Song: “The Long, Lonely Road to Rejection”

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Behind the Song

Back in March, I wrote down the phrase “The long, lonely road to rejection” in my songwriting notebook.

It summed up the feeling you get when you’re working hard towards a goal but nothing comes of it.

I liked the image, it tickled me. Sort of maudlin, with a bit of surprise: the long lonely road leading not to victory, but failure.

It struck me as funny rather than depressing.

Sometimes you just got to laugh.

Anwyay, that was it, just a phrase, until I was mowing the lawn a month later and the idea for a song swept over me. I slipped off my work gloves and ducked into my office, sweat dripping onto the page, and jotted down a song. Rough, but semi-complete.

Then I let it stew while I moved onto other projects.

About a month and half later I started hammering the song into place. Went through a couple versions, tweaking verses, but the core idea remained the same. A month after that, the song was finished.

Lyrics

Callin out all you self-starters
you maverick makers, you midnight martyrs
you hungry seekers with the empty larders

who won't pick a lane
who go crazy to stay sane
come and join those who won't be tamed

On the long, lonely road to rejection
it's a long, lonely road with no pay
the long, lonely road to rejection
on this road I'm gonna stay

Don't you know together it's not so bad
when you're numbered among those who won't be had
with the folks who flee from the latest fad

so to all the riders ready
to roam outside the ring
come and join me, I've got just the thing

On the long, lonely road to rejection
it's a long, lonely road with no pay
the long, lonely road to rejection
on this road I'm gonna stay

You'll find it hard to find your people
when the church you're jonesin for
can't afford no crystal steeple
Just let the currents of mistrust
sweep you down
to the outskirts of town
that's where all the magic can be found

Somehow we're sixty souls abreast
all the missing misfits put their mettle to the test
growin' hammers on their hands to smash the chains to their desk

but there's no club to form
no blood oath that must be sworn
to stand with those who stride about the swarm

On the long, lonely road to rejection
it's a long, lonely road with no pay
the long, lonely road to rejection
on this road I'm gonna stay
and you can too
if you're going my way