> Martin Carthy > Songs > Work Life Out to Keep Life In

Work Life Out to Keep Life In / The Working Chap

[ Roud 5591 ; G/D 3:656 ; Ballad Index Ord051 ; Mudcat 50615 ; trad., additional lyrics Martin Carthy, Billy Ross]

Karl Dallas:: One Hundred Songs of Toil Ewan MacColl: Folk Songs and Ballads of Scotland John Ord: Bothy Songs and Ballads

Ewan MacColl sang I’m a Working Chap in 1961 on his Folkways album Bothy Ballads of Scotland. He noted:

It is only rarely that the bothy ballad essays a direct sociological comment and when the attempt is made the result is not usually a happy one. The Working Chap is reminiscent of the style found in the writings of “the fustian philosophers” who helped to pioneer the British socialist movement. “The puir needle woman… on the wa’”, mentioned in the second verse, is a reference to the once ubiquitous daguerretype inspired by Thomas Hood’s Song of the Shirt.

Learned from print: Ord’s Bothy Songs and Ballads.

Chris Foster sang The Working Chap in 1979 on his Topic album All Things in Common. He noted:

A bothy ballad given to me by Tom Spiers of the Aberdeen based group, The Gaugers.

Martin Carthy sang this song with additional lyrics as Work Life Out to Keep Life In in 1990 on the BBC North West documentary Hard Cash. This track was included in 1993 on his own compilation CD Rigs of the Time.

Tom Spiers sang I’m a Working Chap in 2001 on his Tradition Bearers album Allan Water, and the Spiers Family sang it on their 2012 album Oh, Gin I Were There…. They noted:

Tom learned this song many years ago after hearing it sung by Robin Williamson of Incredible String Band fame. It is included in the Greig-Duncan Collection, but Tom’s more complete version comes from John Ord’s Bothy Songs and Ballads.

Ossian sang The Working Man in 1997 on their Greentrax album The Carrying Stream. They also sang it on Girvan Traditional Folk Festival’s 40^th anniversary anthology released in 2014, Folk Legacy (no recording date given). They noted on their album:

Dating from the early days of the Labour Movement, the song extols the old working class ethics of honest toil, self reliance and humility. The tune and additional verses were written by Billy Ross.

Duncan Brown sang Working Chap in 2016 on his and Danny Spooner’s CD of songs of the working life, Labour and Toil. The album’s notes commented:

A Scottish traditional song focusing attention on the exploration of the poor and particularly of home workers. It vividly expresses the poignancy of the struggle to make ends meet. The song appears in John Ord’s Bothy Songs and Ballads, and also in The Collection. Ord’s collection dates the song back at least to 1883, with the tune being much older.

Thom Ashworth sang Work Life Out to Keep Life In, using Martin Carthy’s verses, on his 2017 EP Hollow.

Jimmy Aldridge and Sid Goldsmith sang Working Chap on their 2018 CD Many a Thousand. They noted:

A bothy ballad from Scotland that timelessly depicts the struggles of poverty and working to make ends meet. There is an additional verse written by Martin Carthy who first recorded the song in 1990.

VARO with Niamh Burry sang Work Life Out to Keep Life In on their 2025 album of collaborations, The World That I Knew.

Note: Mike Waterson’s The Working Chap is quite a different song.

Lyrics

Ewan MacColl sings I’m a Working Chap

I’m a workin’ chap, as you may see,
You’ll find an honest lad in me,
I’m neither haughty, mean nor proud,
Nor ever tak’s the thing too rude.
I never gang abune my means,
Nor seek assistance frae my frien’s
But day and nicht thro’ thick and thin,
I’m workin’ life out to keep life in.

Chorus (after each verse):
Hae matter, frien’s, whate’er befa’,
The puir folks they maun work ava’,
Thro’ frost and snaw and rain and wind,
They’re workin’ life out to keep life in.

The puir needle woman that we saw
In reality and on the wa’
A picture sorrowful to see,
I’m sure wi’ me you’ll a’ agree.
Her pay’s scarce able to feed a mouse,
Far less to keep hersel’ and house,
She’s naked, hungry, pale and thin,
Workin’ life out to keep life in.

