The Idiot (song)
Encyclopedia
"The Idiot" is a song written by Stan Rogers
, found on his albums Northwest Passage
and Home In Halifax
. On Home in Halifax, Rogers introduces the song by explaining that it is about the movement of people away from the Atlantic Provinces of Canada
to the province of Alberta
for work. The introduction also states that the song contains the "knuckle-dragging" beat characteristic of morris dance
tunes.
The song's narrator recounts how he moved to Alberta six years earlier. Many factories in his home province had closed, employment was scarce, and he did not want to go on unemployment because he "take[s] nothing free." Instead, he moved west and took a job in a refinery. He finds his new city unpleasantly dirty and he misses his old hometown, but he respects himself for making his own living and not having to rely on social assistance. He urges other young men from the Eastern provinces "who've been beaten to the ground" to follow his example, saying that they will probably miss their hometowns, as he does, but they will have "self-respect and a steady cheque" rather than the "government dole" that will "rot [their] souls."
The Berkeley
Morris team wrote a dance to be danced to the tune of "The Idiot", in the Field Town
style of morris dance. Uptown-on-Calhoun Morris of Minneapolis does a dance to the tune of "The Idiot". The Bassett Street Hounds morris team of Syracuse, N.Y. have written a dance called "The Drunken Idiot", performed to the same tune but with alternative words written by Jon Berger.
Stan Rogers
Stanley Allison "Stan" Rogers was a Canadian folk musician and songwriter.Rogers was noted for his rich, baritone voice and his finely crafted, traditional-sounding songs which were frequently inspired by Canadian history and the daily lives of working people, especially those from the fishing...
, found on his albums Northwest Passage
Northwest Passage (album)
-Track listing:# "Northwest Passage"# "The Field Behind the Plow"# "Night Guard"# "Working Joe"# "You Can't Stay Here"# "The Idiot"# "Lies"# "Canol Road"# "Free in the Harbour"# "California"...
and Home In Halifax
Home In Halifax
Home in Halifax is a 1993 live album by Stan Rogers. It was recorded by the CBC during a concert Rogers performed at the Rebecca Cohn Auditorium in Halifax, Nova Scotia in March of 1982, 11 years prior. The concert was put together as a life radio and T.V. broadcast celebrating Rogers' annual...
. On Home in Halifax, Rogers introduces the song by explaining that it is about the movement of people away from the Atlantic Provinces of Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
to the province of Alberta
Alberta
Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...
for work. The introduction also states that the song contains the "knuckle-dragging" beat characteristic of morris dance
Morris dance
Morris dance is a form of English folk dance usually accompanied by music. It is based on rhythmic stepping and the execution of choreographed figures by a group of dancers. Implements such as sticks, swords, handkerchiefs and bells may also be wielded by the dancers...
tunes.
The song's narrator recounts how he moved to Alberta six years earlier. Many factories in his home province had closed, employment was scarce, and he did not want to go on unemployment because he "take[s] nothing free." Instead, he moved west and took a job in a refinery. He finds his new city unpleasantly dirty and he misses his old hometown, but he respects himself for making his own living and not having to rely on social assistance. He urges other young men from the Eastern provinces "who've been beaten to the ground" to follow his example, saying that they will probably miss their hometowns, as he does, but they will have "self-respect and a steady cheque" rather than the "government dole" that will "rot [their] souls."
The Berkeley
Berkeley, California
Berkeley is a city on the east shore of the San Francisco Bay in Northern California, United States. Its neighbors to the south are the cities of Oakland and Emeryville. To the north is the city of Albany and the unincorporated community of Kensington...
Morris team wrote a dance to be danced to the tune of "The Idiot", in the Field Town
Leafield
Leafield is a village and civil parish about northwest of Witney in West Oxfordshire. The parish includes the hamlet of Langley, west of Leafield village....
style of morris dance. Uptown-on-Calhoun Morris of Minneapolis does a dance to the tune of "The Idiot". The Bassett Street Hounds morris team of Syracuse, N.Y. have written a dance called "The Drunken Idiot", performed to the same tune but with alternative words written by Jon Berger.