SOTW: With a Little Help from My Friends — Joe Cocker (1969)
“What would you think if I sang out of tune? / Would you stand up and walk out on me?”
Cocker doesn’t sing this song as a happy melody; rather, he puts soulful, deep vulnerability and insecurity out front. He slugs his way through it.
“What do you do when things go wrong?” Lennon and McCartney ask. “Lend me your ears, and I’ll sing you a song.”
The plan I’d spent months building was blown apart before even setting foot on the continent. Our motorcycles were stuck in a customs warehouse in Miami, along with most of our gear. The planning and control were gone before I touched the ground.
Tucker had already rebuilt the route by the time I cleared immigration. Aaron had found near-new KTM 890 Adventure bikes to rent while we waited for ours to show up. They even thought to buy me a pair of hiking boots to ride in.
What happens when the shit hits the fan on a plan you’ve architected, letting down those who followed you into the mess? Your real friends step up and move it forward without judgment, without criticism.
“Oh, I get by with a little help from my friends / Mm, gonna try with a little help from my friends”
We didn’t get there because of my plan. I didn’t know it then, but we got there because of them.
Chapter 5 of Honest Miles drops on Sunday.