Naval officer: “Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey” by Paul McCartney. I won’t link to a video because I’m not that cruel.
Unless I missed it, the Wichita Lineman is still on the line.
Also, I am not a mercenary nor a mercenary recruiter.
Funking amazing- Curtis Mayfield Pusherman!
Not what you had in mind, but how about REM Welcome to the Occupation?
Quite NSFW (along with armpit fart): Killdozer’s The Puppy, the saga about a not-so-stable sausage plant worker.
Besides millions about teachers and trucker, “Wichita Lineman” came to mind. I know of it, but I couldn’t hum it.
What surprises me is that no one has posted my next thought yet. “Car Wash”
Post #14.
This should be a board rule equivalent to Gaudere’s Rule: When anyone says “I can’t believe no one has posted yet!”, it’s a near certainty has been mentioned in the first 20 posts, if not the OP.
Maybe… Frankenstein - by Edgar Winter Group.
Frankenstein is actually the doctor. He is the title character, even though it’s an instrumental. However, the song was probably about the monster, which isn’t an occupation.
Monday afternoon song dump:
Moody Blues-I’m Just A Singer (in A Rock And Roll Band)
Alice In Chains-Rooster: Soldier
REM-Driver 8: Engineer (driver) and conductor, apparently on the Southern Crescent
Grand Funk Railroad-American Band: Yes, band members of course - but ‘Sweet Connie’ was Connie Hamzy (kind of a groupie) and Freddie King was …blues guitarist Freddie King
The Kinks-Come Dancing: The ‘singer’s’ grown up and (seemingly professionally) playing in a band
Replacements-Alex Chilton: The eponymous Alex Chilton, singer/songwriter (Save this for the next “Songs that name-check other singers” thread)
The Who-The Real Me: Mentions a doctor and a preacher (to a great bass line…)
The Velvet Underground-I’m Waiting For The Man: The ‘singer’ describes his drug dealer
Weak mentions:
Nirvana-Floyd the barber: A cheat- yeah Floyd is mentioned, but the ‘singer’ seems to be having a ‘nightmare’ (from whatever stimulus) involving characters from the Andy Griffin show.
Steppenwolf-The Pusher: The ‘singer’ is not the drug pusher, but mentions pushers and what he wants to do to them quite a bit.
Rocket From the Crypt - “Ditchdigger”
Breeders - “When I Was A Painter”
King Missile - “Sensitive Artist”
AC/DC - Rock’n’Roll Singer
Barry Sadler had a song about being a Green Beret.
Tripler
And Dos Gringos sang about being a pilot.
The Police - “Roxanne” - she’s a hooker, hence the red light
Johnny Rivers - “Secret agent Man” - self-explanatory
David Wilcox - “Layin’ Pipe” - construction (although seems to be a double entendre in many places)
“Stay the blazes home” - Stephen McNeil, Premier of Nova Scotia
The character in “(Fine Time To Leave Me) Lucille” seems to be a farmer, since he mentions crops in the field.
The Band - King Harvest Has Surely Come
is about the plight of a poor farmer.
In “Once I was the King of Spain”, the titular monarch emeritus holds a variety of jobs: In the version I looked up, working at the pizza pizza, vacuuming artificial turf, and driving a zamboni.
As should his Joe the Singing Janitor.
Poet, picker, prophet, pusher, pilgrim, preacher – Kris Kristofferson - The Pilgrim - Chapter 33
Bee Gees - New York Mining Disaster 1941. Concerning - uh - mining.
I’m moved to mention this firstly because it’s actually not too bad a song; so that’s worth noting for the Bee Gees. And secondly because this was the kicking off point for Barclay James Harvest to write the far better song The Great 1974 Mining Disaster, which at least tangentially mentions a different profession - politician:
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Which reminds me of the Beatles’ “Taxman” (about a taxman, natch) which also mentions the politician Edward Heath (as well as his rival, Harold Wilson).
And in The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down, Virgil Caine worked on the Danville train, but after the Yankees tore up the tracks he worked the land and chopped wood.
The Unfaithful Servant is a servant.
The W.S. Walcott Medicine Show features a faith healer.
In Get Up Jake, Jake works on the ferry Baltimore.
Hobo Jungle features a professional hobo.