"What kind of work does Dolly Parton describe in this song? Clerical, low-paying, non-creative. What emotions come though? Frustration, anger, defiance. What mood does the music in this song convey? How? Rushed, hurried, like the workday.

What does she want from her job that she's not getting? Credit for ideas, promotion, getting paid well enough to save some money.

Where is the hope in this song? Dreams for the future. When she says her "ship'll come in" what do you think she means? Would she be satisfied hitting the lottery or is she hoping for something else? She doesn't complain about her work, but about being under-rewarded for her work.

What do you notice about gender in this song? Bosses and rich are all men. What is the "glass ceiling"? Hidden limit of how high women can advance.

What kinds of jobs do women still mostly hold? What kinds of jobs are still mostly denied to women? Why? How equally are women paid for the same work? In 2020 women earned 82.3% of what men earned for comparable work.

Is this song just about women, or do men feel like this, too? Why?

Compare this song to "Sixteen Tons," "Drill Ye Tarriers," "John Henry" and other work songs from earlier units. How does the work differ from the 9-to-5 clerical work this song describes? Hard manual labor vs. sitting at a desk. What is similar about their situations? Work to make someone else rich, not being able to advance, bosses "using us up." What similar emotions come through in these songs? Frustration, discouragement, anger.