Let’s say it’s my fault and we skip
the ifs and buts.
I stranded here driving deep
in other’s ruts.

I picked my own goals, it leaves
a bitter smack -
I cannot steer out of this
old beaten track.

It has pretty steep, muddy rims,
and I got well stuck in, it seems.

And I feel, soon it makes me go nuts.
Damn the first ones who followed these ruts.
And I’m going to curse every curse
back and forth, back and forth, back and forth.

I could sit back and let it slide.
Why should I care?
Conditions here are all right,
like everywhere:

No one is jostled in a fray.
No one will cheat.
Can you deal with a one-lane way?
Then, step on it!

You’re given everything to thrive
on that convenient, cosy drive.

And I fancied how fair it could feel,
everybody goes wheel after wheel.
Stay in each other’s ruts to the end!
Like all those who in front of us went.

Not far from me there is a cry:
Let’s try it rough!
Some desperate hell of a guy,
who’s had enough.

But quarrels drained his inner source
a bit too fast.
And all the bearings and valves
went swiftly bust.

But where he jiggled back and fore,
the track has widened out some more.

At some point his trace suddenly stops.
For when such a rebellion flops,
it’s the ditch where a hot temper’s curbed.
And the rest stays on track undisturbed.

I got some troubles with the clutch.
The engine stalled.
Now it’s like lurching in the sludge
without a hold.

It takes a push, but still I lean
and look around.
May be there’s someone coming in
to hook me out.

But when you’re in a sort of plight,
there will be no one else in sight.

How I wish I could pay back in sludge
for the track which took from me too much.
As I deepened its ruts with my ride,
I have added an edge to its bite.

I felt a sudden icy chill
down to my bones.
And wading through the mud uphill
I saw at once:

thaw streams had washed the grooves away
and there’s a gape!
Must be my very lucky day!
It’s my escape!

My tires spit with dirt and mud
back into this unfriendly rut.

Hey, you, stragglers, that’s how to break free!
Which means it’s not a pick off the shelf.
This new track is meant only for me.
Find another way out for yourself.