Back To Work, George
I am often asked if I write ONLY for kids; The answer is no, I write a lot of geeky songs for grownups too. My goal is usually to write something that will appeal to both kids and adults, since I rarely find myself performing for just one or the other. But there are some topics that just won’t work for kids. We may get an album recorded one day just for the NSFK songs, but you’ll never see those songs in the music directory of this site. Meanwhile, here’s an example. Note that there are no explicitly horrible lyrics in it (I don’t do that, I consider it crass and boring), but it should be obvious why this won’t go on a kids’ album.
Back To Work, George
by Tim Griffin, copyright 2015
(on banjo, talking-blues style)
(spoken) I was browsing in a bookstore back in 1998
And over in the fantasy section I saw some people waiting
In a line to get an autograph from a guy who wrote some books
But then I noticed some of those people giving that author dirty looks
Because apparently, he was working on a series they were reading
And it was taking… a while… to finish… until one fan gave this greeting:
(sung) Get back to work, George! Go home and write a little more
You better follow through before you do a signing at the store
Mr. Martin, we got some money here to spend
So please don’t leave us wondering, how will the story end?
(spoken) So… a few years later, I think it was 2005
I was staying at a hotel and I saw some folks arriving
In costume for some sort of fantasy convention
And the guest of honor was the same author I previously mentioned
And every fan who saw the man would bow or tip his cap
Until one fan stopped and rudely dropped a laptop in his lap and said:
(sung) Get back to work, George! You know it’s just not fair
For we all need to know who’s gonna own that big metal chair
Mr. Martin, you’re writing ’em way to slow
Won’t you tell me sir, is it Lannister or maybe Johnny Snow?
(spoken) So… a few years later on my cable TV
I saw a show about a great big dysfunctional family
With a lady doing things she probably shouldn’t with her brother
And a colossal cast of characters all killing each other
And it was awesome, but after the first five seasons
The story hit a snag and you get one guess what’s the reason!
(sung) Get back to work, George! You’ve still got two more books to go
And unless you want to see them first on HBO
Mr. Martin, you’d better get it in gear
Because those cable TV people do a season every year
(sung) Back to work, George! You’ve got pages yet to fill
A lot of plot lines to untangle and some characters to kill
Mr. Martin, you’d better think about your age
‘Cause it can’t happen in Westeros ’til you put it on a page
Back to work, George!