MacGougan at Large

Notes on Secondary Seasons - 2

Mud Season

Mud Season is a term you’ll hear in northern New England and upstate New York. It refers to a stretch of late winter and early spring when an upper layer of snow and ice on roads and pathways is melting but the ground lower down is still frozen solid and therefore unable to absorb much moisture. Stir up this mixture with some tires and boots and you have Mud Season.

“Shoulder” seasons can be nice times to visit vacation spots, but you won’t see a lot of Vermont inns using the term “Mud Season” in their advertising.

To me, Mud Season is a helpful reminder that positive change can initially seem negative. A certain degree of patience is needed. Much of life is like a tango, where you need to take one step back before you can take two steps forward.

For today’s song, I wanted to channel the unhappiness of my northern New England friends, for whom the end of winter is often one of those backward steps.

“IT’S THE MUD”

What’s worse than the snow?
Much worse than the snow?
It’s the mud.
It’s the mud.

You can drive in the snow all over town
And it won’t turn your red car brown.

What’s worse than the snow?
Much worse than the snow?
It’s the mud.
It’s the mud.

You can fall in the snow three times or more
Each time you’re cleaner than you were before.

Mud!
For too long every yard’s just filled with it.
Mud!
You can’t ski, sled, skate, or build with it.

What’s worse than the snow?
Much worse than the snow?
It’s the mud.
It’s the mud.

It doesn’t really matter who’s wrong or right
Nobody wins in a mud-ball fight.

What’s worse than the snow?
Much worse than the snow?
It’s the mud.
It’s the mud.
It’s the mud.