Up Twice

Another work song. Work is work: get up - think about it - eat dinner - do it again. Like Leadbelly's "Pick a Bale of Cotton", except not nearly as historically significant. But it is personally significant. The dread of the working man is in blank repetition. An awkward banjo illustrates it so well: being off balance, being out of place, bumping into the walls on your way through your day.

Imagine going through your day with this as your theme? It is one of the weird things about writing songs. You have these companions that are always around. The can help you through difficulty. For example, one time I had to go into the hospital for an hour long MRI. All alone in the narrow metal tube, I turned to my songs and sang them in my head to pass the time and deaden the clang of the magnets. But, conversely, songs can mock you. They can point out the truth when you need it least. You cannot escape from those truths that you set to music. And if they are the least bit catchy, you cannot hide either.