Born Donald Eugene Lytle in Greenfield, Ohio, he began playing guitar by age 6 and made his first record at age 15. After a time served in the United States Navy (which included a court-martial for assault), he began performing under the name Donny Young. The singer took a job with country music star George Jones, for whom he played bass and steel guitar for several years, co-writing Jones' hit song, "Once You've Had the Best." By the 1960s, he had changed his name to Johnny Paycheck, a name similar to Johnny Cash, which has sometimes caused confusion.
A member of the Grand Ole Opry, PayCheck is best remembered for his 1977 cover of, "Take This Job and Shove It" (written by David Allan Coe) which sold over 2 million copies and inspired a motion picture of the same name. Colorado Kool-Aid is another of his most famous songs. In his career, PayCheck recorded eleven songs that made it into country music's top ten chart plus he co-wrote several successful songs for other country singers including "Apartment #9," a hit for Tammy Wynette.
His life was often filled with turmoil and in 1985, PayCheck was convicted of shooting a man in Hillsboro, Ohio and spent two years in prison. His tax problems with the IRS led to his filing for bankruptcy in 1990. Later in the 1990s, he began capitalizing the fourth letter of his name in a style later dubbed CamelCase, preferring to be known as Johnny PayCheck.
PayCheck suffered from drug and alcohol addiction during his career, although he was said to have "put his life in order" [1] after his prison stay. Suffering from emphysema and asthma, after a lengthy illness, Johnny PayCheck died at Nashville's Vanderbilt University Medical Center.
He was interred in Woodlawn Memorial Park Cemetery in Nashville.
He is survived by his wife Sharon PayCheck and son Jonathan PayCheck.
Take This Job and Shove It
Johnny Paycheck Lyrics
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I ain't working here no more
My woman done left and took all the reason
I was working for
You better not try to stand in my way
As I'm a-walkin' out the door
Take this job and shove it
I ain't working here no more
I've been workin' in this factory
For now on fifteen years
All this time I watched my woman
Drownin' in a pool of tears
And I've seen a lot of good folk die
That had a lot of bills to pay
I'd give the shirt right offa' my back
If I had the guts to say
Take this job and shove it
I ain't working here no more
My woman done left and took all the reason
I was workin' for
You better not try to stand in my way
As I'm a-walkin' out the door
Take this job and shove it
I ain't workin' here no more
Well that foreman, he's a regular dog
The line boss, he's a fool
Got a brand new flattop haircut
Lord, he thinks he's cool
One of these days I'm gonna' blow my top
And that sucker, he's gonna' pay
Lord, I can't wait to see their faces
When I get the nerve to say
Take this job and shove it
I ain't working here no more
My woman done left and took all the reason
I was workin' for
You better not try to stand in my way
As I'm a-walkin' out the door
Take this job and shove it
I ain't workin' here no more
Take this job and shove it
is a song by Johnny Paycheck about a blue-collar worker who has had enough of his job and decides to quit. The lyrics describe the character's frustration with his monotonous job and his boss, the foreman, and the line boss. He has been working in the factory for fifteen years, during which time he has watched his woman suffer, and now she has left him. He has lost all motivation for working as he had been doing it for the sake of his woman. He decides to quit the job without any plans of what he will do next. The song represents a symbol of the working class's disillusionment with their jobs.
The lyrics of the song have been interpreted as an assertion of working-class identity and a call for greater respect from employers. The character is seeking to assert his dignity by walking away from a job that he feels has undermined his self-respect. The song has become an anthem for disgruntled employees seeking to leave their jobs on their terms. The song has also been adopted by various working-class movements as a symbol of their struggle.
Johnny Paycheck's song Take This Job and Shove It was a commercial success in 1977 when it was released. The song spent 18 weeks at the top of the country music charts and crossed over to the pop charts. The song was also adapted into a film in 1981, which starred Robert Hays and Barbara Hershey. The film was a box office success but received mixed reviews.
Line by Line Meaning
Take this job and shove it
I'm fed up and quitting this job
I ain't working here no more
I won't tolerate this job anymore
My woman done left and took all the reason I was working for
My loved one left me, and this job no longer serves a purpose for me
You better not try to stand in my way As I'm a-walkin' out the door
Don't try to stop me from leaving
I've been workin' in this factory For now on fifteen years
I've dedicated a considerable amount of time in this factory
All this time I watched my woman Drownin' in a pool of tears
My partner has been struggling, and I'm unable to help
And I've seen a lot of good folk die That had a lot of bills to pay
Many people who worked here lost their lives while still struggling to make ends meet
I'd give the shirt right offa' my back If I had the guts to say
I'm willing to make sacrifices to speak my mind
Well that foreman he's a regular dog The line boss he's a fool
My superiors are disrespectful and incompetent
Got a brand new flattop haircut Lord he thinks he's cool
My boss is arrogant and thinks he's above everyone else
One of these days I'm gonna' blow my top And that sucker he's gonna' pay
I'm going to lose control, and my boss will face the consequences
Lord I can't wait to see their faces When I get the nerve to say
I'm eager to confront them for their actions
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: David Allan Coe
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind