Folklore: Worker/Machine Motif

Subject: RE: Folklore: Worker/Machine Motif
From: GUEST
Date: 15 Jul 08 - 03:23 PM

Gnomad,

Thanks. On a quick glance there seem to be interesting similarities. The pressure to work harder coming from the top and in neither case does not end well.

Subject: RE: Folklore: Worker/Machine Motif
From: Barry Finn
Date: 15 Jul 08 - 11:50 AM

The "Threshing Mill
" is an Irish song that doesn't pit man against machine so much as it relates changes to a field worker's life from one advancement in technoloy to the next. In this case the loss of the threshing mill to the huge combines.

Barry

Subject: RE: Folklore: Worker/Machine Motif
From: gnomad
Date: 15 Jul 08 - 11:32 AM

Not quite according to your brief, but this William Brown might be of interest.

Subject: Folklore: Worker/Machine Motif (ATTN: Steve Parkes
From: GUEST,Chapman
Date: 15 Jul 08 - 09:25 AM

In the John Henry forum Parkes mentioned that there are numerous songs that share the John Henry situation where a man is competing/racing against a machine that will replace him. This one comment has sent me on a long, wild chase with very little to show for it.

He specifically mentioned something about a mail sorter racing a mail sorting machine.

So, I will put the question out to everyone and hopefully Steve will find it, too.

Do any songs/ballads/tales come to mind that tells the story of a man competing/racing against a machine that is threatening to take his job?