---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When he got work my father worked as a…"
description: "\"“When he got work my father worked as a steel worker, high up on tall buildings, walking on beams like those Mohawk Indians. It was dangerous work. Peo..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/274/charles-brandt-2101_parenting_when-he-got-work-my-father-worked-as-a-s_1510076.jpg"
---

#  When he got work my father worked as a steel worker, high…

![“When he got work my father worked as a steel worker, high up on tall buildings, walking on beams like those Mohawk Indians. It was dangerous work. People were always falling to their death. He worked on the building of the Ben Franklin Bridge in Philadelphia and on the few high-rise buildings they…” quote by Charles Brandt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/274/charles-brandt-2101_parenting_when-he-got-work-my-father-worked-as-a-s_1510076.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/274/charles-brandt-2101_parenting_when-he-got-work-my-father-worked-as-a-s_1510076.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/274/charles-brandt-2101_parenting_when-he-got-work-my-father-worked-as-a-s_1510076.jpg)

> ““When he got work my father worked as a steel worker, high up on tall buildings, walking on beams like those Mohawk Indians. It was dangerous work. People were always falling to their death. He worked on the building of the Ben Franklin Bridge in Philadelphia and on the few high-rise buildings they could afford to build in the Depression.””

[Charles Brandt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-brandt/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

The narrator describes his father's dangerous steelwork during the Depression, highlighting the peril and bravery of high-rise construction.

**In simple terms:** Father worked on risky steel construction in the 1930s.

Key Takeaway

Recognize the courage of past laborers.

Themes

danger history labor family courage

Mood

somber respectful

Type

historical narrative

When to use this quote

- construction history
- family stories
- heritage tours
- education on labor rights

Key Concepts

industrial heritage economic hardship occupational risk

Questions to Reflect On

- What lessons can modern workers learn from these histories?
- How did such jobs shape community identity?

A Different Perspective

Romanticizing danger can obscure the human cost of such work.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Parenting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parenting/)

## Related quotes

> [I finished school in 1981 when there was a recession on so there was not a lot of money around or work. I worked…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sean-lock/i-finished-school-in-1981-when-there-was-a-recession-on-so-there-was/)

[Sean Lock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sean-lock/)

> [I used to roof hay barns for my father. It's dangerous work. Writing is much better.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tara-westover/i-used-to-roof-hay-barns-for-my-father-it-s-dangerous-work-writing-is/)

[Tara Westover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tara-westover/)

> [Big mistakes were made in Benghazi, and people should be held accountable. But the brave officers who staff American posts in crisis zones know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-ignatius/big-mistakes-were-made-in-benghazi-and-people-should-be-held/)

[David Ignatius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-ignatius/)

> [The real culprits are those who created a system that makes it dangerous to work and safe to loaf.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/the-real-culprits-are-those-who-created-a-system-that-makes-it/)

[Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/)

> [I've written books as acts of discovery: things I need to know and that I need to touch. And it's very dangerous work to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-braverman/i-ve-written-books-as-acts-of-discovery-things-i-need-to-know-and/)

[Kate Braverman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-braverman/)

> [Because we are in a war situation, this can sometimes be dangerous work. But guys like A.D. Flowers and his technicians just take it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vic-morrow/because-we-are-in-a-war-situation-this-can-sometimes-be-dangerous/)

[Vic Morrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vic-morrow/)

> [As a member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, I know that the men and women of our intelligence community put their lives on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kamala-harris/as-a-member-of-the-senate-intelligence-committee-i-know-that-the-men/)

[Kamala Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kamala-harris/)

> [“Taking the things that other people thought they deserved to keep was dangerous work.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-s-a-corey/taking-the-things-that-other-people-thought-they-deserved-to-keep-was/)

[James S.A. Corey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-s-a-corey/)

> [I was 18 and had taken A-levels in Woking where I grew up. But I didn't want to go to university so left sixth-form…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sean-lock/i-was-18-and-had-taken-a-levels-in-woking-where-i-grew-up-but-i-didn/)

[Sean Lock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sean-lock/)

> [I think I definitely work out of my father's shadow, but it was hard in the beginning. But I would never change my last…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-flair/i-think-i-definitely-work-out-of-my-father-s-shadow-but-it-was-hard/)

[Charlotte Flair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-flair/)

> [To make a movie is very stressful, especially when you work with your father. You want to think the movie is good. Even when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-garrel/to-make-a-movie-is-very-stressful-especially-when-you-work-with-your/)

[Louis Garrel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-garrel/)

> [I work as my father drank.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/i-work-as-my-father-drank/)

[George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/)

