According to Bob Dylan's autobiographical Chronicles, Woody Guthrie gave his unpublished songs to Dylan but Bob was unable to get them from Guthrie's family (he tells a story about a reluctant babysitter).
Nora Guthrie's liner notes in Mermaid Avenue indicate that it was her intention that the songs be given to a new generation of musicians who would be able to make the songs relevant to a younger generation. She therefore contacted singer-songwriter Billy Bragg in spring 1995 about recording some unreleased songs by her father, folk singer Woody Guthrie. Most of the songs were written late in Guthrie's life when he was unable to record due to the motor impairments of Huntington's disease. By the 1990s, Woody Guthrie had become a "relic" to the MTV generation, and Nora sought to establish a different legacy for the musician. To Nora, Bragg was "the only singer I knew taking on the same issues as Woody." Bragg was concerned, however, that his fans would not realize that the songs were written by Guthrie when he performed them on tour, so he decided to record the album with another band.
Bragg contacted Tweedy and Bennett about co-recording the album while Wilco was on the European segment of their Being There tour. Bragg was particularly fond of Being There because their influences extended farther back than the 1950s. Although Tweedy was indifferent to the offer, Bennett was enthused about recording songs of one of his idols—Bennett's previous band Titanic Love Affair was named after a Billy Bragg lyric. A recording contract between Bragg and Wilco was signed after a show at Shepherd's Bush Empire. Bragg mostly recorded the politically-charged lyrics, while Tweedy preferred to record lyrics that showcased Guthrie as a "freak weirdo." The recording of Mermaid Avenue began on December 12, 1997, and was the topic of BBC's Man in the Sand documentary film.
Tempers flared between Bragg and Wilco after the album was completed. Bennett believed that Bragg was overproducing his songs, a sharp contrast to Wilco's sparser contributions. Bennett called Bragg about the possibility of remixing Bragg's songs, to which Bragg responded with "you make your record, and I'll make mine, fucker." Eventually Bragg sent copies of his recordings to Chicago for Bennett to remix, but Bragg refused to use the new mixes on the album. The two parties were unable to establish a promotional tour and quarreled over royalties and guest musician fees.
Despite these conflicts, the album was released on June 23, 1998, and sold over 277,000 copies. The album received rave reviews from Robert Christgau and Rolling Stone, and was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Folk Album. It also placed fourth on the Pazz & Jop critics poll for 1998 (right behind Bob Dylan's Live 1966).
Gotta Work
Billy Bragg & Wilco Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I gotta work or go nuts
I gotta work
I gotta work
I gotta work or I'll go nuts
I get dangerous if I don't work
I get mean if I don't work
Go loco
I go crazy if I don't work
I hurt people if I don't work
Kill people if I go nuts
I hit people
Scratch people
Bite people if I go nuts
I gotta work
I gotta work
Gotta work or I go nuts
I go screwball
Go loco
Crazy if I don't work
Hit people
Scratch people
Bite people if I don't work
The song "Gotta Work" by Billy Bragg and Wilco is an ode to the necessity of work in the lives of the working class. The repeated lyrics "I gotta work or go nuts" underscore the importance of work not just as a means of survival, but as a source of stability and sanity. The song suggests that without work, the singer would be driven to dangerous and violent behavior, and it highlights the vital role that work plays in maintaining social order.
The second verse explores the singer's psychological dependence on work, suggesting that without the sense of purpose and structure that work provides, they would be prone to losing control of their emotions and actions. The repetition of the phrase "I go crazy if I don't work" drives home the point that work is not just a necessary evil, but a vital component of a healthy and well-adjusted life.
Overall, "Gotta Work" is a powerful commentary on the social and psychological necessity of work in the lives of ordinary people. It speaks to the struggles and frustrations of the working class, as well as the ways in which work can function as a source of meaning and purpose in an often chaotic and confusing world.
Line by Line Meaning
I gotta work or go nuts
I must be employed, or suffer from extreme emotional distress
I get dangerous if I don't work
My behavior becomes threatening when I lack gainful employment
I hurt people if I don't work
I cause physical harm to others when jobless
I gotta work
I have a pressing need for employment
Gotta work or I go nuts
It is imperative that I find work, or severe mental instability may ensue
I go screwball
My behavior becomes erratic and unpredictable when I lack a job
Crazy if I don't work
I become mentally unhinged if I am unemployed
Hit people
I physically assault other individuals when I am not gainfully employed
Scratch people
I use my hands to inflict injury on others when I lack a job
Bite people if I don't work
I resort to using my teeth to cause harm to others when unemployed
Contributed by Avery D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.