Love love love this song. My favorite song by the Kinks. It tells the story of a young guy trying to find work, waiting with bored frustration all day to see if he will be picked to work by the Union Man, one who holds such control over his fate in life. All these thoughts and emotions go through his head, his hopes to make some money and bring home some wine to his family, his mamma being all negative and telling him to give up, and the amazing chorus, where he feels like maybe this time he will be chosen, and the sun shines and all is glorious.....
The music is lovely. Guitars pick out sad forlorn scales as the story begins. G-G/F#-Em-G/F#-G-Am-G-D/F#. Then second time around replace that D/F# with a basic F into the second half of the verse where the protagonist starts to wonder if today will be the day.
The chorus comes in slowly, like a rollercoaster about to peak a hill and then start down. A flourish of cymbals and the imperious Union man arrives on the scene. The stretched out line of 'he's the man who decides if I live or I die, if I starve or I eat' is not only a great lyrical and musical hook, riding that D chord out so far, it also reinforces the crazy might of the antagonist by providing two reasons why he is The Man. The music jumps up hopefully as the Union man gets closer and closer....but then, oh no, he walks right by. The drums break down to pull the poor guy out of his fantasy and he goes to get back in line.
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