Monday, December 5, 1988

Talking Education Blues

If you're not familiar with folk songs and don't know what a 'talking blues' is, it's basically a poem in meter usually accompanied by a banjo. There's a specific tune that's played in the ones I've heard. The ones I know best are the Weavers' Talking Blues, the Almanac Singers' Talking Union, Woody Guthrie's Talking Dust Bowl Blues and Noel Stookey's Talking Candy Bar Blues.

And this one, of course.

I wrote this in my first year at UCSC.


Talking Education Blues

You wanna get an education, let me tell you what to do
Gotta get good grades in that old high school
Or a real high score on the S. A. T.
Real unfair if ya wanna ask me
Sure ain't based on ability
Or desire.
And don't even mention financial need.

Well you get to university and you find
Things that'll help you build your mind
Like open-book midterms and final exams
Spend two days beforehand crammin' and crammin'.
But you know, they say you never forget
Least for a whole hour after the test.
Maybe longer.
'Course, your eyes won't come through it any stronger.

Well, after you take that old class
Comes round another one ya gotta pass
Or if you don't, you're on the street,
One thing at college that can't be beat:
Student Loans.
Perkins, Stafford, the boys out to get you.

Well, you pass your major and GEs
Done got out with your degree
And now it's time to get to work
Got a boss who's a real jerk
The Company, it pays high wages
But the labor surely doesn't engage
The enthusiasm.
Or the interest.
I went through four long years of that, for this?