No matter your industry, you hear your fair share of jargon and vocabulary unique to your vocation on a daily basis. Rarely do these terms cross industries lines especially those that are not connected naturally. Software engineering for example uses completely different descriptive language from the framing industry for example.

When we get out of our bubbles, though, we get the chance to learn new descriptive languages in different industries and maybe even apply the idea to you own life in a way.

I had this experience while on tour between November 2015 and October 2016. I would often stop at truck stops because they were one of the few places on the road where I could park for the night and sleep without worrying that I would be towed or ticketed.

While at the truck stops, I would hear stories from the big rig drivers and teams and I was able to learn a little bit about how they live their work.

During these conversations, I also learned some new terminology related to the profession. One such term was “bobtail.”

Bobtail as a noun means the truck without a trailer. As a verb, bobtailing is when a trucker is required to travel without a trailer to pick one up at their own cost. Many truckers only get paid for the time they’re actually hauling a load. When they are forced to travel to pick up a load, they are not paid for that time. It’s more of an investment on the trucker’s part. How far can they travel and still make profit on a load is the most important question when this happens.

I thought this was a very interesting verb because we’ve all found ourselves there at one point or another in our lives.

How many times have you gone out of your way and maybe invested a little extra time or effort for a long term gain? For some of us, we’ve faced this situation more times we can count but it’s necessary. It’s the struggle before the win.

Since I was so fascinated by this terminology and idea, of course I had to write a song about it. “We’ve Bobtailed Further for Less” is about just that… investing time and pushing through the struggle to get to your payday and end goal, making the effort worth your time entirely.

Listen to the song and check out the lyrics below.

We’ve Bobtailed Further for Less

That big ol’ moon graces my rear view
Like the high beam Cascade rig
Hauling stone for the morning crew
As I stop to rest for my last leg
This road’s running out of city
With no expectations or tolls
She shines to the roots that grip me
With no one to bear the load
We’ve bobtailed further for less
And it looks like we’re already dressed
To make this ride

She said, “don’t ever stop, son”
As she put away the plates
With more cold shoulders won
We follow our straits
This road’s running out of heartland
She even puddles on the crown
But these roots cradle a strong stand
And won’t ever let it down
We’ve bobtailed further for less
We can’t stop now I must confess
We have to try

It’s been miles since dinner
You can’t forget to grease the fittings
Constantine cheers parking lot sinners
So I don’t forget how to spend my slim winnings
This road’s running out of spirit
She’s cracked and full of holes
I believe it’s time to commandeer it
Where the roots take hold
We’ve bobtailed further for less
And here is the very best
On our mind