Song Details
- Album Release Date: 2012
- Genre: rock-n-roll
Song Meaning of “The Graveyard Shift” by Wanda Jackson
The Graveyard Shift, by Wanda Jackson, is a song about a hardworking woman and how she juggles her life with her long hours at work. It is a story of the struggles of a working-class woman, who is doing what she can to make ends meet and provide for her family.
Working the graveyard shift, she dates a man who isn’t who she’d like him to be. He comes and goes, always leaving her alone at the end of the night, while she wastes away in the darkness of the graveyard shift. She gives her all in her job, while her relationship crumbles, and all she can do is dream of an easier life.
At the end of the song, the woman walks away from everything. She decides to quit her job, to try to find a better life, and leave the graveyard shift in the past. She resolves that no matter what, she isn’t going to let her life be defined by the hours she worked at her job, and decides to take a chance to start anew. It is a song about determination, taking charge of your life, and overcoming adversity.