work song

American  

noun

1. a folk song sung by workers, with a rhythm like that of their work.

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Etymology

Origin of work song

First recorded in 1920–25

Example Sentences

A very old prison work song, “Water Boy” is stark, long-suffering and proud: “There ain’t no hammer that’s on this mountain/That ring like mine.”

From New York Times • Apr. 26, 2023

A performance of the “Kiyari Uta,” a work song dating to the Edo period, paid homage to traditional crafts as giant wooden rings were carried in on a platform, surrounded by glowing paper lanterns.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 23, 2021

It’s a call-and-response work song, likely concocted spontaneously by overnight dockworkers cramming bunches of bananas onto ships, hot-footing it away from loose spiders, and fantasizing about rum.

From The New Yorker • Feb. 22, 2017

Strachwitz named Arhoolie after a type of work song, a field holler, that had deep roots in African-American musical culture.

From Reuters • Jan. 24, 2013

In fact, it was a famous work song with their own adapted lyrics: “Benifunani eRivonia?,” which means “What did you want at Rivonia?”

From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela