A scuffle at the scaffold with skiffle playing

Skiffle was a little before my time. What you see in Them Blinkin’ Jets is that, despite choosing an approach and a title that superficially reflect skiffle, a poem emerges that relies on its own pattern to tell its story. Here the device is in the ‘sendin jets’ line whereas surely a skiffle group would feel compelled to put the title to good use. Subtlety is not a byword for skiffle.

The ‘endin jets’ pattern falls down in any case on that ‘that’s us end in jets’ line; clumsy enough to draw the listener’s attention to the device. A real no-no.
Here though it’s just a matter of editing. The stanza would then read

Pose for a product that costs like a planet
breaks the sound barrier by request
worth the existing infrastructure
lets us end in jets

I know there’s risk here because one could read too literally into what or how it ‘lets us end in jets’. Perhaps one cannot invoke the ‘being allowed to/being given permission to’ element without it distracting or detracting from the rest of the message.
But ‘thats us end in jets’ will never fly

Let’s try another approach

Pose for a product that costs like a planet
breaks the sound barrier by request
worth the existing infrastructure
intents end in jets

Too dramatic and not what I was thinking of so

Pose for a product that costs like a planet
breaks the sound barrier by request
worth the existing infrastructure
interests end in jets

Did I hear you say skiffle

Whether skiffle has been supplanted, it maintains its place in music history. The part that I consider interesting to visit is the combination of popular musical forms played on homemade instruments. As a lyricist I’ll take a wild stab and say that much of the comic styling of the song’s narrative is dictated by the quirky makeshift sounds emanating therefrom.

If we are to be topical then I think Jetstream encompasses mountainites concern about passenger jets and the purchase of costly warplanes at a time of supposed budget emergency. I have my doubts as to whether this is good skiffle material as there is generally a jollity that makes those whistles and whatnot work. Well let’s see

Whup no, jet stream is something else and I don’t have a good defining word to keep me interested in the subject of jets.

Them Blinkin’ Jets

We don't regret
We never forget
We don't like to bet
we'll send jets
It's cost us a packet
it's a bit of a racket
and we're in that bracket

Every refusenik has to refuel
he's the kind to be cruel
aviator goggles an avatar that giggles
ascending jets 

Pose for a product that costs like a planet
breaks the sound barrier by request
worth the existing infrastructure
that's us end in jets

No secrets that can't be mapped
Recruits who can't be trapped
strapped in for stretches of time

 

Leaving the Country

I think it’s time we left the towns of ten thousand people to decide whether the lack of verse-chorus disqualifies Who was that at the Drive-in? as country rock. It can’t be the melding of life in a sparse rural community with American Graffitti cool nor the simple narrative detailing this setting and all that happens or happened during a typical night at the drives. Country rock would line up pick up trucks in the US and Sandman panelvans here and not try to be clever with valiants (a relatively obscure term) and ‘Ford thinkers’ who are not analogous with forward thinkers.

We’re not pandering to a non- country rock crowd so trust that the Aussie contingent at least, knows that God Save the Queen was the national anthem played before the first film was screened.

The ‘rest pause inbetween’ conflates a strained social convergence in the men’s room, with long forgotten scraps of conversation, with what would now be the push of a button and conceivably shorter in duration.

The sexual reference is just the right amount of nudge nudge wink wink considered tolerable and worthy of the M or MA rating.

The most difficult ask is rendering a poem into country rock, without a catchy chorus and only a near rhyme to finish.

C#nt re: rock

I’ve listened to enough country rock to think I have to attempt its easy rollin’ style. It is more down the line than alt country or cowpunk but precedes them in suggesting ways to move from trad country.

One aspect of country life for me growing up was the way that the local drive-in was the place to go. This has vanished now but it doesn’t make the time any less real and plucking an event or object from the past to use for a song is legitimate.

So here’s my country rock contribution

Who was that at the Drive-in?

Valiants aod Ford thinkers
Lined up next to speakers
This was the place to have been
When God still saved the Queen

In blankets in the back seat
with no chance to repeat
deal with dialogue as it descends

Intermission meant a mission out to the canteen
with rest pause inbetween
placed behind parents with our pillows
for the following feature 

Oblivious to the blind gropings of starting couples
occuring in other cars
Not across in front behind
no reason to remind

Who was that at the drive-in
last night
Who viewed the founding of legend
under the stars and moonlight
Who was that arriving
 late
forgetting to replace on the stand