers were hanging at home,
Potential replacement workers were staying at home and not crossing the picket line out of solidarity with striking workers.
Spending the day with their tykes,
The workfare workers were spending quality time with their children and loved ones.
When all the minimum-wage workers went on strike.
Similar to every other verse, the songwriter repeats the phrase to remind us that all other events in the song are caused by the minimum wage workers' strike.
Yuppie parents were housebound.
Parents of well to do households relying heavily on nannies were bound to their homes as the nannies were also on strike.
Their nannies left the job.
The lower-income workers, including household helps like nannies and servants, joined the strike to fight for better wages and working conditions.
Wal-Mart workers said,"Enough Of our labor has been robbed."
Wal-Mart workers who had suffered due to low wages and minimal benefits joined the strike in solidarity.
The FootLocker was locked up.
FootLocker stores were closed as the staff working for minimum wage went on strike.
The boss had to take a hike,
The bosses who had been exploiting their workers had no choice but to accept the employee's demands or leaving the company due to the worker's demand for better pay and working conditions.
(Repeat first verse)
The last verse of the song is a repetition of the first verse.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA/AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind