The Ballad of Paul & Jerry

I used to work with Paul
back in ye old Vague Ass
We worked together night after night
Hour after hour
But did I really ever know Paul?
Not so much.
Paul & I also worked with Ron, Ronnie & John.
Ron and I became fast friends.
John and I were drinkin' buds.
Ronnie and I became roommates.
But Paul and I never really did much.
See, Paul always had his own gang around
And it was rare that this cat would stray.
A sort of human wall that he would build
Around himself

So, years went by.
I lost my girl, and my job
And i needed to leave Vague Ass fast.
Paul rang me up and said,
"Hey, i'm going to Mexico and I want you to come with!"
See, Paul knew I was a good worker
And there could be the job of a lifetime
Down in Old Mexico
I was touched by Paul's offer
I was flattered and excited
The job fell through...

I rang Paul up later and said,
"hey man, i still gotta get out
and a friend of mine has invited me
to come up to Seattle, i'm leaving tomorrow"
Paul says, "Hey, i'll drive up with you and check it out"
I'm excited to have a fellow road-tripper
So off we go!
We take the long way,
stopping and seeing friends
Getting food and booze and listening to music.
Real bonding typa stuff
Days later, we arrived in Seattle
Paul sticks around for awhile
and we get to know each other better.
Finally, Paul's back to Vague Ass.

Months go by and Paul rings up a says,
"Hey, I'm moving up in a few months"
Cool. Now we can work together again.
In my line of work, it's not necessary to be close
but it makes the final product so much better
So up moves Paul, but wait!
He brings his girl Jane.
Jane is a fantastic person
And i don't begrudge Paul bringin her
But there's the wall again!
Paul has brought his gang with him.

So we start working together
and i'm not really diggin it.
I say, "Hey Paul, I'm sorry man
but I really thought i'd love this work,
but I do not, so I have to quit"
Paul's mad.
He should be.
But come on man,
I thought we were gonna be brothers,
not co-workers.
I need a brother!

Years go by before Paul and I really get together again.
In the meantime, he had met Jerry.
Paul & Jerry have an arrangement
When it comes to working together.
And it's an arrangement that works.

One day outta the blue
Paul rings me up and says,
"Hey, what'reya doing?"
I say, "Ah nothing, just hanging out"
He says, "No man, for work!"
I say, "Oh! nothing there either"
Paul says, "Well, Jerry and I are
looking for someone who does what you do,
and I know you do it well, so what do'ya say?"
I say, "Why Not? I'll join your Enterprise"
So I go to work for Paul & Jerry

Coupla years go by, and I'm thinking
Man, i'm not really diggin' this, but
It's fun, and Paul & Jerry are good people.
See, let's say that we were making Ice Cream.
Paul is a true artist,
And he knows what color and flavor he wants.
Jerry is an ideas man
And he knows how to make it look good and get it to the people.
But, the problem is,
Neither one knows how to make Ice Cream.
And God Damn it, I wanna make Ice Cream.
I've made lots of Ice Cream in the past
With other folks, and believe me,
This ain't no Ice Cream!

Jerry starts thinking that maybe this isn't working out with Paul.
I've been thinking that too, but i didn't want to say anything.
However, Paul is a great artist, and I wanna work with him,
I just want to get other peeps to help realize his art.
Jerry does too, so we start looking.
We cannae find anyone, and another worker (Jody) jumps ship.
So it's down to just Paul & Jerry & I.
Jerry is unhappy, i know
I'm not thrilled anymore.
Jerry quits the Enterprise!
I follow soon after.

I love Paul, but I cannot float that ship myself
And Paul didn't want anyone else's help floating it.
Jerry says, "Hey, I got these other jobs lined up,
and I want you to come work with me"
I say, "Cool, count me in!
I'm excited to do something new"
See, I was under the impression that
Jerry & I would be working together
However, Jerry decides that he's going
back to the Enterprise with Paul.
I'm disappointed, and not interested in joining him.

However, before i'd left, i'd done some work for them.
Jerry acknowledged this, and said that credit would be given.
Unfortunately, when the next Enterprise product came out,
I was not mentioned. Jerry acted like he hadn't said those things
and I didn't deserve the respect that I did.
Ok, fine, I can let that go too.
"What about that other job with Tom O.?" I asked.
"Oh, that's still on" Jerry says
Later, the product with Jerry & Tom O. was finished
And i wasn't even told that I would not be working with them after all.

See, I'm not the type to hold a grudge.
I can let it pass quickly and
Get on with my business.
But Jerry's really piling up the shit here.
First, he leaves the Enterprise, then rejoins.
I may not have left too, if he hadn't.
Second, he doesn't deliver on other work.
Ok, fine, I would've appreciated the call, but whatever.
Third, he fails to give credit where credit is due.
Another thing I can forgive.
I understand that some people are just
The way they are, and you have to give some room to grow.

However, Jerry's (and Paul's, probably) next act
Would break my forgiving back.
See, back when I was working for their Enterprise
I had done a lot of good work, some great.
Another entity wanted to use some of the work
That I was a part of, and they would pay for it!
Jerry & Paul got x-amount of dollars for it.
It doesn't matter how much, that's not the issue.
The issue is that i was not paid for my own work!

That's fucked up!
I raised the issue, and we bickered back and forth.
Jerry said, "We were meaning to pay you for it"
Come on Jerry, can you really expect me to believe you?
Have you not read what i've written above?
Can you not see with your own eyes why you're intentions are doubted?
Anyway, they paid me, but it wasn't ever about the money.
If that had been the case, I'd have never worked for them,
Cuz there was NEVER any money!
I don't work for the money, I work because i need to.

Well, everything's cool now.
I do not consider Paul and Jerry as brothers.
I've no more olive branches for these two.
I can bump into them and have a lovely conversation,
no doubt, but that's the extent of it i'm afraid.
I believe in friendship and loyalty and love.
Paul and Jerry are strangers to these ideas.
Sorry boys, but you know it's true.
My conscience is clear on these matters.