Make This Mule

I wanted to write a old fashioned work song, like the kind that would be sung by a group on a ship. Or maybe a song that soldiers would sing around a fire after a battle. This is right out of my autobiography:

That old mule, ain't no hawk. He can't fly, can only walk.

On good days you feel like a hawk - strong, focused and maybe even a little bit vicious. On bad days you are a mule - here for just one purpose, to drag that mound.

This was recorded by TW Walsh in a spare room/studio on the second floor of a house in Melrose, MA. We recorded with the window open for atmosphere. I wanted to be Tom Waits. I learned there was more to it than that.