LITTLE BITTY TEAR

Yeah, I play the ‘yuke.’  No, the ukulele.  Hawaiian word.  Means “tiny tear jerker.”  Seriously.  Been playing it all my life.  Used to catch hell from my friends.  Well, them and my family.  Friends were into that rock ’n’ roll garbage.  It was the 60’s, so I don’t really blame them, I guess.  Was all about electric guitars that sounded like screeching napalm back then.  Can’t hook a ‘yuke’ up to an amp.  Unless you want a loud, distorted ‘yuke.’  Family didn’t get it because it’s not really an instrument of my people.  No, I’m Native American.  Choctaw.  No, Tiny Tim was an asshole.  Didn’t even like it, you know? The ‘yuke.’  But he was a dick.  Kind of stole my thunder.  Really stole my whole act.  These days?  I build bombs.

-SLL