Work Is My Life

(album: Rockabye - 2023)

Firstly, the song is a story
Make it a verse, maybe two
Sing about a journey being taken
That'll do

Next you must add "dies irae"
Look it up if you don't know
Add the word "revive" and then
You should be all good to go

Wish me good luck with my writing
It shouldn't be all that hard
I should be finished this week
If I play the right cards

I should just sit down and focus
Only two verses, that's easy
Trust my other band mates to fully support
And maybe

'Cause work is my life
Perfection is my game
Slowly but surely I will make
Those around me feel the same

'Cause the sky is only so high
I'd say it's halfway to the top
I'm gonna keep going
'Cause I never learned how to stop

Hey, Calypso! How's the writing going?

Good, good. Great even! I still can't believe Azathoth is real, you know?

Oh, me either
I used to be obsessed with Lovecraftian lore when I was like, eleven
I'm kinda fan-girling but I'm kinda freaking out too

Really? Me too. I used to love Cthulu in middle school.
I used to wanna go to Miskatonic
You think all the crazy stuff he wrote about actually happened there?

It's likely. If Azathoth is real
Then who knows what other kind of messed up stories could be true, too?

True, true! Yeah, very true

Work is my life
Perfection is my game
Slowly but surely I will make
Those around me feel the same

'Cause the sky is only so high
I'd say it's halfway to the top
I'm gonna keep going
'Cause I never learned how to stop

Alright, Calypso! Whatcha got for us?

Okay, I'm actually pretty excited about this one, it's called "Azathoth's Requiem!"

Go to sleep, now

No. No, no, no, no. You can't just jump into "Go to sleep," it's gotta be a story

Oh, but it is a story
That's just the first part
I thought that—

No, no, nope. It's got to go right into the story. Uh, just keep working on it
And for now we'll just work on some stuff we already know

Hey, Calypso
I was thinking that, for the song—
Never mind

No, Simon, please—

Nothing. Never mind

This is a little bit harder
Than I had anticipated
It'll be a challenge to steer clear of
Being dead

All of my band mates are stubborn
All except Marly, God bless her
All of my friends they are
So hard to herd

But work is my life
Perfection is my game
Slowly but surely I will make
Those around me feel the same

'Cause the sky is only so high
I'd say it's halfway to the top
I'm gonna keep going
'Cause I never learned how to stop

Stop, stop, stop, stop, stop, stop!
Guys, why are you fighting?

Because Xander did something really nice for me 'cause he's an asshole!

What?

He knows I hate it when people do nice things for me.—

Why?

Because! Then I have to repay their kindness!
I hate owing things to people
This dickhead knows that
And he keeps doing nice things for me to piss me off!

That's ridiculous, Simon. I'm only trying to be a good teammate, man!

Bullshit. I'm not an idiot, dude! I saw that little smile, you can barely even contain yourself

Okay guys!
There's actually a very simple answer to this problem
What can you do to repay Xander, Simon?

No. No, I have to end the cycle.—

How come?

Because!
I don't wanna have to keep doing nice things for him
Every time he buys me ice cream or whatever!

And what's wrong with that? Suck it up, man!
The two of you being nice to each other
Isn't the catastrophe that you think it is!

Yeah, suck it up man! Just be nice for once, Simon

Shut the fuck up. Fine, I'll teach you some tips on guitar

I don't need any tips, especially—
You know, everybody can learn everything from somebody
You know, it's, I'll be able to learn something

We're working on our coordination
I pray that I'm getting through to them
I am discovering their issues
And where they stem

I think they're learning to trust me
That is such goddamn good news
'Cause it's been almost a month
And I've got no time left to loose

I can see your fingers, calloused and worn
Nails been torn
It's like you have been playing for years
That's how it appears

So you're already halfway there
Just work on your strumming

Lean into the thrumming
Of the rhythm pervading the air

See look
You're improving
You're great!
You're improving!

Work is my life
Perfection is my game
Slowly but surely I will make
Those around me feel the same

'Cause the sky is only so high
I'd say it's halfway to the top
I'm gonna keep going
'Cause I never learned

How to stop