The song lyrics were written by the band Van Halen, as they were asked to write a song for the 1979 movie "Over the Edge" starring Matt Dillon. The movie (and the lyrics, although more obliquely) are about bored, rebellious youth with nothing better to do than get into trouble. If you see the movie, these lyrics will make more sense. It's a great movie if you grew up in the 70s/80s you'll definitely remember some of these characters from your own life. Fun fact, after writing the song, Van Halen decided not to let the movie use it.
Now that your picture's in the paper being rhythmically admired
And you can have anyone that you have ever desired
All you gotta tell me now is why, why, why, why?
Welcome to the working week
Oh, I know it don't thrill you, I hope it don't kill you
Welcome to the working week
You gotta do it till you're through it, so you better get to it
All of your family had to kill to survive
And they're still waitin' for their big day to arrive
But if they knew how I felt, they'd bury me alive
Welcome to the working week
Oh, I know it don't thrill you, I hope it don't kill you
Welcome to the working week
You gotta do it till you're through it, so you better get to it
I hear you sayin', "Hey, the city's alright," when you only read about it in books
Spend all your money gettin' so convinced that you never even bother to look
Sometimes I wonder if we're livin' in the same land
Why d'you want to be my friend when I feel like a juggler running out of hands?
Welcome to the working week
Oh, welcome to the working week
And you can have anyone that you have ever desired
All you gotta tell me now is why, why, why, why?
Welcome to the working week
Oh, I know it don't thrill you, I hope it don't kill you
Welcome to the working week
You gotta do it till you're through it, so you better get to it
All of your family had to kill to survive
And they're still waitin' for their big day to arrive
But if they knew how I felt, they'd bury me alive
Welcome to the working week
Oh, I know it don't thrill you, I hope it don't kill you
Welcome to the working week
You gotta do it till you're through it, so you better get to it
I hear you sayin', "Hey, the city's alright," when you only read about it in books
Spend all your money gettin' so convinced that you never even bother to look
Sometimes I wonder if we're livin' in the same land
Why d'you want to be my friend when I feel like a juggler running out of hands?
Welcome to the working week
Oh, welcome to the working week
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Well, the first line's about masturbation. The rest is about how tough working-class life is. These things are presumably related.
WHY DO PEOPLE ALWAYS THINK ITS ABOUT A GIRL? this is very straight forward- its about hating work but doing it Anyways because you have to
I used to think it was just about being dissatisfied at work in general, but after looking up the lyrics, I think it's specifically about a prostitute/porn star/page 3 girl! Either way, a girl doing some sort of sex-work. The line about your picture in the paper being "rythmically admired", as someone above pointed out, is surely about masturbation (when else is admiration ever "rythmic"?! Especially over newspapers?? I'm thinking The Sun...), and the song is addressed to the person who is being admired, who clearly doesn't like their job very much. It could be a guy, but speaking very generally, the people whose pictures are "rythmically admired" in our society are usually women, so that's why I imagine it being about a girl.
The 2nd and 3rd verses are about hating your job and having to do it anyway. This could apply to any job, but there are a couple of other things that make me think it's about sex-work. The lines
I hear you sayin', "Hey, the city's alright, when you only read about it in books. Spend all your money gettin' so convinced that you never even bother to look. Sometimes I wonder if we're livin' in the same land
Sounds like it's about a split between the dream city that you read about in books that people with money can afford to pretend they live in, and the grim reality of the city and the way some people have to live. Prostitution could be part of this grim reality; it's often understood as a class/poverty issue.
The line "I know it don't thrill you" could be another clue- the word thrill is often used to mean sexual excitement (maybe a little dated now but yeah, this song is kind of old...) so it could be an acknowledgement that even though a porn star/prostitute's job is to LOOK turned on, it is only an act, so ironically, her job don't thrill her...in any sense of the word.
I admit the song from verse 2 onwards could be about ANY job, but that bit about your picture in the paper being rythmically admired... what else could that be about??! Please feel free to enlighten me if there is a totally innocent non-porn/prostitution explanation that I'm just not getting...
I dunno, but I put this on a mixtape for a girl I had a fling who was climbing "the ladder" at the time. It was very thoughtful of me to do that.
obviously people are gonna think it's to do with a girl somewhere along the line as the first line is "now that your picture's in the paper/ being rhythmically admired"
the best opener for an album ever!! It's absolutely about hating your job but having to do it anyway. it seems (at least to me) that he may be talking to himself, but that's just me
What is the actual meaning of this song? Theres a debate going on between my friends. Any idea's?
the song is about a girl that i think he was involved with and she became famous or something and now she doesn't have any time for him. or maybe he doesn't have enough time for her.. i don't know. that's what i get out of it at least.
why do people always talk about songs like they're actual experiences of the musician?
This song is about how busy life is. family had to kill to survive. the singer doesn't feel like any of it is worth it. I hope it don't kill you. everything is read about in books. He's too busy for relationships even, and we all know how much that blows the big donkey dick.
why why why is this corporate ladder so far-reaching? I wish I was a millionaire...I don't really want to work...DAMN IT. someone donate money to me. Candesvara.
I hope this don't kill Candesvara, but...
EC worked as a computer programmer, and recorded my aim is true by taking sick days off from that job. He wrote a lot of his songs on the way home from work on the train.
Welcome to the workin' week. You gotta do it till you're through it so you better get to it.
could be indicative of how EC knew that the songs he had written were good enough for sucess, and that he had to keep up with work long enough to be able to record the album. I'd say that this song was derived from EC's experiences, but altered with artistic license to suit the story.