The following resources are all a part of the Southern Mosaic: The John and Ruby Lomax 1939 Southern States Recording Trip collection from the Library of Congress Folklife Center.
- What can you learn from the fieldnotes and images about who sang work songs, how they were sung, when, and why?
- What kinds of tasks are mentioned in these songs?
- What do the voice parts, mood, rhythm, rhyme, speed, repetition, assonance, and alliteration indicate about what kind of work was done to these songs?
- What attitudes toward work are reflected in these songs' lyrics and tones?
- While many of these songs are about work, they are often about other things as well. What are some of the other subjects of work songs?
- How are these subjects related to work? Why might laborers have sung about these subjects while working? What does this suggest about the work and workers' attitudes toward it?
- What roles did work songs play in workers' lives?