> [“My Father Comes Home From Work" My father comes home from work sweating through layers of bleached cotton t-shirts sweating through his wool plaid…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-brinson-curiel/my-father-comes-home-from-work-my-father-comes-home-from-work/)

Barbara Brinson Curiel

> [I would love to work with my father.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/akshara-haasan/i-would-love-to-work-with-my-father/)

[Akshara Haasan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/akshara-haasan/)

> [I never thought I was going to go to work for my father's company.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christie-hefner/i-never-thought-i-was-going-to-go-to-work-for-my-father-s-company/)

[Christie Hefner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christie-hefner/)

## More by Charles Brandt

> [“You fat fuck,” I said and jumped up and decked him. I broke his jaw, and they expelled me permanently on the spot. Naturally,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-brandt/you-fat-fuck-i-said-and-jumped-up-and-decked-him-i-broke-his-jaw-and/)

[Charles Brandt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-brandt/)

> [“Hoffa and Brennan formed a trucking company called Test Fleet. The “brains” and his partner put that company in their wives’ maiden names. Test…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-brandt/hoffa-and-brennan-formed-a-trucking-company-called-test-fleet-the/)

[Charles Brandt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-brandt/)

> [“People in those days didn’t display affection like they do today. I’m still learning how to be affectionate to my grandchildren. I don’t ever…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-brandt/people-in-those-days-didn-t-display-affection-like-they-do-today-i-m/)

[Charles Brandt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-brandt/)

> [“Whispers was one of these short Italian guys in his early thirties that you’d see all around South Philly, just trying to get by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-brandt/whispers-was-one-of-these-short-italian-guys-in-his-early-thirties/)

[Charles Brandt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-brandt/)

> [“And under the contract, management couldn’t fire a Teamster unless they had certain grounds. They had none. Stealing was grounds only if they could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-brandt/and-under-the-contract-management-couldn-t-fire-a-teamster-unless/)

[Charles Brandt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-brandt/)

> [“But back then we had to amuse ourselves, and fighting seemed to be all we had. Looking back, it was good for us. You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-brandt/but-back-then-we-had-to-amuse-ourselves-and-fighting-seemed-to-be-all/)

[Charles Brandt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-brandt/)

> [“Mary liked to arrange picnics with the kids, and we’d take them to the Willow Grove Amusement Park. I wasn’t always running. When they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-brandt/mary-liked-to-arrange-picnics-with-the-kids-and-we-d-take-them-to-the/)

[Charles Brandt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-brandt/)

> [“And on the other side of the ledger, unions like the Teamsters often employed their own muscle, their own reigns of terror, including bombings,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-brandt/and-on-the-other-side-of-the-ledger-unions-like-the-teamsters-often/)

[Charles Brandt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-brandt/)

> [“Only in the movies or comic books do people say they want you to go and hit somebody. All they ever say is that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-brandt/only-in-the-movies-or-comic-books-do-people-say-they-want-you-to-go/)

[Charles Brandt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-brandt/)

> [“As I learned the ropes I learned that for many good and sound reasons the bosses and the captains sent a guy to whack…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-brandt/as-i-learned-the-ropes-i-learned-that-for-many-good-and-sound-reasons/)

[Charles Brandt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-brandt/)

> [“Russell had taken me with him to Cuba just when Castro was starting to kick everybody out and confiscate their casinos and racetracks and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-brandt/russell-had-taken-me-with-him-to-cuba-just-when-castro-was-starting/)

[Charles Brandt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-brandt/)

> [“You didn’t know who to trust, but you kept taking cabbies aside and persuading them to sign a card. For some reason there were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-brandt/you-didn-t-know-who-to-trust-but-you-kept-taking-cabbies-aside-and/)

[Charles Brandt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-brandt/)

> [“Russ quit smoking on a bet with Jimmy Blue Eyes,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-brandt/russ-quit-smoking-on-a-bet-with-jimmy-blue-eyes/)

[Charles Brandt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-brandt/)

> [“they wanted the guy left right there on the sidewalk as a message to those who needed to know the guy did not get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-brandt/they-wanted-the-guy-left-right-there-on-the-sidewalk-as-a-message-to/)

[Charles Brandt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-brandt/)

> [“Carlos Marcello and the war orphans did cross my mind during the drive, and I sat the whole way facing the driver. He was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-brandt/carlos-marcello-and-the-war-orphans-did-cross-my-mind-during-the/)

[Charles Brandt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-brandt/)

[Explore all 185 Charles Brandt quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-brandt/)

## More Parenting quotes

> [My mother says I didn't open my eyes for eight days after I was born, but when I did, the first thing I saw…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-taylor/my-mother-says-i-didn-t-open-my-eyes-for-eight-days-after-i-was-born/)

