About the song
Background:
- Released in 1*972 on Steely Dan’s debut album “Can’t Buy a Thrill”
- Second track on the album
- Features signature Steely Dan sound with intricate instrumentation and Donald Fagen’s distinct vocals
- Included on several Steely Dan compilation albums
Themes:
- Infidelity: The song details a man’s perspective on an affair with a married woman.
- Self-Loathing: The narrator recognizes the wrongness of the situation but feels powerless to end it.
- Manipulation: The lyrics hint at the woman using the narrator for her own emotional needs.
- Soap Opera Drama: Described as having a dramatic, almost melodramatic quality.
Overall, “Dirty Work” paints a complex picture of a forbidden relationship filled with emotional entanglement and internal conflict.
Video
Lyrics
Times are hard
You’re afraid to pay the fee So you find yourself somebody Who can do the job for free When you need a bit of lovin’ ‘Cause your man is out of town That’s the time you get me runnin’ And you know I’ll be aroundI’m a fool to do your dirty work
Oh yeah I don’t wanna do your dirty work No more I’m a fool to do your dirty work Oh yeahLight the candle
Put the lock upon the door You have sent the maid home early Like a thousand times before Like the castle in its corner In a medieval game I foresee terrible trouble And I stay here just the sameI’m a fool to do your dirty work
Oh yeah I don’t wanna do your dirty work No more I’m a fool to do your dirty work Oh yeahI’m a fool to do your dirty work
Oh yeah I don’t wanna do your dirty work No more I’m a fool to do your dirty work Oh yeah I don’t wanna do your dirty work No more I’m a fool to do your dirty work Oh yeah