'Twas through the countryside that fateful day

We were driving along on our merry way

Myself and three gents who I did know

With no particular place to go

With time on our hands and nothing to do

We set off to visit someone we knew

Just four young roughnecks in their prime

On a collision course with fate this time

The hum of the engine was suddenly drowned

By a rumbling wobbling kind of a sound

And the driver had to grip the wheel

And pull to the right our chariot of steel

'We've got a flat,' said a rider in the back,

'I hope you've a spare and a good working jack.'

'No problem,' we thought as we grabbed the crowbar

Four strong lads should soon fix this car

Oh yes, we were all nearing twenty or so

And testosterone raced through our veins, don'tcha know

This tire will just be a cakewalk to us

We won't need to wait for the next passing bus

One bloke jacked the car up while another got busy

Loosening the nuts on this old Tin Lizzie

And that's about where the plan went downhill

When we tried to bend the machine to our will

His biceps were bulging and that's not me lying

And his face turned bright red with the effort of trying

'These lug nuts won't turn!' Claimed the guy at the wheel

'Aw, you're just a weakling! Give a real man that steel!'

'Move over, you sissy, while another one tries.'

We were eager for the chance to show off our size

So one by one we heaved and we ho-ed

But the tire just sat there and handled the load

Till finally one of us broke through the rust

And the nut spun around on the lug so we just

Went on to the next one and repeated the show

'One down boys, but we've four more to go!'

And maybe a half of an hour past that

We finally got down to the fifth nut and sat

'Cause that was the moment the tire did scoff

Seems the nuts might be spinning but they weren't coming off

'Now what do we do? We can't solve our plight

If we can't get the dang thing to budge from the site!'

'No problem,' said one, 'cause on my back porch,

There stands my dad's new acetylene torch!'

So off for the torch and a truck he did hark

And soon was back scorching the roadside with sparks

It took only minutes to melt off the lugs

But the tire stood fast with the hardiest of tugs

Again we tested our brawn and condition

All four of us at once in all sorts of positions

'We've got no further!' we began to despair

When another said 'Hey, what we need is that there!'

And we looked where he pointed and sure enough

The light bulb went on in each head and lit up

'Let's hook up a tow chain from the truck to the tire

And drive off apace to win our desire!'

You all know the saying, as sure as this rhyme

It seemed like a good idea at the time

So we did it and suddenly there was a crack

As the car it did totter then fell off the jack

But we'd not be that easily turned from the plan

We quickly did put the car back on the stand

'Yer weren't goin' fast enough, give us some more!'

The driver stomped the pedal all the way to the floor

They say that history repeats itself a lot

It's true if you count the six times the truck fought

With the tire but finally did win the day

And the car stayed put and the tire ran away

We all split the cost of the damages done

For the repair of the car when the mechanic said 'Son,

Some penetrating oil and twelve hours' time

Would have got the rim off without spending a dime.'

These days when I see a young man getting ready

To take on the world with his muscles so steady

I want to step in and tell him my tale

But I've been there before, and I know I would fail

Advice is just fine we all know, still and all

You may as well bang your head on a brick wall

Some times you learn more by the mistakes of others

But sometimes you learn more from the son of your mother

Poetry by ATinyDistantVoice

ATinyDistantVoice

17.05.07 Front Page

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