In Bon Jovi’s “Livin’ on a Prayer,” Tommy formerly worked at the docks as a dockworker.
The song introduces Tommy as a working-class man who has lost his job because of a strike. Gina is also struggling financially, working in a diner while the couple tries to survive on love and hope. Their situation gives the chorus its emotional force: they are not celebrating success but trying to endure hardship together.
The lyric’s “docks” refers to waterfront dock work, not an office or a generic factory job. The story was influenced partly by the 1977 dockworkers’ strike, when the International Longshoremen’s Association staged a seven-week work stoppage. The song’s characters are fictional composites rather than a literal biography of one couple.
Released in 1986, the song became one of Bon Jovi’s signature hits. Its working-class narrative, memorable chorus, and Richie Sambora’s talk-box guitar part helped make it an enduring rock anthem.