‘Zero Hours Blues’ was actually the first song I wrote as a recording solo artist. Working as a supply teacher I had a lot of time on my hands, and when the call for work didn’t come in, of course, I played my guitar. The silver lining was that I got back in the habit of writing music, and I wrote this one just before Christmas 2018. Before the next year was out I had packed in the supply teaching and turned professional as a musician. So the song is an announcement, in a retrospective sense, as well as an unwitting harbinger of things to come. The album version of the song is available here:
The demo video can be seen here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pyQapq6Sm_M&list=PLbci4_Sos9YN5nDl2iERGuiJ9ddhXM6lP&index=7
Zero Hours Blues
Well it’s the great gig economy, but I got those zero hours blues
Well it’s the new gig economy, and I got those zero hours blues
Well there’s been so much pain since I goddamn wore those shoes,
Had a good week so far, made me twenty pence,
Had a good week so far, made me twenty pence,
But I spent all my money before I paid the rent
They say “You work for yourself now, and not the man.”
They say “You’re working for yourself now, and not the man.”
But you see my chances of accumulating, are really down the pan.
At the factory gates this morning, boss says “you, you and you.”
At the factory gates this morning, boss says to me “no, not you”.
I guess I’ll play my old guitar, really, nothin’ else to do.