Hey, Mean Mr. Bossman

"Hey, Mean Mr. Bossman" is the song that SpongeBob listens to on his record player in the episode "Squid on Strike." The song's melody can be heard as background music for that episode's title card as well. Its lyrics are told from the point of view of a laborer complaining about his workload and finally tendering his resignation.

The song was written by supervising/executive producer Paul Tibbitt and composed and performed by Sage Guyton and Jeremy Wakefield.

Lyrics

Sage Guyton & Jeremy Wakefield: Hey, mean Mr. Bossman

I'm a-quittin' this here job

You've been outside gettin' tan

An' I've been gettin' robbed

My life is worth so much more

Than a dollar an' ten an hour

Wakin' up 'bout a quarter to four

An' I'm startin' ta turn sour

So, hey, mean Mr. Bossman

I'm a-quittin' this here job

I'm sick of eatin' old bran

An' livin' like a slob

You got me livin' like a slob

Trivia

General

• In other countries, the song is changed to an instrumental version.
• In the German version, the song text and melody are changed into a verse of the poem "Bundeslied für den Allgemeinen Deutschen Arbeiterverein," written in 1863 by Georg Herwegh. The poem was written to celebrate the foundation of the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD). The poem was later used in many musical arrangements, one of which can be heard in the SpongeBob episode. The verse used in the episode "Alle Räder stehen still, wenn dein starker Arm es will!" translates to "All wheels stand still, if your strong arm wants them to!"

Cultural references

• It is a parody of the 1977 country song "Take This Job and Shove It," written by David Allan Coe and later popularized by Johnny Paycheck.