"Ain't It Rough?" lyrics - DOUG MACLEOD

I wrote this song about musicians. You know sometimes musicians got to play where their not wanted. Oh I know you might find that hard to believe, but that's true. Let's say you're settin' up one Friday night and a fella at the bar says, "Hey, weren't you here last Friday night?"

You say, "Yeah, I was here last Friday night."
He say, "I didn't like you." Under your breath you go,
"Well that makes us even." But you keep on setting up.
You feel a little tap on your shoulder. You turn around and there's this woman.

She got on more makeup than five drag queens in West Hollywood and
She says, "Are you loud?" You say, "MacLeod." "Are you loud?"
"Oh, no we ain't loud, just acoustic bass and a guitar."
"Is that a speaker?" "Well that's an amplifier.
We use that so we can hear ourselves while you all are enjoying your dinners, libations, conversations, and watching television.
"I think you're loud. I'm going to tell the manager you're loud.
"Well, you had enough then. That's when you tell her,
"Madam, compared to your make up - we're mute.
" She says, "Well, I never!" You say, "Well, maybe you should."

I had to write this song. Ain't It Rough?

Well I was working in this country bar, picking nothing new on my guitar,
And I was really thinking I ain't getting too far. When this fella having a couple
Beers said, " Son when you get done, come over here, I'm gonna' tell you how to be a star. Well, first you need a will of steel, a genuine country feel.
By the way, do you know a song by George Jones?"
Well, I found my way to start to play, He Stopped Loving Her Today
But when I got to the bandstand that man was gone.

Ain't it rough? Ain't it tough? When you're doing all you can but it ain't enough. I know it's rough. I know it's tough. When you're doing all you can but it ain't enough.

Well, I was working in this Holiday Inn, playing bad music and watching sin,
But I don't mind telling you the pay was alright. But I had to wear this tight pink suit that the leader of the band he thought was cute, I got nervous sitting down every night. I was picking guitar and handling the lights, and I'm gonna' tell you I was doing alright, but I felt some trouble when this drunk kept coming on. I said, "Excuse man I got a cue." He said, "Is that more important than me talking to you!" I said, 'It's something I got to do, don't get me wrong." Well, he got mad. Started raising sand. Swung at me, hit the leader of the band. They gave me a slip, matched my suit, I'm gone.

Well my girlfriend called me lazy. She said, "Didn't you get a trade in the Navy? Get a straight job things will better you'll see." Well I figured she had
A point, 'cause all I been working was joints, so good bye night life and hello
Straight life for me. I got me a suit and tie. Packed my resumes, ah resumes,
With a whole bunch of lies, and headed downtown to start my new life.

Well, I looked around and I got a job, and I'm gonna' tell you I was working hard, but that girl I've talking about? She became my wife. Now she wanted me to bring home the bacon, but the part of the pig I got was still aching,
And when I came home one night that girl was gone. So I picked up my guitar and I realized you don't got to be no star. That's why I'm here in this bar singing this song!