Friday
J.J. Cale Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning | Line by Line Meaning
Work my back to the bone
All day
Monday I keep thinking
"Weekend's coming, gonna go home"
Tuesday I hate, oh Tuesday
Ain't no girls on the streets
Tuesday it ain't good for nothing
Drinking beer and watching TV
Friday, Friday evening
Come on Friday, it's been too long
Friday, Friday evening
Come on Friday, I want to go home
Wednesday's hump day, hump day's Wednesday
Over the hump, the week's half-gone
If I had my pay on Wednesday I'd hang out, the hump day's gone
Thursday, you know I feel better
I can see the end in sight
Think I'll write myself a letter
Help myself through the night
The lyrics of J.J. Cale's song Friday depict the mundane routine of the protagonist's workweek. He expresses his dissatisfaction towards the early mornings and the hard work he puts into each day. As the week progresses, it seems to get worse, with Tuesday described as a pointless day with nothing to do except drink and watch TV. Wednesday, however, is portrayed as the halfway point as it's designated as "hump day." If he had his pay on Wednesday, he would hang out and celebrate the end of the week being closer. By Thursday, the protagonist begins to see the light at the end of the tunnel as the weekend draws nearer, and he contemplates writing himself a letter to uplift his mood.
The song's lyrics showcase the monotony of mundane work life and the escape people yearn for into the weekend. The protagonist emphasizes a distinctive leisure time that has become absent in the daily grind of work. The song was released in 1979 amidst the booming disco era, where people indulged in partying, dancing, and enjoying life. In contrast, Cale's song Friday outlines the desire to unwind and escape the mundane workweek.
Line by Line Meaning
Monday morning comes too early
I dread the start of the workweek, as it feels like it arrives too soon and takes up much of my energy
Work my back to the bone
I put in a lot of effort and hard work, often leading to exhaustion
All day
I work throughout the entire day, with little to no breaks
Monday I keep thinking "Weekend's coming, gonna go home"
Despite the long work hours, I try to stay positive by reminding myself that the weekend is approaching and I'll soon be able to relax at home
Tuesday I hate, oh Tuesday
I have a strong dislike for Tuesdays, as they often feel tedious and uneventful
Ain't no girls on the streets
There are not many people or activities on the streets, and specifically few women around
Tuesday it ain't good for nothing
Tuesday doesn't seem to have any redeeming qualities, making it feel like a wasted day
Drinking beer and watching TV
To pass the time or cope with boredom, I resort to drinking beer and watching television
Friday, Friday evening, Come on Friday, it's been too long
I eagerly anticipate Fridays and the start of the weekend, as it feels like it's been a long time coming
Friday, Friday evening, Come on Friday, I want to go home
I am eager to finish work on Friday and leave to go home, as it marks the start of my weekend
Wednesday's hump day, hump day's Wednesday
Wednesday is often referred to as "hump day", signifying that it's the midpoint of the workweek
Over the hump, the week's half-gone
After getting through Wednesday, it feels like I've made significant progress towards the end of the week and it's halfway done
If I had my pay on Wednesday I'd hang out, the hump day's gone
If I were paid on Wednesdays, I would take it as an opportunity to relax and enjoy the day, as I wouldn't have to work and it would mark the end of the "hump day"
Thursday, you know I feel better
I experience relief and an improved mood on Thursdays, as it signifies that I am close to the end of the workweek
I can see the end in sight
I am able to envision the end of the workweek and look forward to it
Think I'll write myself a letter, Help myself through the night
To pass the time or cope with stress/loneliness on Thursday evenings, I will write a letter to myself, acting as a source of comfort and support
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: GEORGE JR. CLINTON, GARRY MARSHALL SHIDER, DAVID L. SPRADLEY, JOHNNY L. PRUITT, JAMES W. CASTOR, O'SHEA JACKSON, LEANDRO JOSE BARBIERI
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
His songs have been performed by a number of other musicians including "After Midnight" and "Cocaine" by Eric Clapton Read Full BioJohn Weldon Cale (5 December 1938 – 26 July 2013), known as JJ Cale or J.J. Cale, was a Grammy Award-winning American singer, musician, and songwriter. Cale was one of the originators of the Tulsa Sound, a loose genre drawing on blues, rockabilly, country, and jazz influences. Cale's personal style has often been described as "laid back".
His songs have been performed by a number of other musicians including "After Midnight" and "Cocaine" by Eric Clapton,"Cajun Moon" by Randy Crawford, "Clyde" and "Louisiana Women" by Waylon Jennings, "Magnolia" by Jai, "Bringing It Back" by Kansas, "Call Me the Breeze" and "I Got the Same Old Blues" by Lynyrd Skynyrd, "I'd Like to Love You, Baby" by Tom Petty, "Travelin' Light" and "Ride Me High" by Widespread Panic, "Tijuana" by Harry Manx, "Sensitive Kind" by Carlos Santana, "Cajun Moon" by Herbie Mann with Cissy Houston, and "Same Old Blues" by Captain Beefheart.
Cale was born on December 5, 1938, in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. He was raised in Tulsa and graduated from Tulsa Central High School in 1956. Along with a number of other young Tulsa musicians, Cale moved to Los Angeles in the early 1960s, where he first worked as a studio engineer.
The Leathercoated Minds was a 1966-67 psychedelic studio-based band masterminded largely by Snuff Garrett and J J Cale. The band produced one album, A Trip down the Sunset Strip, co-produced by Cale and Garrett
Finding little success as a recording artist, he later returned to Tulsa and was considering giving up the music business until Clapton recorded "After Midnight" in 1970. His first album, Naturally, established his style, described by Los Angeles Times writer Richard Cromelin as a "unique hybrid of blues, folk and jazz, marked by relaxed grooves and Cale's fluid guitar and laconic vocals. His early use of drum machines and his unconventional mixes lend a distinctive and timeless quality to his work and set him apart from the pack of Americana roots-music purists."
Some sources incorrectly give his real name as "Jean-Jacques Cale". In the 2006 documentary, To Tulsa and Back: On Tour with J.J. Cale, Cale talks about Elmer Valentine, co-owner of the Sunset Strip nightclub Whisky à GoGo, who employed him in the mid-1960s, being the one that came up with the "JJ" moniker to avoid confusion with the Velvet Underground's John Cale. Rocky Frisco tells the same version of the story mentioning the other John Cale but without further detail.
His biggest U.S. hit single, Crazy Mama, peaked at #22 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1972. During the 2006 documentary film To Tulsa and Back Cale recounts the story of being offered the opportunity to appear on Dick Clark's American Bandstand to promote the song, which would have moved the song higher on the charts. Cale declined when told he could not bring his band to the taping and would be required to lip-sync the words to the song.
Cale died on Friday, July 26, 2013, at Scripps Hospital in La Jolla, California, after suffering a heart attack.