I happened to hear a Johnny Winter favorite — “Love Song to Me” — from John Dawson Winter III over the weekend. It reminded me of a conversation I had with a client the week before and inspired me to write this verse:
To some degree, I disagree;
Although, I can’t be sure.
I favor this, but still I find
That that has some allure.
I know I’m not the audience;
Although, I’m quite inclined
To do it my way rather than
To keep an open mind.
I recognize you know your stuff,
But that goes just so far.
I’m still the client, after all,
And I still set the bar.
I know that moving targets are
The hardest ones to hit.
But I can’t tell you what I want
Until you’ve shown me it.
So just keep throwing stuff against
The wall to see what sticks.
And don’t stop till you’ve emptied your
Creative bag of tricks.
I’m happy just to take your lead
As long as I direct
The art, the copy, and design.
I hope you don’t object.
Oh. One more thing before we go:
Our budget’s pretty tight.
And so’s our schedule, by the way,
So keep them both in sight.
I want it good, and fast, and cheap.
And I don’t care for rules.*
Please don’t confuse me with the facts.
Reality’s for fools.
I’ll never let you tell me how
To do my job. But I
Will tell you how you should do yours
And never wonder why
It takes so long to get things done.
To me it’s plain as day:
You’re free to give it your best shot
As long as it’s my way.
So, go back to the drawing board.
Let’s let this game begin
Again … or still … I can’t recall.
And may the best man win.
I can’t profess to understand that kind of arbitrariness. But I do pride myself on always seeing the good in people. And that compels me to say that, while my client may be a bit high-handed, he does have a lovely singing voice.
* The Good, Fast, and Cheap Rule states that, while everyone wants everything to be good, fast, and cheap, it’s only possible to get two out of three: Good and fast, but it ain’t gonna be cheap. Good and cheap, but it ain’t gonna be fast. Cheap and fast, but it ain’t gonna be good.
Image courtesy of cliparts.co.