Something More than Free

The song appeared as the title track on his solo 2016 album, which debuted as #1 album on the Americana, folk, and rock Billboard charts.

He performed this song on the opening night of the 2024 Democratic Convention in Chicago.

When I get home from work
I'll call up all my friends
And we'll go bust up something beautiful
We'll have to build again

When I get home from work
I'll wrestle off my clothes
And leave 'em right inside the front door
Because nobody's home to know

You see the hammer finds a nail
And a freight train needs the rails
I guess I'm doin' what I'm on this earth to do

I don't think on why I'm here, where it hurts
I'm just lucky to have the work
Sunday morning, I'm too tired to go to church
But I thank God for the work
I thank God for the work

When I get my reward
My work will all be done
And I will sit back in my chair
Beside the father & the son

There's no more holes to fill
And no more rocks to break
And no more loading boxes on the trucks
For someone else's sake

You see the hammer finds a nail
And the poor man's up for sale
I guess I'm doin' what I'm on this earth to do

I don't think on why I'm here, where it hurts
I'm just lucky to have the work
Every night I dream I'm drowning in the dirt
But I thank God for the work

(bridge) And the day will come
I'll find a reason
Somebody proud to love a man like me
My back is numb
My hands are freezing
But what I'm working for is something more than free

I don't think on why I'm here, where it hurts
I'm just lucky to have the work
Sunday morning, I'm too tired to go to church
But I thank God for the work
I thank God for the work

 —words & lyrics by Michael Jason Isbell
© Southeastern Records Publishing. All rights reserved.