Firstly, as fairly rational beings one doesn't have to have endured something to feel empathy, like the Irish now singing about the famine, they will not have experienced it but I will not deny that they may sing about it with some strong feeling. I know "shiny arses" that sing about hard labouring jobs of which I have done many and they have only read about, but their songs have all the passion and intonation, maybe it is because they are good minstrels.
Secondly there are songs written from a middle class perspective, like the late "Suicide" Bill Newton who wrote songs like "Talking OFWAT Blues", "The Knackered Shock Absorber Blues", "Thank God it's Friday" and many others including a song about executives who don leather Hells Angel Jackets at weekends a cruise about on Harleys ( the title of which escapes me no doubt Nutty will put me right!)