There's the Cage

People imagine casinos as glamorous.

Bright lights.

Big winners.

Excitement.

Action.

The reality for a working musician can be a little different.

Most nights I was looking at rows of slot machines, a handful of customers, a few televisions showing whatever game happened to be on, and a lot of empty tables.

After a few hours I’d start running low on energy.

That’s when I’d look across the room and see the casino cage.

The place where they kept the money.

And I’d think:

There’s the cage.

Keep going.

One more song.

There’s the cage.

Keep going.

Another song.

There’s the cage.

The funny thing is, when I tell that story, it sounds depressing.

But it really wasn’t.

I was sitting on a stool.

Playing music.

Watching the World Series.

Getting paid.

At my age, I’m too old to dig ditches.

And to be completely honest, I never liked digging ditches anyway.

Getting paid to play guitar and occasionally watch a baseball game isn’t the worst job in the world.

Not by a long shot.