Cuttin' Off Blues

[crimson king]

Okay, straight off the bat, I don't claim to be a poet and I'm certainly no Utah Phillips or Joe Hill, but I wrote this down this morning over a couple of cups of coffee this morning before heading out for work.

Anyway, it made me feel a bit better and I just thought I'd share and if anyone else likes it, cool. If, as is probably the case, you think it's a load of s**t, whatever....the week I've had I really don't care anymore

Cuttin' Off Blues

Woke up this morning, with a sense of dread,
Knowing already that I can’t complete,
Gotta get movin’, better go earn my bread,
But already they got me beat,
I got those cuttin’ off blues.

Walking in the DO, maybe there’s a chance,
That’ll it be okay, they’ve learned to manage,
There’ll be no need for the morning dance,
And all the mental damage,
And I’ll end these cuttin’ off blues.

At the frame now, see I’ve made a mistake,
It’s bulging, it pulses, man, it’s overflowing,
Full-timer standing there, he’s got the terror,
Get the lino, time for the showing,
Get some more of those cuttin’ off blues.

Boss, really sorry, I need to work to my time,
Is there an issue? Everyone else completes!
No, just wanna do my hours, please, it ain’t no crime,
Performance perhaps? You’re weak and slow on your feet!
Here they come, those lonesome cuttin’ off blues.

Boss, can’t you see this overload and trouble?
Blind to how the whole system’s cracked?
Chaos falling about our ears like paper rubble,
Expect me to complete? Where’s that full time contract?
Give me at least that, not these cuttin’ off blues.

Why can’t they see, why is it so hard?
I just can’t squeeze six, seven hours into five,
Why must I be bullied, threatened with my cards?
And forced to perform this ritual, this tiring f***ing jive?
Cut me some slack, take away these cuttin’ off blues.

So I’ve begged and jumped through their hoops,
Now I feel useless, undervalued and cheap,
But hey, least they’ve taken off two loops,
Albeit hinting I’m for the scrap heap,
Oh my, they’re here again, those cuttin’ off blues.

I will not cow, shan’t submit, I will not hide,
Keep harassing me, bully me to complete,
You won’t take my dignity, won’t dent my pride,
As long as I believe in my soul I won’t be beat,
You can stick your cuttin’ off blues.

[MissKazzyB]

Absolutely love this & just what I needed to read with how I’m feeling right now :-))))

[Brandy]

Just Brilliant!!!!!!

[Brandy]

Put it to music and if you can sing or get someone to sing it you may have a number 1 on your hands,then you can tell them where to stick their bloody bullying!!

[seaside]

Very good and so true

[TrueBlueTerrier]

[GT85]

It's terrible in our place at the moment, we had one day of non delivery for snow and not caught up yet.

Daily argument with the lino as to why you can't complete.

Cut off left over from the day before plus the compulsory double absorption (unable to cover all walks due to lack of staff, nothing to do with traffic figures) that they insist must be done before starting your own walk = cannot be done in normal hours so loads of people cut off and repeat the same scenario the next day. Going over to clear has no chance, good will went out the window a long time ago, office moral rock bottom.

Problem is he won't have it that we have too much work and so reckons it must be a performance issue

[k979aaa]

Having being witness and victim to this regime I can agree with that for the most part it is the way in which we all can deal with these unreasonable demands which you so express so well. I just vent off on here about how the top brass don't even know it's going on and how happy we are under dictatorship from the top down!

[Brandy]

Having being witness and victim to this regime I can agree with that for the most part it is the way in which we all can deal with these unreasonable demands which you so express so well. I just vent off on here about how the top brass don't even know it's going on and how happy we are under dictatorship from the top down!

So so glad I was able to get out when I did,I loved being a postie,but in the end I was made to hate the job I had loved for so many years by the awful treatment dished out by RM management.
Your poem hits a chord with me as its exactly how I felt,and I thought the union was going to deal with this bullying culture within RM!!

[tommyrep]

Well put, you have put an amusing slant on a problem experienced by thousands.
I reflect on the apprehension and knowledge that the same argument arises almost every day.
It causes stress and the prospect of trying to explain to a thick brick wall isa depressing prospect.
Still, leave RM and build a career in satire, love it and soooooo accurate, well done !

[LaggyBand]

Haha that’s amazing mate thanks for sharing!

