Tickover Time by Ian H Bruce (2017) Recorded by Ian H Bruce There's many a mile where through grimace you smile As the moored boats impose a go slow Don't fear being late, just accept your fate And take note of what wise boaters know Chorus: It's tickover time, tickover time A time to slow down, don't you know It's tickover time, tickover time A time to slow down, and let go At the lock there's delays, so moor up, keep away As hire boaters queue to go through You may pity their plight, their timetable's tight While for you tomorrow may do In a world that's plain crazy, the future seems hazy As politicians drown in their lies Those ego-fuelled fools who misguide and misrule Don't share the same values as I Life isn't a race, so chill out, drop your pace Take a break and breathe deep the fresh air Beauty abounds if you just look around So gongoozle, that's stop and just stare My boat is my home and wherever I roam Simple pleasures are all that I need So a word to the wise, don't let blood pressure rise You'll live longer if you just kill your speed For too many moored boaters the need to shout 'Slow Down' at passing boats seems a Pavlovian response rather than one based on observation. While shouting back or ignoring these people I always felt that maybe I was in the wrong and could have gone slower. On my current boat the throttle lever clicks into a ‘tickover’ setting which I select whenever I'm passing moored boats so I can be sure I am going as slow as possible. This has given me the confidence to feel that I should be immune from criticism and made me a happier person. I can now accept that 'tickover time' is inevitable, stress- free, and that I shouldn't even be thinking of going that tiny fraction faster. Any one who shouts at me now is the one with the problem not me! The chorus of this song came quickly whilst cruising in the summer of 2017. The verses and tune took a little longer. The recording is just a temporary one until I can produce better. Recorded on :