Lord Have Mercy on the Working Man

"Lord Have Mercy on the Working Man" is a song written by Kostas and recorded by American country music singer Travis Tritt. It was released in August 1992 as the first of five singles from his third studio album, T-R-O-U-B-L-E. The song became Tritt's tenth entry on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks (now Hot Country Songs) charts, where it peaked at number 5.

Content

"Lord Have Mercy on the Working Man" is a moderate up-tempo whose lyrics centralize on a theme of economic injustice towards blue collar workers.

The instrumentation features various forms of percussion from Sam Bacco, including crotales, wobble board, spoons and a broom. Richard Bennett and Wendell Cox play guitar solos before the third verse, and Brooks & Dunn, T. Graham Brown, George Jones, Little Texas, Dana McVicker, Tanya Tucker and Porter Wagoner all sing background vocals on the final chorus.

Personnel

Sam Bacco – bass drum, spoons, wobble board, broom
Richard Bennett – acoustic guitar, slide guitar
Mike Brignardello – bass guitar
Brooks & Dunn – additional backing vocals on final chorus
T. Graham Brown – additional backing vocals on final chorus
Larry Byrom – acoustic guitar
Wendell Cox – electric guitar
Terry Crisp – pedal steel guitar, resonator guitar
Stuart Duncan – fiddle
George Jones – additional backing vocals on final chorus
Little Texas – additional backing vocals on final chorus
Dana McVicker – additional backing vocals on final chorus
Matt Rollings – piano
Jimmy Joe Ruggiere – harmonica
Steve Turner – drums
Billy Joe Walker Jr. – acoustic guitar, electric guitar
Travis Tritt – vocals
Tanya Tucker – additional backing vocals on final chorus
Porter Wagoner – additional backing vocals on final chorus
Dennis Wilson – backing vocals
Curtis Young – backing vocals

Critical reception

Teresa M. Walker, in her review for the Gainesville Sun, said that with the assistance from superstars on the final chorus, the song "should shoot up the charts." Dave Larsen of the Dayton Daily News cited it as one of the stronger tracks on the album, saying that the album "works best when Tritt sticks with the populist approach." Alanna Nash of Entertainment Weekly said of the song, "Tritt finds a solid image for his laborer's lamentBut the melody is so slight that he resorts to an acoustic arrangement that evokes Jimmie Rodgers and the young Roy Acuff." Deborah Evans Price, of Billboard magazine gave the song a mixed review, saying that while the final chorus of song features famous country artists, it was too bad that the entire song isn't as strong as the last verse.

Music video

Jack Cole directed the song's music video. In the book Country Music Culture: From Hard Times to Heaven, Curtis W. Ellison wrote that the song's music video "confronted a litany of personal oppressions attributed to government policy" that coincided with Bill Clinton's presidential campaign.

Chart performance

"Lord Have Mercy on the Working Man" spent 20 weeks on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks (now Hot Country Songs) charts in 1992, peaking at number 5 for the chart dated November 7. The song also reached number 10 on the Canadian RPM Country Tracks charts.

Chart (1992)	Peak position
Canada Country Tracks (RPM)	10
US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)	5

References

^ T-R-O-U-B-L-E (cassette insert). Travis Tritt. Warner Bros. Records. 1992. 45048.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
Hurst, Jack (13 August 1992). "Satellite show Travis Tritt to launch new album from Park West". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on October 22, 2012. Retrieved 28 August 2009.
^ Whitburn, Joel (2006). The Billboard Book of Top 40 Country Hits (2 ed.). Billboard Books. p. 353. ISBN 0-8230-8291-1.
Walker, Teresa M. (4 September 1992). "Travis Tritt's rockin' country". Gainesville Sun. Archived from the original on 12 July 2012. Retrieved 28 August 2009.
Larsen, Dave (18 September 1992). "Recordings on review". Dayton Daily News. Retrieved 28 August 2009.
Nash, Alanna (4 September 1992). "T-R-O-U-B-L-E in mind". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 28 August 2009.
Billboard, August 15, 1992
Ellison, Curtis W. (1995). Country Music Culture: From Hard Times to Heaven. Univ. Press of Mississippi. p. 233. ISBN 0-87805-722-6. Retrieved 28 August 2009. lord have mercy on the working man.
"Top RPM Country Tracks: Issue 1864." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. November 28, 1992. Retrieved August 15, 2013.
"Travis Tritt Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard.

v t e Travis Tritt singles
Country Club	"Country Club" "Help Me Hold On" "I'm Gonna Be Somebody" "Put Some Drive in Your Country" "Drift Off to Dream"
It's All About to Change	"Here's a Quarter (Call Someone Who Cares)" "Anymore" "The Whiskey Ain't Workin'" (With Marty Stuart) "Nothing Short of Dying"
T-R-O-U-B-L-E	"Lord Have Mercy on the Working Man" "Can I Trust You with My Heart" "T-R-O-U-B-L-E" "Looking Out for Number One" "Worth Every Mile"
Ten Feet Tall and Bulletproof	"Foolish Pride" "Ten Feet Tall and Bulletproof" "Between an Old Memory and Me" "Tell Me I Was Dreaming"
Greatest Hits: From the Beginning	"Sometimes She Forgets" "Only You (And You Alone)"
The Restless Kind	"More Than You'll Ever Know" "Where Corn Don't Grow" "She's Going Home with Me" "Helping Me Get Over You" (With Lari White) "Still in Love with You"
No More Looking over My Shoulder	"If I Lost You" "No More Looking Over My Shoulder" "Start the Car"
Down the Road I Go	"Best of Intentions" "It's a Great Day to Be Alive" "Love of a Woman" "Modern Day Bonnie and Clyde"
Strong Enough	"Strong Enough to Be Your Man" "Country Ain't Country"
My Honky Tonk History	"The Girl's Gone Wild" "What Say You" (with John Mellencamp) "I See Me"
The Storm	"You Never Take Me Dancing" "Something Stronger Than Me"
The Calm After...	"Sometimes Love Just Ain't Enough" (With Tyler Reese)
Other songs	"This One's Gonna Hurt You (For a Long, Long Time)" (with Marty Stuart) "Take It Easy" "The Devil Comes Back to Georgia" (With Mark O'Connor, Charlie Daniels, Johnny Cash, and Marty Stuart) "Honky Tonkin's What I Do Best" (With Marty Stuart) "Hope" "Here's Your Sign (Get the Picture)" (With Bill Engvall) "Same Old Train" "Out of Control Raging Fire" (with Patty Loveless) "Southern Boy" (with Charlie Daniels) "Bible Belt" (with Little Feat) "Move It On Over" "Lonesome, On'ry and Mean" "Outlaws & Outsiders"

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