Working In The Coal Mine

Song Name: Working in the Coal Mine AKA  Working in a Coalmine

Artist: DEVO (cover song)

Appears On:

Heavy Metal (soundtrack )

Working In The Coal Mine (single )

New Traditionalists (a bonus track, with some releases)

Greatest Hits

Pioneers Who Got Scalped: The Anthology

Social Fools: The Virgin Singles 1978-1982

Live 1981 Seattle (CD)

Now It Can Be Told - Devo At The Palace

Run Time: 2:48 (single version)

Year Released: 1981

Years Performed:  1981 - 1982, 1988

Writing Credits Allen Toussaint

Sung By: Gerald V. Casale and Mark Mothersbaugh (co-lead) Bob Casale (backing)

Alternate Versions: "uncensored" version (unreleased)

Demo Versions:

Working In A Coalmine (3:13), (1977) on Hardcore Vol. 2 (titled Working In The Coal Mine on 2013 re-release )

A demo called "Coal Mine" by Booji Boy on a September 1980 broadcast of the Dr. Demento radio show. [1]

Song Connections: Toil Is Stupid (similar topic)

Trivia / Info:

•    Musician Allen Toussaint wrote and produced the original Lee Dorsey hit in 1966. Toussaint's 1970 version appeared on his album "From a Whisper to a Scream" (released on Kent Records). Other bands such as Booker T. & the MG's had been covering it since the mid-1960's.

•    This cover song was considered for DNFTF and recorded as a demo for FOC , but was found to not fit that album's sound.  It was prevented from inclusion on NuTra by WB. Because WITCM received radio play after inclusion in the Heavy Metal movie soundtrack, it was released as a single by WB. The single was then also packaged with the NuTra LP. Some reissues of NuTra add this song as a bonus track.

•    Alternately titled Working In A Coalmine on Virgin releases .

•    Mark Mothersbaugh said that it was intended to be a deconstruction of a classic song along the same lines as Satisfaction: "It was a song that we always liked, we thought that Allen Toussaint had written a masterpiece, so to us it was like another Satisfaction; we thought it was a song that withstood the test of time and was still applicable even today."

•    Working In The Coal Mine was a minor pop hit both for Devo and for the Heavy Metal Soundtrack. In a 1981 radio interview from New York  M. Mothersbaugh claimed that "Without even seeing the movie we knew we weren't going to like it. I think that nobody in the band has ever seen that movie."

•    Gerald Casale refers to an unreleased "uncensored" version of this song in a twitter post . In a later reddit post he says that what was censored will "never be revealed."

Onstage Behavior:

•  Mark and Jerry usually add some onstage banter
• Performed to playback on Australian TV show Countdown on an elaborate 2-level coal mine set. G.V.C. and Mark sing on their knees on top of the set. Alan swings a pick-axe, Bob1 shovels and Bob2 carts a wheelbarrow back and forth YouTube

They all stop and look up when the deep voice says "Lord - I am so tired..." G.V.C. raises his hands in amazement and Mark poses with "praying hands"

• Also performed to audio playback on Fridays with the band as miners on the less elaborate 2-level set used on tour YouTube At the fade-out Jerry and Mark talk --

Jerry: Let's get out of here

Mark: Hey Jerry, where is that coal mine?

Jerry: Well - that coal mine could be right in front of you, ya never know

• On 1988 tour DEVO sit on metal stools for the first songs of the set, including WITCM. G.V.C. shakes a maraca in his left hand to accompany the sound of Bob2's synthesized maracas, which open and close the song. Mark plays a keyboard on his lap (And, of course, Bob1 plays guitar and David plays drums)

1988-11-03 show YouTube

Instead of "I am so tired" Jerry says "...I am so De-volved!"

  On the next verse Mark asks "say, how you doing Jerry?" Jerry replies "Marky, I am so tired. How long can this go on?"

  After WITCM, Jerry says "O.K., enough of this stuff spuds, lets go to work!" DEVO walk offstage, the stools are removed, and DEVO walk back on wearing the happy/sad logo T-shirts to play Happy Guy 

Lyrics:

Well I been workin’ in a coal mine

Goin’ down, down

Workin’ in a coal mine

whew! About to slip down

Well I been workin’ in a coal mine

Goin’ down, down

Workin’ in a coal mine

Whew! About to slip down

Five o’clock in the mornin’

I’m up before the sun

When my work day is over

I’m too tired for havin’ fun

I been workin’ in a coal mine

Goin’ down, down

Workin’ in a coal mine

Whew! About to slip down

Workin’ in a coal mine

Goin’ down, down

Workin’ in a coal mine

Whew! About to slip down

[Lord! I am so tired]

[How long can this go on?]

