Talking Gig Economy Blues - Ariel Sharratt & Mathias Kom

Woe is me!
My degree in ethnomusicology
Doesn’t seem to be knockin’ down the doors of opportunity
It wasn’t my door it was supposed to knock on.
If the world’s a stage, my part’s a walk-on.
I’ve been bamboozled.
I’ve been robbed.
And I can’t get a job.
Some people say I’m over qualified.
And then others tell me I don’t have the experience.
But mostly, people don’t get back to me at all.
So, the gig economy is the economy for me.
And honestly who doesn’t like a gig.
I’ll volunteer to work the door.
I think I’ve seen the band before.
They’ve been at it for a while.
It’s weird they never did get big.
Well I found my bootstraps
And I gave a tug.
I became addicted to prescription drugs
Now the lights are flashing
And I’m standing here on this push red rug
Remember that band I worked the door for?
Now I’m their producer for which I won an award for.
The wheel has turned and they’re on top.
But I’m not sure it’s a job.
Their manager said I’m gonna get paid in points.
Whatever that means.
I tried to use points to pay for groceries the other day
But they said I didn’t have enough.
So I have to put everything back.
I dropped the eggs by accident
And a teenager told me I’d have to pay for them.
So I asked him if he knew anything about points.
Which he didn’t.
And the gig economy is the economy for me.
Though possibly some gigs are not kosher.
My ambition is my biggest muscle.
See me bustle.
See me hustle.
If you short of crypto, you can pay me in exposure.
Oh don’t ask.
Don’t ask my friend.
Dan became born again.
And not for the first time I’m being replaced by baby Jesus.
Amen.
But he’s a terrible producer.
I’m not fired, I quit.
I’ve got other skills in my set and tools in my kit.
I’m biking around delivering kabobs.
It’s almost kind of a job.
You know, at least I can set my own hours
And all this cycling, I’m really losing a lot of weight.
But sometimes I find myself just setting on the curb
And bursting into tears for no reason at all.
But at least I can set my own hours.
Wait, did I say that part already?
Well, the gig economy is the economy for me.
Authority and me are oil and water.
Oh yeah xxx for sure
I’ll sail the good ship entrepreneur.
I’ll do whatever people ask me for a dollar.
Well just when I was getting’ my most desperate
As my delivery bike had been repossessed
I got an email for a professor sayin’ she’d look at my CV and she’s been impressed.
She offered me an internship workin’ for free
Which I figured I could quit if it wasn’t for me.
When I arrived, I recognized the university.
It was the same place I had received my degree.
Damn!
But you know, it’s sort of nice being back after all
The whole place has a kind of desperate energy
Plus it looks like I still have my old cafeteria coffee card.
I’m just one step away from a medium latte for free.
Life starts.
And then it stops.
And I don’t think I’ll ever get a job.
The gig economy is the economy for me.
Autonomy is more precious than a pension
When times are tough and money’s tight
I’ll stay up working half the night.
Necessity is the mother of apprehension.