Monday, September 7, 2015

The Rebel Black Dot Song of Labor Day

Fountains of Wayne, "Workingman's Hands" from Sky Full of Holes (Mike Papa Whiskey)

Commentary: Here's hoping that all who work hard took a day of well-earned rest secure in the knowledge that their contributions to the common good, which is advanced through each individual's pursuit of properly ordered self-interest, is greatly appreciated, no matter how badly Pope Francis misunderstands Adam Smith's metaphor of the "invisible hand" of the market.
"He can knock down the wall,
Build it up strong,
Set the flagstones in a path.
With a nail and a hammer,
Barrow and saw,
See about the hole in the roof.
And the gathered all breathe
A sigh of relief
At completion of a well-laid plan.
It's wearing the day long
And breaking the skin
In the palms of the workingman's hands.

"'Let the tool do the work.'
'Pull and don't push.'
'Drag that wagon over the hill.'
'Measure twice and cut once, son.'
'Clear the felled brush,
Edge around the gardens and walks.'
On a shiny John Deere
Will he reappear
With a power drill and a paintbrush
And a chip on his shoulder
As wide as a barn
And as hard as the workingman's hands?…"

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