Summary Of The Song 'Working Class Man'

Working class man, written by Jonathan Cain, and performed by Jimmy Barnes, is a song which was produced in 1985, and has become an iconic song in Australian history. Its lyrics highlight the importance of the blue collar, working class stereotype which is evident in Australian society. The song tells the story, and also gives insight into the lives of the hard working stereotype. The two opening lines ‘work hard to make a living, bringing shelter from the rain’ already tell us of the kinds of people we are being told about. They are all-sacrificing, willing to help out their fellow man, as well as working to their capacities and striving through terrible conditions in order to provide for their families. The metaphor “blue denim in his veins”
is a reference to the working class or 'blue collar' part of society. This links in with the idea of Australian being a a hard working society. ‘He’s a steel town disciple, he’s a legend of his kind’ tells us that the working class man is a worker who is in the trade of traditional Australians, typically manual labour tasks but also is a real success, and performs his job extremely efficiently and is deemed a person of utmost respect. Working class man is a very good representation of the hard working Australian identity. The song is iconic in Australian history , as it was able to tell the story of the working class Australian’s as well as acknowledge their role in the general society of Australia.
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