Meaning of Work (feat. Drake)

by Rihanna · 2024

The song ‘Work’ by Rihanna (feat. Drake) is about the challenges and effort required to maintain a romantic relationship, expressing frustration over feeling unappreciated and the need for both partners to put in consistent “work” to make things succeed.

This song has been Shazamed over 9,721,352 times. As of this writing, Work (feat. Drake) is ranked 170

‘Work (feat. Drake)’ by Rihanna is a song about relationships, effort, and how people sometimes struggle to connect. We’re going to break down what this catchy hit is really saying beneath all that “work, work, work.” ⬇️

From the moment the beat drops, we’re swept into a hazy, sun-soaked dancehall vibe—relaxed yet restless. There’s a sense of longing in the air, as if both voices are circling each other, caught between desire and exhaustion.

The chorus, relentless and hypnotic, echoes with “work, work, work”—but it’s not just about jobs or money; it’s a plea for emotional labor, for someone to put in effort where love feels hard and messy. When Rihanna croons about putting in “dirt,” we feel the weight of emotional grime, the work that isn’t glamorous or easy. We get the sense that love, here, is a job you clock into, whether your heart’s in it or not.

In the verses, vulnerability peeks through the patina of swagger; Rihanna admits to feeling deserted, having her patience and trust stretched thin (“You took my heart and my keys and my patience”). There’s a raw honesty in lines like “All that I wanted from you was to give me / Something that I never had,” exposing the hunger for novelty and authenticity in a relationship that keeps repeating old cycles. Drake’s verse brings a different flavor—apologies, confessions, the ache of distance—and suddenly the song shifts: now it’s about two people trying to meet in the middle, even if they’re stumbling.

Underneath the repetition, there’s a deeper message about how we mistake constant effort for real connection, about how sometimes we grind away at love until it feels more like labor than joy. It’s messy, it’s real, it’s the kind of “work” that doesn’t show up on paychecks but leaves you spent all the same.

Ultimately, “Work” reveals the bittersweet truth that in love, showing up is only half the battle—it’s the willingness to learn, grow, and keep trying that matters most.

Writer(s) of Work (feat. Drake):