Monday, March 19, 2012

working over-time

"Takin' care of business,
and workin' over-time --
work out!"
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This song jumped out from my memory this afternoon, as I was thinking about all the people in the company where I work, "working over-time," or -- working more hours than usual. A couple of departments going 7 - days - a - week for a while.

Someone said Friday, regarding how long the 7daysaweek would continue, that they heard it would be through May.

And the other person said, "Well that's better than what I heard -- I heard nine months!"

Rumors always helpful to morale. ...

For many of the people, more hours means more money. More is everyone's favorite kind of money, and yet enthusiasm for 7-days-a-week wanes swiftly.

People shake their heads, negative, and say, "It's not worth it."

Managers and Human Resource people "get the hint" when 57 people "call in" (sick / or other) in one day! (Approx. one-fifth of one dept.'s work force, am guessing...) Antennas go up on people's heads and they say, "Hmmh. I seem to be receiving some sort of -- message."

Bee-beep, beep!

----------------You get up every morning
From your alarm clock's warning
Take the 8:15 into the city
There's a whistle up above
And people pushin', people shovin'
And the girls who try to look pretty

And if your train's on time
You can get to work by nine
And start your slaving job to get your pay
If you ever get annoyed
Look at me I'm self-employed
I love to work at nothing all day

And I'll be...
[Refrain]
Taking care of business every day
Taking care of business every way
I've been taking care of business, it's all mine
Taking care of business and working overtime
Work out!

If it were easy as fishin'
You could be a musician
If you could make sounds loud or mellow
Get a second-hand guitar
Chances are you'll go far
If you get in with the right bunch of fellows

People see you having fun
Just a-lying in the sun
Tell them that you like it this way
It's the work that we avoid
And we're all self-employed
We love to work at nothing all day

And we be...
[Refrain]

[Spoken] Take good care of my business
When I'm away, every day whoo!

[Repeat first 2 verses]

[Refrain]

Takin' care of business [4x]

[Refrain]

Takin' care of business [repeat, fade]
----------------
[Bachman-Turner Overdrive. On their
Bachman-Turner Overdrive II album, 1973.]

When I was in high school, I thought this song, and "Cover Of The Rolling Stone" by Dr. Hook were -- like -- pretty -- hard -- rock.
(GAL. Giggling A Little.)

------------------
------------------

The other weird thing was, 57 people called in, on Sunday, and when I heard that I was -- Umm, 57 -- what does that sound like? 57 -- 57...

57 channels and nothing on.

I bought a bourgeois house in the Hollywood hills
With a truckload of hundred thousand dollar bills
Man came by to hook up my cable TV
We settled in for the night my baby and me
We switched 'round and 'round 'til half-past dawn
There was fifty-seven channels and nothin' on
Fifty-seven channels and nothin' on
Fifty-seven channels and nothin' on

Well now home entertainment was my baby's wish
So I hopped into town for a satellite dish
I tied it to the top of my Japanese car
I came home and I pointed it out into the stars
A message came back from the great beyond
There's fifty-seven channels and nothin' on
Fifty-seven channels and nothin' on
Fifty-seven channels and nothin' on

Well we might'a made some friends with some billionaires
We might'a got all nice and friendly if we'd made it upstairs
All I got was a note that said "Bye-bye John
Our love's fifty-seven channels and nothin' on"
(Fifty-seven channels and nothin' on)

So I bought a .44 magnum, it was solid steel cast
And in the blessed name of Elvis well I just let it blast
'Til my TV lay in pieces there at my feet
And they busted me for disturbin' the almighty peace
Judge said "What you got in your defense son?"
"Fifty-seven channels and nothin' on"
Fifty-seven channels and nothin' on
Fifty-seven channels and nothin' on

I can see by your eyes friend you're just about gone
Fifty-seven channels and nothin' on
Fifty-seven channels and nothin' on
Fifty-seven channels and nothin' on
Fifty-seven channels and nothin' on
Fifty-seven channels and...
________________________________________
["Fifty-seven Channels and Nothing On"
Bruce Springsteen. Human Touch album, 1992.]

------------------------
Bruce -- just cancel your cable! Cheaper. Quieter.

-30-

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