“Shoving Corduroy”
Description
The singer, a "swamper," is building corduroy roads. He describes his work, the pay, and an incident where a workmate falls into a boghole. Finally, he expresses a desire for a pretty woman, and says he'll do anything to please her -- even shove corduroy.
Notes
A corduroy road was built by laying logs parallel to one another to make a roadway across a swamp. [There is some dispute about whether the roads or the fabric were named first, although the fabric is more likely. - RBW]
According to Beck, the swamper usually "cleared the underbrush and other obstructions for the teamster, or so that logs could be skidded to their destination." - PJS
References
- Beck 25, "Shoving Corduroy" (1 text)
- Roud #8859
- BI, Be025