My wife flagged this 1993 song by Mary Chapin Carpenter as labour related. It traces the journey of a women who, at 36, opts to leave her marriage and role and primary caregiver to re-enter the workforce.
Most of the song chronicles the unpaid, social reproductive labour that the women does. It is interesting to see this work treated so explicitly as both skilled and demanding labour. And yet these skill have little market value when she decides to rejoin the paid workforce. It also nicely tease is out the often hidden power dynamics of one-income marriages.
I’m not a huge fan of the new country era, but the backup singers on this video are are pretty amazing. Trisha Yearwood, Emmylou Harris, and Patty Lovelace, to name a few.
She makes his coffee, she makes his bed
She does the laundry, she keeps him fed
When she was twenty-one she wore her mother's lace
She said, "forever," with a smile upon her face
She does the carpool, she P.T.A.'s
Doctors and dentists, she drives all day
When she was twenty-nine she delivered number three
And ev'ry Christmas card showed a perfect family
Ev'rything runs right on time
Years of practice and design
Spit and polish till it shines, he thinks he'll keep her
Ev'rything is so benign
The safest place you'll ever find
God forbid you change your mind, he thinks he'll keep her
She packs his suitcase, she sits and waits
With no expression upon her face
When she was thirty-six she met him at their door
She said, "I'm sorry, I don't love you any more"
Ev'rything runs right on time
Years of practice and design
Spit and polish till it shines, he thinks he'll keep her
Ev'rything is so benign
The safest place you'll ever find
God forbid you change your mind, he thinks he'll keep her
For fifteen years she had a job and not one raise in pay
Now she's in the typing pool at minimum wage
Ev'rything runs right on time
Years of practice and design
Spit and polish till it shines, he thinks he'll keep her
Ev'rything is so benign
The safest place you'll ever find
At least until you change your mind (he thinks he'll keep her) all right
-- Bob Barnetson
Most of the song chronicles the unpaid, social reproductive labour that the women does. It is interesting to see this work treated so explicitly as both skilled and demanding labour. And yet these skill have little market value when she decides to rejoin the paid workforce. It also nicely tease is out the often hidden power dynamics of one-income marriages.
I’m not a huge fan of the new country era, but the backup singers on this video are are pretty amazing. Trisha Yearwood, Emmylou Harris, and Patty Lovelace, to name a few.
She makes his coffee, she makes his bed
She does the laundry, she keeps him fed
When she was twenty-one she wore her mother's lace
She said, "forever," with a smile upon her face
She does the carpool, she P.T.A.'s
Doctors and dentists, she drives all day
When she was twenty-nine she delivered number three
And ev'ry Christmas card showed a perfect family
Ev'rything runs right on time
Years of practice and design
Spit and polish till it shines, he thinks he'll keep her
Ev'rything is so benign
The safest place you'll ever find
God forbid you change your mind, he thinks he'll keep her
She packs his suitcase, she sits and waits
With no expression upon her face
When she was thirty-six she met him at their door
She said, "I'm sorry, I don't love you any more"
Ev'rything runs right on time
Years of practice and design
Spit and polish till it shines, he thinks he'll keep her
Ev'rything is so benign
The safest place you'll ever find
God forbid you change your mind, he thinks he'll keep her
For fifteen years she had a job and not one raise in pay
Now she's in the typing pool at minimum wage
Ev'rything runs right on time
Years of practice and design
Spit and polish till it shines, he thinks he'll keep her
Ev'rything is so benign
The safest place you'll ever find
At least until you change your mind (he thinks he'll keep her) all right
-- Bob Barnetson
Enjoyed the song - and the message! Not one raise in pay in 20 years. Quite an extensive wage freeze! Very telling song. Thanks!
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