Nice Guys Finish Last

I love being surprised by words and having standard perceptions challenged. Like the old riddle about the boy and father who were in a car crash. The father dies at the scene, and the boy is rushed to the hospital. The doctor on call takes one look at the patient, and steps away saying, I can't operate on him. He's my son." How can that be?

George Carlin was a master at coming at an idea from the back door, leaving the listener with a new skewed view and a glimpse into his unorthodox mind.




I heard a new blues song by Johnnie Bassett the other night that took full advantage of the listener's solidified acceptance of a phrase and put a new twist on it. It got me thinking about this again. Blues singers have been playing with words and using humor for years. (Muddy Waters belted out Got my mojo working, but it just don't work on you. B.B. King sang, Nobody loves me but my mother-And she might be jivin' too.)
So when I was listening to the Blues Show on WXPN Phildelphia and heard this:

I'm after your body
Little girl, I'm after your mind,
Yes, I want it all, baby,
But all in good time
No need to move it too fast
I know a woman's needs come first,
And nice guys finish last.

It surprised me and made me laugh. I immediately called my answering machine to record the artist and title of the song so I could buy it later.

Blues singers have used double entendres since the beginning. (Squeeze my lemon til the juice runs down my leg, anyone?) And you hear some very colorful metaphors listening to the Blues.

Anytime someone can jolt me out of my regular thinking patterns and way I view the world, I love it.

So tell me. What trips your trigger? What's something that inspires you?