[crimson king]

Thanks, everyone. Sat on my laptop right now looking at job vacancies. Actually considering going on the bins- out in the fresh air (probably not that fresh though, given the nature of the job...) and 6am start. Job advert even says you get paid for 7.5 hours even if you only work six...bet that doesn't happen very often though, if at all, eh?

All the bin men I encounter on my duty seem happy enough though. And I'm pretty sure they don't have to do the cutting off dance every morning either. And their management can't be as bad as ours... can they?

[flimflamman]

Thanks, everyone. Sat on my laptop right now looking at job vacancies. Actually considering going on the bins- out in the fresh air (probably not that fresh though, given the nature of the job...) and 6am start. Job advert even says you get paid for 7.5 hours even if you only work six...bet that doesn't happen very often though, if at all, eh?

All the bin men I encounter on my duty seem happy enough though. And I'm pretty sure they don't have to do the cutting off dance every morning either. And their management can't be as bad as ours... can they?

the binmen in my town have a manager following them around in a van and at certain points on the round he goes to the binwagon driver and questions him as to why he is not at a designated point at a certain time,ie not going fast enough,he looks a right tosser,clipboard in hand,spotless high vis managers vest and best off all mirrored aviator sunglasses

[crimson king]

Thanks, everyone. Sat on my laptop right now looking at job vacancies. Actually considering going on the bins- out in the fresh air (probably not that fresh though, given the nature of the job...) and 6am start. Job advert even says you get paid for 7.5 hours even if you only work six...bet that doesn't happen very often though, if at all, eh?

All the bin men I encounter on my duty seem happy enough though. And I'm pretty sure they don't have to do the cutting off dance every morning either. And their management can't be as bad as ours... can they?

the binmen in my town have a manager following them around in a van and at certain points on the round he goes to the binwagon driver and questions him as to why he is not at a designated point at a certain time,ie not going fast enough,he looks a right tosser,clipboard in hand,spotless high vis managers vest and best off all mirrored aviator sunglasses

Oh, oh, that sort of behaviour sounds worryingly familiar...

[PackageForYou]

Okay, straight off the bat, I don't claim to be a poet and I'm certainly no Utah Phillips or Joe Hill, but I wrote this down this morning over a couple of cups of coffee this morning before heading out for work.

Anyway, it made me feel a bit better and I just thought I'd share and if anyone else likes it, cool. If, as is probably the case, you think it's a load of s**t, whatever....the week I've had I really don't care anymore

Cuttin' Off Blues

Woke up this morning, with a sense of dread,
Knowing already that I can’t complete,
Gotta get movin’, better go earn my bread,
But already they got me beat,
I got those cuttin’ off blues.

Walking in the DO, maybe there’s a chance,
That’ll it be okay, they’ve learned to manage,
There’ll be no need for the morning dance,
And all the mental damage,
And I’ll end these cuttin’ off blues.

At the frame now, see I’ve made a mistake,
It’s bulging, it pulses, man, it’s overflowing,
Full-timer standing there, he’s got the terror,
Get the lino, time for the showing,
Get some more of those cuttin’ off blues.

Boss, really sorry, I need to work to my time,
Is there an issue? Everyone else completes!
No, just wanna do my hours, please, it ain’t no crime,
Performance perhaps? You’re weak and slow on your feet!
Here they come, those lonesome cuttin’ off blues.

Boss, can’t you see this overload and trouble?
Blind to how the whole system’s cracked?
Chaos falling about our ears like paper rubble,
Expect me to complete? Where’s that full time contract?
Give me at least that, not these cuttin’ off blues.

Why can’t they see, why is it so hard?
I just can’t squeeze six, seven hours into five,
Why must I be bullied, threatened with my cards?
And forced to perform this ritual, this tiring f***ing jive?
Cut me some slack, take away these cuttin’ off blues.

So I’ve begged and jumped through their hoops,
Now I feel useless, undervalued and cheap,
But hey, least they’ve taken off two loops,
Albeit hinting I’m for the scrap heap,
Oh my, they’re here again, those cuttin’ off blues.

I will not cow, shan’t submit, I will not hide,
Keep harassing me, bully me to complete,
You won’t take my dignity, won’t dent my pride,
As long as I believe in my soul I won’t be beat,
You can stick your cuttin’ off blues.

You're spot on and your rhyming skills are great. Well done!

Good to use humour here, in the face of laugh or cry. I'm so glad I'm not alone, the bullying is like gas lighting! How are we going to fix this? I thought Royal Mail are against harassment!