“Mangy Mutt” - a song about obsoletion
Or maybe the fear of becoming obsolete more than actually being so…
This is a live video from a show I did last month in Chicago. It was St. Tim’s Coffeehouse partnered with WFMT, and was a lovely show. The entire recording is over here.
Story Pairing
“Don’t put your eggs in one basket”
This stupid saying that you hear all the time is one that got it’s claws into me early in life. It fits in perfectly with my love of being a know it all. There is also the extended saying “A jack of off trades, a master of none….but oftentimes better than a master of one”. I’ve applied this to the ability to operate machines it seems. I have a drivers license (big deal), a motorcycle license, experience running heavy machinery (thanks Dad), and oddly a CDL. This song always makes me think of my CDL experience.
I got that while working as a logistic manager. I was in charge of a trucking department at a grain elevator. This happened while I was in my early 20s, and to be honest I probably wasn’t ready for that level of responsibility. I did some things well, but overall I constantly questioned my ability to be a manager of such a skilled group, and especially since at the time I had little to no experience driving a semi. I figured the best way to gain a little respect from these seasoned pros, was to put myself in their shoes to an extent, so I took advantage of a program that job offered to train any wanting employees to take a CDL test.
The book learning was a breeze, memorizing the pieces parts under the hood and around the truck for pre-check, easy, driving forward and shifting the big trucks, not bad, parallel parking a truck and trailer…. impossible. I actually failed my first test because I couldn’t do it. I didn’t even come close. I remember going to work the day after feeling pretty incompetent. Growing up around the working class, not being able to do something was a difficult thing to stomach.
Now one of the drivers that I managed was a guy in his 70s, Wags. He used to drive truck for the post office, was in Vietnam, and had a list of life experience that I couldn’t even begin to fathom. He was a debatably grumpy old man, who often rubbed his co-workers the wrong way, but I really liked him. We would meet for breakfast about once a month, and it was amazing to hear some of his stories. When I failed the CDL I was really nervous about him finding out for some reason. It’s a weird thing as a “boss” how much you seek the approval of your team, (or maybe that’s just me and why I am not a great boss). Anyway when he found out, that afternoon he set up cones in the back parking lot and started giving me tips on how to improve where I was lacking. He stood out in the lot sucking down cigarettes and barking out commands and pointers that were no where in the study material we had. A couple of the other drivers popped over to help as well when they got back from their runs. We did that a few afternoons and a couple Saturdays, and then when I was allowed to retake the test 7 days later, I went in and knocked it out of the park. CDL acquired.
I left that job in 2016 and have since lost touch with most of the people I worked with. I’m not sure where Wags is now, but this song reminds me of him for some reason. The idea of a one trick pony pulling a mule cart makes me think of an operator who can run circles around just about anyone, but once there are “two horses” vying for the same job, one of them is relegated to a task insulting of their ability. All those drivers I worked with were extremely talented operators, and I always felt it was an insult to have me as a boss. That’s not me fishing for compliments, I know they picked up a lot of slack. I spent many a work day drawing and writing in my notebook, when I should have been doing something productive, so the secret is out. I was not meant for that position. When corn prices crashed that year, I was actually let go along with some other people. I can’t guess to their situations, but I was probably overpaid for what I was doing. I heard that shortly after me leaving, they let Wag’s go. I can’t confirm, but the grapevine said so. I’m not sure what happened to him and part of me is nervous that it’s not a happy story.
I left that place with a new basket or two to spread my eggs around thanks to the kindness and mentoring of experience. If the music thing doesn’t work out, I can go be an ice road trucker.
Song Structure
Chords:
Intro/Outro - E / F#7 / B11
Verse - E / F#7 / Amaj7 / Am / E / F#7 / Amaj7 / E
Chorus - A / Am / E / F#7 / Amaj7 / B / E
Voice Memos
Notebook Page - Not Found
May 2017
Lyrics
One trick pony in this two horse town
Found an old mule cart, just laying round
Up the street and down
Is where I can be found
Now a worker and his papers are gone
Feet are aching and his mane is getting long
Daydream far from here
‘Cause here is feeling wrong
We stop working and pulling pay
Your pennies won’t be enough to save
This mangy mutt with one foot in his grave
Near the bottom of his jar of bread
One more night and rest your head
Eyes are closed for now
And they may not rise again
We stop working and pulling pay
Your pennies won’t be enough to save
This mangy mutt with one foot in his grave