Boredom 1

Joe Strummer was once quoted as saying that many of the songs he wrote for The Clash came from boredom. If only everyone were Joe Strummer in that way. I've found quite the opposite in people and what boredom does to their creative urges.
So I started to write songs about boredom itself. The first of these came during Labor day weekend, 2007. I saw a barn in rural northern Missouri where someone had spray-painted "life without escape" in large letters across one side of the facade. That was art as far as I'm concerned, it got me to write a song.

It's a swampland, nothing to do
but watch the river and the trains
just the sorghum and the soy
Boredom - first comes boredom
Boredom - next comes anger
It's the pilot's call whether it's safe water
or whether you should get out
Boredom - then comes stupid
Mr. Clemmon's swearing in his grave

The second piece about boredom dwells in a more urban setting. Also last summer, right after Labor day, the police found a kid's body in a dumpster. He'd been shot and some other kids got arrested on suspicion. I didn't follow up[ on the rseults of the case. One has to figure these kids could not afford the video games that might satisfy these sort of urges in more privileged children.