SAW 2009 #16: Miles More Pain by Erik Matthew Hendel

This song sets the threat of continuing corporate layoffs (a topic that is presently and unfortunately close to my heart) against a metaphor of train travel. And, how I came to be inspired to write in this style is a bit of a yarn.

First, I was reading up on the recorded history of Dylan's "You Ain't Goin' Nowhere" ('cause I can't seem to stop listening to The Swell Season's cover of it lately). If you are familiar with the song, you may remember the reference to Gunga Din (depending on the version you listen to). In Dylan's revised version written after the Byrds' cover of it was released, Bob (apparently) needed a word to rhyme with McGuinn, as he was going out of his way to make fun of him.

Anyway, like what usually happens to me when I am reading on this sort of thing, I can't help but look up other things along the way. I've never seen the movie Gunga Din, but now, thanks to Bartleby.com, I have read the original poem by Rudyard Kipling. And I enjoyed it. And I wonder now why it wasn't required reading in school.

So, I can't say I wasn't inspired by Rudyard Kipling when I set out to write this SAW. (Nor can I say that I wasn't inspired by Dylan, but that is pretty standard for my SAWs at this point.) I wrote the lyrics as a poem first ... I didn't even really have ideas for the music in my head.

Much of this song can be directly related back to what is currently going on where I work ... which I'm sure is similar to what many folks are dealing with right now. The only part that does not is where we introduce the villainous hitchiker (which seemed like a very Dylan-esque idea to include). This character comes from a story my cousin related to me a few weeks back.

Why a train? Why not? Actually, I'm not sure how that popped into my head, but thinking about it now, it seems likely that it is due to my watching Back to the Future Part III last week. You know ... the one where Marty and Doc have to hijack a locomotive in the old west.

Lastly, the phrase "miles more pain" was actually taken from a roster of attendees' last names from a meeting: ... Miles, Moore, Payne, ...

I pore over my destination
'Cause we just inch along this train
Once upon an overnight sensation
But now you're in for miles more pain

Hold tightly to that sage suitcase
You're lucky just to keep your seat
Or if you have the strength, then stand in place
If you still can plant your feet

And when you feel the brake cord rush
See the willing folks jump free
Meanwhile, your closest friend was pushed
Will it be that way for me?

A hitchhiker-stowaway ducks the man
You know that he's from nowhere
He points to you with a bloody hand
He knows untimely fates you share

With fuel of large and useless words
The engine seems slower yet
A fire of paper barely burns
Combustion is an idle threat

Those that purchased my ticket sneer
They want to see the train derailed
They're forecasting that the end is near
But they share in what has failed

So the engineer's unhitched the caboose
And the tracks are steaming in the rain
The law and my word will cut me loose
But you're still in for miles more pain