Take this job and shove it.
I ain’t working here no more.

Vocabulary

These words and phrases are related to jobs and working. Review the vocabulary and then listen to the song to hear it in context.

• employment (noun) – a job or work that you do for money. What is your place of employment?
• coworker (noun) – a person who you work with. My coworker is meeting me for drinks later tonight.
• occupational performance (noun) – the quality of work that you do at your job. If your occupational performance is not good, you might get fired!
  • occupation (noun) – a job that you do for money
• work load (noun) – the amount of work that you have to do at your job. I don’t have enough time. The work load is too much!
• lay off / laid off (sep. phrasal verb) – to fire somebody; to terminate somebody’s job. The company laid off many employees because of low profits.
• chips (slang) – money. I want to find a new job with more chips.
• stick it out (phrasal verb) – to continue doing something, especially if it is difficult or boring. I hate my job, but I have to stick it out to pay my bills.
• shove it (idiom) – a very rude phrase used to say you don’t appreciate or accept something. I hate business meetings! The boss needs to take these meetings and shove it!
• S-O-B (slang) –  an abbreviation for “son of a bitch”
• 9 to 5 job (idiom) – a typical office job that normally begins at 9:00 AM and ends at 5:00 PM. I hate my 9 to 5!
• unemployment (noun) – not having a job. I lost my job last week, so I am receiving unemployment benefits from the government.
  • If you lose your job, you might qualify for unemployment benefits. You have to visit a government office and usually wait in a long unemployment line.
• boss (noun) – a manager or supervisor at work who tells other people what to do. I don’t like my boss because he’s so rude.
• gig (idiom) – a job that you do for money, especially a temporary job. I have a pretty good gig right now. I hope I can be hired as a full time employee.
• cubicle (noun) – a very small office. There are usually many cubicles in one large room. I wish I didn’t work in a cubicle all day.
• picnic in the park / walk in the park (idiom) – very easy to do. This job is a picnic in the park.
• to stay wired (idiom) – to be very alert and awake, especially after drinking a lot of coffee. I’ve had three Red Bulls. I’m so wired right now.

Passive Voice with ‘Get’

The boss’s favorites get placed in something spacious
while the most hated get placed in some small cubicle spaces,
or get thrown down in the basement. Get your stapler confiscated.

To make the passive voice, we usually use a form of the verb be and the past participle. In informal spoken English, you may substitute the be verb with get.

Subject + get/got/gotten + past participle.

Subject + negative auxiliary + past participle. 

Question auxiliary + subject + past participle. 

• I get paid on the first day of every month. I don’t get paid on the 15th. Do you get paid on the 1st?
• I got paid last week. I didn’t get paid yesterday. Did you get paid last week?
  
• I will get paid next month. I won’t get paid tomorrow. Will you get paid tomorrow?
• I am going to get paid next month. I am not going to get paid in four days. Are you going to get paid in four days?
• I am getting paid in cash right now. I am not getting paid by direct deposit. Are you getting paid in cash now
• I have gotten paid. I haven’t gotten paid yet. Have you gotten paid yet?
• I had gotten paid. I had not gotten paid. Had you gotten paid at that point?

These forms with get are not possible with be.

• I will be getting paid tomorrow at noon. I will not be getting paid at noon. When will you be getting paid?
• I had been getting paid by him. I had not been getting paid by her. Had you been getting paid by him, too?
• I have been getting paid for several months. I have not been getting paid for years. How long have you been getting paid?

Writing Task

Have you ever had a bad job? What did you dislike about it? If you saw your old boss today, what would you say to him or her? Please write your ideas in the comments below!

The post If you hate your job, you’ll love this song! appeared first on ESL Hip Hop.