For today's edition of Monday Music I want to look back a few years to 2018 when I was up on Vancouver Island to participate in the Earthship build of some friends of mine. You can take a look at the links in the last entry and read through the list of posts to get an idea for the background of this story. However, until now I haven't felt the confidence to tell you all about the time I managed to get the truck stuck. Since I was just reminded of this event with this fabulous song by Corb Lund, I guess it's time to share it.
Country Music Straight From The Heart
While I never really thought I liked Country Music, I've always had an affinity for simple true stories, particularly told by simple country people, about country people, for country people. Nothing too hard to relate to. As for the instruments accompanying it, I've always liked banjos, steel guitars, mandolins, and stand-up basses. None of them may be done true justice by this song, but most of that would happen in the heart anyway. So let's look at the story:
I guess most of us can relate to the simple event of your motor vehicle getting stuck in the mud. Or maybe, how someone else's motor vehicle got stuck in the mud, and you tried to pull it out with your... until both of you got stuck, and hand to ask a third party for help. Well, this is the gist of the song in a nutshell. We've all been there, we've all seen that, if not done that. So looking at these good ole folks trying to get each other's truck out of the mud should certainly be relatable. So here is my version of the story.
Getting the Truck Stuck in Canada
I was the first volunteer to show up at the Doighouse Build, but before we could do anything we had to wait for the building permit to be granted. In the meanwhile we spent time making awesome volunteer showers, kitchens, and all kinds of odds and ends that had to be done on the property. I was right on top of things, but one day my friends Susan and Tony had a family function to go to, so I stayed behind to keep eyes on the land myself... and maybe move some split wood.
Instead of giving me an explicit job (to move to wood) Tony gave me the keys to his truck, saying I could use it for whatever I wanted. I accepted with a wink at the huge pile of split wood that needed to be moved about a thousand yards to a much bigger pile of split firewood. Of course, the best way to do this was by using the truck. It would probably not take more than two turns. Once I had moved the entire load, I thought about taking it to the nearby liquor store and reward myself with a six-pack of beer (possibly even of the Red Truck brand), but I never actually got there.
With all the split wood piled up in the loading bed, I backed up the truck pretty close to where the firewood was being stored. I was glad I'd managed to get everything in, so I could complete the whole job in one turn. I was almost there, when I suddenly felt the back wheels spinning. Oh no! I only needed another ten feet or so. But that was way more than what I would be granted.
Long story short, the more I tried the more I kept digging myself in. So before I got too deep, I decided to think of other solutions. First I threw all the logs off the truck. As the final pile was still a bit out of reach, I had to throw each log twice to get it on the pile, but so be it. I was determined to get that truck unstuck. (It was a Chevy, in case you were wondering.)
Empty and light, I tried it again, but the wheels kept spinning, and I got still deeper in, so I thought I'd try another way. A few more trials later, I had used up the floor mats, as well as the biggest, longest logs I had placed under the wheels, were now completely covered by the loose foresty soil.
In the end I was close to screaming and crying, so I decided to leave things as they were, and I rode my bicycle to the liquor store to buy me that Red Truck I was yearning for. Not for a reward, of course, just a bit of peace. I wonder if those machines ever got stuck...
The next day, when Tony and Susan came back, we used the ratchet to gently pull the truck out of the rut, and once the thing was out and running again, we shared a few beers, and Tony showed me this inspiring song.
The Only Corb Lund I Know
I became a fan instantly. However, only of this one song. Sure, I have heard of the Hurtin' Alerbertans, but none of their stuff really spoke to me, at least not like this story about getting a truck stuck. Realizing the cultural difference between British Colombians and Albertans (yeah, like there is such a huge difference), I had to appreciate how my West Coast friends embraced this prairie tale, including its cheeky reference to Hutterite neighborliness and the best use for genetically modified canola seeds. So if you ever get stuck with your motor vehicle in any soft grounded material, remember this lively tune and homely story by Corb Lund, call your friends (who have trucks) and bring some GMO seeds for help.
Take a Look at the Previous Posts in my Monday Music Series:
The Sound of the Hungarian Zither
Obligatory Line-Dance at Mexican Parties - El Payaso del Rodeo
Floating Into the Night by Julee Cruise
Classic Canadiana - Stan Rogers
Party Like There's No Tomorrow, Cry Like Everything Is Lost - Hungarian Gypsy Music
The Harder Sound of the Middle Ages - Corvus Corax
The First Hip-Hop I Actually Liked - Things Fall Apart by The Roots
No Prophets in Their Own Land - Rodrigo y Gabriela
Beyond the Boundries of Styles and Genres - King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard
Accordion-Rock You May Not Know (But Really Should) - Los Tabascos
Songs of the Mexican Revolution - La Adelita
Memorable Weirdness - What Do You Want A Japanese To Do Again?
Gloomy Sunday - The Hungarian Suicide Song
Party Tunes from the Wild East - The "Russendisko" Experience
Folk Songs from Your Home Village - Hungarian Regional Sound Archives
Polynesian Salt Water Music
Images Conjured up by Tom Waits' Music
In Country: Folks Songs of Americans in the Vietnam War
Somebody Tell Me - Translating a Hungarian Song Into [EN] and [SP]
Somebody Tell Me - first trial & live performance [HU] [SP] [EN]
Horst Wessel in Mexico
Playing for Change: Old Favorites Played Around the World
Soothing Tunes and Gentle Rhythms of Mali Music
What Is It About Music? [Ecotrain's Question of the Week]
Halász Judit: Memories from my Childhood
Discovering Rocksteady
The New Generation of Banda
Horrible Music From Hungary: Dáridó or Wedding Rock
[ENG - ESP] 3 Songs From My Youth / 3 Canciones De Mi Adolescencia
Dick Dale: Surfer Tunes from the 60's
Tiny Desk Concert with the Kronos Quartet
Ghymes, Palmetta, Deep Forest: The Love-Hate of Hungarian Crossover
Crossover Styles: Cooking With Many Ingredients
Shady Grove: My First Impression Leading up to Discovering The Grateful Dead
The Grateful Dead: Endless Jams and Weird Imagery
Ratatat: Electronic Hip-Hop Beats for Studying and More
Flogging Molly: Irish Music With That Extra Bite
Manu Chao: International Sound of the Revolution
Dead Can Dance: Music for Dreaming of Times Past
Putumayo: Embarking on a Musical World Trip
An Audiovisual Return to Monkey Island
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What an appropriate song to pair up with this story. Being from the countryside of Indiana, specifically a popcorn farm, I can relate to a stuck truck.