[Elizabeth Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-taylor/)

> [Of all the people who have affected my life and influenced the choices I've made, none has been more important than my father. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teddy-atlas/of-all-the-people-who-have-affected-my-life-and-influenced-the/)

[Teddy Atlas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teddy-atlas/)

> [“William didn't look like he'd be difficult about anything - he was thin and sandy-haired and already wore eyeglasses like his father. Most of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-c-wrede/william-didn-t-look-like-he-d-be-difficult-about-anything-he-was-thin/)

[Patricia C. Wrede](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-c-wrede/)

> [I know for my wife and I, we always loved the idea of being young parents. It is an incredibly inspiring and challenging job…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-hanson/i-know-for-my-wife-and-i-we-always-loved-the-idea-of-being-young/)

[Taylor Hanson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-hanson/)

> [“Conception is the beginning of human life. From the time that an ovum is fertilized a new life begins that is neither that of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/declaration-on-procured-abortion-congregation-for-the-doctrine-of-the-faith-1974/conception-is-the-beginning-of-human-life-from-the-time-that-an-ovum/)

Declaration on Procured Abortion Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith 1974

> [Let children support their parents or be imprisoned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/let-children-support-their-parents-or-be-imprisoned/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“As members of the Church, there are things you cannot do. For one, you cannot take a Las Vegas-style vacation. I do not know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-grant-bangerter/as-members-of-the-church-there-are-things-you-cannot-do-for-one-you/)

[William Grant Bangerter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-grant-bangerter/)

> [“That’s all! Now either leave us alone or join us as a father rather than a receiver of sacrifices. You have the choice of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-simmons/that-s-all-now-either-leave-us-alone-or-join-us-as-a-father-rather/)

[Dan Simmons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-simmons/)

> [(knitting while on a motorcycle) "For several years she knitted in secret (my father would not approve; she was to concentrate on motorcycling and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-zimmermann/knitting-while-on-a-motorcycle-for-several-years-she-knitted-in/)

[Elizabeth Zimmermann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-zimmermann/)

> [My embarrassing confession is that my father is a 'Camelot: The Musical' obsessive. So as a child, when we were going to visit relatives…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-chibnall/my-embarrassing-confession-is-that-my-father-is-a-camelot-the-musical/)

[Chris Chibnall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-chibnall/)

> [My parents were not musical, and they were not effervescent people; everything was very quiet. The music that I played was loud; it used…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-mclean/my-parents-were-not-musical-and-they-were-not-effervescent-people/)

[Don McLean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-mclean/)

> [If my child had prejudice in his head, I'd be ashamed. I would see it as my failure as a parent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/if-my-child-had-prejudice-in-his-head-i-d-be-ashamed-i-would-see-it/)

[Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/)

> [“Yes, the issue was courage. It always had been, even as a kid. Things scared him. He couldn't help it. Noise scared him, dark…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-o-brien/yes-the-issue-was-courage-it-always-had-been-even-as-a-kid-things/)

[Tim O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-o-brien/)

> [“My father called twice and left a voicemail—who does that?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/megan-erickson/my-father-called-twice-and-left-a-voicemail-who-does-that/)

[Megan Erickson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/megan-erickson/)

> [My father longed for a better life for us, and when I was nine he got a job as a heart surgeon in Belfast.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katie-melua/my-father-longed-for-a-better-life-for-us-and-when-i-was-nine-he-got/)

[Katie Melua](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katie-melua/)

[Browse all 55,672 Parenting quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parenting/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“When he got work my father worked as a steel worker, high up on tall buildings, walking on beams like those Mohawk Indians. It was dangerous work. People were always falling to their death. He worked on the building of the Ben Franklin Bridge in Philadelphia and on the few high-rise buildings they could afford to build in the Depression.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Charles Brandt"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-brandt/when-he-got-work-my-father-worked-as-a-steel-worker-high-up-on-tall/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Parenting"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-brandt/when-he-got-work-my-father-worked-as-a-steel-worker-high-up-on-tall/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/274/charles-brandt-2101_parenting_when-he-got-work-my-father-worked-as-a-s_1510076.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/274/charles-brandt-2101_parenting_when-he-got-work-my-father-worked-as-a-s_1510076.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/274/charles-brandt-2101_parenting_when-he-got-work-my-father-worked-as-a-s_1510076.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“When he got work my father worked as a steel worker, high up on tall buildings, walking on beams like those…” — Charles Brandt",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Charles Brandt",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-brandt/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“When he got work my father...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-brandt/when-he-got-work-my-father-worked-as-a-steel-worker-high-up-on-tall/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-brandt/when-he-got-work-my-father-worked-as-a-steel-worker-high-up-on-tall/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
