Weekend Closing Post

I am shutting the office down early for the weekend, but not before i leave you with a little musical piece of Americana, Roger Miller's King of the Road:

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When I listen to this song, I think about all the parts of it which we have either lost, or will be gone before long:

"rooms to let, fifty cents": Nowadays, you won't get a room for less than a dollar... 

"I ain't got no cigarettes": Even if you have them, you can't smoke them anywhere. 

"I don't pay no union dues": Being in a union is no longer the mark of distinction it once was. Heck, there aren't even that many union jobs anymore.

In all seriousness, what this song praises was the ability for a person to actually live a nomadic lifestyle, and survive. Nowadays, we scream for welfare for all the "pitiful poor people", but this song reminds us of a time when the poor weren't pitiful. They were free. While this song lays out all the limits to the lifestyle, there is also a sense of freedom that higher classes don't enjoy.

Miller is a wordsmith, but his message is clear: By no means is he a "man of means", but he is king of the road.

Enjoy your weekend folks!