Don’t ca’ a man a drunken sot
Because he wears a ragged coat.
It’s better far, mind, don’t forget,
To rin in rags than rin in debt.
He may look seedy, very true,
But still his creditors are few,
And he toddles on, devoid of sin,
Workin’ life out to keep life in.

But maybe, frien’s, I’ve stayed ower lang,
But I hope I hae said naething wrang,
I only merely want to show the way
The puir folk hae to go.
Just look at a man wi’ a housefu’ o’ bairns,
To rear them up it tak’s a’ he earns,
Wi’ a willin’ heart and a coat gey thin,
He’s workin’ life out to keep life in.

Martin Carthy sings Work Life Out to Keep Life In

Oh the working man as you can see
That is what he was born to be
Married to the working wife
That is what she’ll be all her life
Never lived beyond their means
Nor sought assistance from their friends
Yet day and night through thick and thin
They work life out just to keep life in

Chorus (after each verse):
No matter friends whate’er befall
The poor folk they must work or fall
Through frost and snow through sleet and wind
They work life out just to keep life in

Do you see the women how make the gowns
For those in other parts of town
It’s a picture sorrowful to see
And I’m sure with me you will agree
Meagre is our daily pay
To feed and clad a family with
She’s overworked she’s tired and thin
She works life out just to keep life in

Oh mischief mine where do you roam
When reason called you weren’t at home
If you take cheese from off the rat
Is he then free to hunt the cat
If free from union’s free from dues
Are you free from choice or free to choose
Or free as any birds blown by the wind
To work life out just to keep life in

Ossian sing The Working Man

I’m a working man as you can see
You’ll find an honest man in me
I’m neither haughty, mean nor proud
Nor ever tak the thing’s too rude
And I never gang above my means
Or beg assistance frae my friens
But day and night, through thick and thin
I work life out to keep life in

Chorus (after each verse):
No matter friends what e’er befa’
The poor folk they do work awa
Through frost and snow, and rain and wind
They work life out to keep life in

And the poor mill woman that we saw
In reality and on the wa’
Her picture sorrowful to see
I’m sure wi me you’ll a’ agree
Her pay’s scarce able to feed a moose
Far less to keep herself in hoose
She’s naked, hungry, pale and thin
She’s working life out to keep life in

But the Government says we’re to blame
And we should hang our heads wi shame
While a’ their dreams of greed they sell
The poor they’d leave to rot in hell
And who’s to care when you grow old
No chance for you the pot of gold
Still the honest man he tries to win
Working life out to keep life in

And though aftimes the road is hard
And hunger’s stalking in your yard
It’s providence in trust we’ll keep
The children in their beds shall sleep
But times will change and live to see
A better day for you and me
Frae Peterheid to Gretna Green
They work life out to keep life in

The Spiers Family sings I’m a Working Chap

I’m a working chap as you can see
And you’ll find an honest lad in me
I’m neither haughty, mean nor prood
Nor iver taaks the things too rude
I niver live abeen mi means
Nor seek assistance fae mi friens
But day and nicht, through thick an thin
I’m workin life oot tae keep life in.

Chorus (after each verse):
Sae nae maitter friens whate’er befaa
The peer folk they maun work awa
Through frost an snaw an rain an wind
They’re working life oot tae keep life in.

The peer needle wummin that we saw
In reality and on the waa,
A picture sorrowfu tae see
I’m sure wi me you wid agree.
Her pey’s scarce able tae feed a moose
Far less tae keep hersel an hoose.
She’s naked, hungry, pale and thin
Jist workin life oot, tae keep life in.

Don’t call a man a drunken sot
Because he wears a ragged coat.
It’s better far, mind don’t forget
Tae rin in rags than rin in debt
He may look seedy, very true,
But still his creditors are few.
He toddles on, devoid o sin,
Jist working life oot, tae keep life in.

Aye but maybe frien’s I’ve bade ower lang
An I hope I hae said nithin wrang,
For I’ve merely winted for tae show
The wye the peer folk hae tae go.
Jist imagine a man wi a hoosefae o bairns
Tae raise them up it taaks aa he earns,
Wi a willin heart an a coat gey thin
He’s workin life oot tae keep life in.

Acknowledgements

Transcribed from the singing of Martin Carthy by Garry Gillard