What is "work song"

n. A song, sung during work, with a rhythm that helps to coordinate activities

n. a usually rhythmical song song to accompany repetitious work

A work song is a piece of music closely connected to a form of work, either sung while conducting a task (usually to coordinate timing) or a song linked to a task which might be a connected narrative, description, or protest song.

Work Song is an album by jazz cornetist Nat Adderley, recorded in January 1960 and released on the Riverside label. It features Adderley with Bobby Timmons, Wes Montgomery, Sam Jones, Percy Heath, Keter Betts and Louis Hayes in various combinations from a trio to a sextet, with the unusual sound of pizzicato cello to the fore on some tracks.

The title tune was given lyrics and covered the following year by Oscar Brown Jr. on his album Sin And Soul...and then some and has become a standard in both vocal and instrumental forms. It has also been covered in French by Claude Nougaro as "Sing Sing song".

"Work Song" is a song written and performed by Irish musician Hozier. It was released as the fourth single from his debut studio album Hozier (2014). It was released as the album's fifth single to United States rock radio on 16 March 2015.

A work song is a song about human labor. Work song may also be:

• Work Song (Nat Adderley album), an album from 1960
• " Work Song (Nat Adderley song)", the title track from that album
• " Work Song (Bill Laswell song)", a song from Laswell's 1983 debut album, Baselines
• " Work Song (Hozier song)", a song from 2014
• Work Song: Three Views of Frank Lloyd Wright, a play from 2000