Well, I been workin’ in a coal mine

Goin’ down, down

Workin’ in a coal mine

Whew! About to slip down

Workin’ in a coal mine

Goin’ down, down

Workin’ in a coal mine

Whew! About to slip down

Five o'clock in the mornin’

I’m up before the sun

When my work day is over

I’m too tired for havin’ fun

I been workin’ in a coal mine

Goin’ down, down

Workin’ in a coal mine

Whew! About to slip down

Workin’ in a coal mine

Goin’ down, down

Workin’ in a coal mine

Whew! About to slip down

[Lord! I am so tired]

[How long can this go on?]

I been workin’, goin’, workin’

Whew! About to slip down

Original Lyrics:

(As sung by Lee Dorsey) YouTube

(Workin' in a coal mine)
(Goin'	down down down)
(Workin' in a coal mine)
(Whoops! About to slip down)

(Workin' in a coal mine)
(Goin' down down down)
(Workin' in a coal mine)
(Whoops! About to slip down)


Five o'clock in the morning
I'm already up and gone
Lordy I'm so tired
How long can this go on?

 
(That I’m workin' in a coal mine)
(Goin' down down down)
(Workin' in a coal mine)
(Whoops! About to slip	down)

Workin' (in a coal mine)
Goin' (down down down)
Workin' (in a coal mine)
Oops! (About to slip down)


'Cause I make a little money
Hauling coal by the ton,
But when Saturday rolls around
I'm too tired for having fun
(Too tired for havin')

(I'm just working in a coal mine)
(Going down down down)
(Working in a coal mine)
(Whoops, about to slip down)

Working (in a coal mine)
Going (down down down)
Working (in a coal mine)
Whoops, about to slip down


[Lord, I'm so tired]
[How long can this go on?]


(Dat de workin' in a coal mine)
(Goin' down down down)
(Workin' in a coal mine)
(Whoops! About to slip down)

Workin' (in a coal mine)
Goin' (down down down)
Workin' (in a coal mine)
Oops! (About to slip down)


Five o'clock in the mornin'
I'm already up and gone
Lord-a, I'm so tired
How long can this go on?


(Dat de workin' in a coal mine)
(Goin' down down down)
(Workin' in a coal mine)
(Whoops! About to slip down)

Workin' (in a coal mine)
Goin' (down down down)
Workin'(in a coal mine)
Oops! (About to slip down)


'Cause I make a little money
Hauling coal by the ton,
But when Saturday rolls around
I'm too tired for having fun


(I'm just workin' in a coal mine)
(Goin' down down down)
(Workin' in a coal mine)
(Whoops! About to slip	down)

Workin' (in a coal mine)
Goin' (down down down)
Workin' (in a coal mine)
Oops! (About to slip down)


[Lord, I'm so tired.]
(fade-out)

Additional Info:

“Growing up in Akron, Ohio, and being raised blue collar made it easy to identify with songs such as Lee Dorsey’s ‘Workin’ in a Coalmine.’ Blues and R&B filled the AM and FM airwaves broadcast out of Cleveland, Detroit, and Chicago. It was my favorite music.” - Jerry (2011)

Live audio recordings are available from BBB.

Spelling / Orthography

"WORKING IN THE COAL MINE" is the Allen Toussaint composition first recorded by Lee Dorsey and later covered by DEVO, appearing on New Traditionalists, WB singles, and compilations. [And on the Heavy Metal soundtrack releases.]

"WORKING IN THE COALMINE" is the form of the title written on Mark's undated illustrated tape box cover of the DEVO version.

Overseas releases usually use “a” instead of “the”:

“WORKING IN A COALMINE” - Virgin single and other Virgin issues ,New Traditionalists: Live 1981 Seattle, Hardcore Vol. 2

[The subsequent “Hardcore” release reverts to original song title.]

“WORKING IN A COAL MINE” - BBC broadcast, ,Social Fools: The Virgin Singles 1978-1982, Now It Can Be Told, B-Sides.

(huboon.com - “Workin' In A Coal Mine”)

Links:

Discogs -- search for "Devo", "coal"

Working in a Coalmine (Releases) -- MusicBrainz

New Traditionalists: "Working in the Coal Mine" -- Wikipedia

Working in the Coal Mine -- Wikipedia

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