Labour & Pop Culture: Nothin' To Die For

This week’s installment of Labour & Pop Culture is “Nothin’ to Die For” by Tim McGraw. On the surface, this song is about alcoholism and how it ruining the subject’s life. Overall, it is a pretty vanilla take on addiction designed to tug at the heart strings of country music fans without offering much insight.

The work-related piece is the second verse (which is the most interesting part of the song):

So what's the harm in a little fun?
'Cause you're off to work before the sun everyday
And the inbox/outbox locks you in
And the money you make ain't worth the time you spend to make your pay
The doctor says, "Man, your numbers - they don't lie."
The graveyard's full of folks that didn't have time to die

This verse sheds a bit of light on one factor that is driving the worker to drink: his job requires him to be at work long hours. He feels trapped (“the inbox/outbox locks you in”) and wishes he didn’t have to trade so much of his (finite) time to earn a living. Not surprisingly, he drinks to cope with this stress.

I’m not saying this is a great song: its strikes me as bible-bet, boot-strap, flag wavin' country music that you might hear on the first album by an American Idol runner up. Certainly there was scope to examine addictions with more nuance. But acknowledging the link between “bad” jobs and addiction does a service.

I noticed a few weeks ago that employers were using the impending decriminalization of marijuana to once again bang the drug-testing drum. Basically, they are concerned that workers will start arriving at their jobs stoned (cause every time a new liquor store opens, we all show up wrecked on chardonnay…?).

What many of these employers (generally in the petroleum and construction industries) don’t want to discuss is how the way in which they structure work (long hours, boring, lengthy periods of isolation) may contribute to drug an alcohol usage rates among their workers.



Stopped to have a few at five
Now you're crossing that center line for the third time
Second time like this this week, had a friend ask you for your keys
You said, "No, I'm fine."
You sure do act like you ain't got a thing to lose
But every car you pass might be the one you take with you

[CHORUS]
You'd give your last breath to your wife
Take a bullet for your kids
Lay your life down for your country, for your Jesus, for your friends
There's a whole lot of things you say you're living for
Well, you've got to fight it somehow, stop and turn around
'Cause this ain't nothin' to die for

So what's the harm in a little fun?
'Cause you're off to work before the sun everyday
And the inbox/outbox locks you in
And the money you make ain't worth the time you spend to make your pay
The doctor says, "Man, your numbers - they don't lie."
The graveyard's full of folks that didn't have time to die

CHORUS

Straight through that guardrail up into that white light
You hear a sweet voice saying just this side of the other side
Just this side of the other side

CHORUS

Ain't nothin' to die for
Nothin' to die for
Ain't nothin' to die for, no

-- Bob Barnetson