The Bucket Rider
"The Bucket Rider" ("Der Kübelreiter") is a short story by Franz Kafka, written in 1917. It first appeared in the Prager Presse in 1921 and was published posthumously in Beim Bau der Chinesischen Mauer (Berlin, 1931). The first English translation, by Willa and Edwin Muir, was published by Martin Secker in London in 1933. It also appeared in The Great Wall of China. Stories and Reflections (New York: Schocken Books, 1946).
The story is about a man looking for coal to fill his bucket. He is a poor man and hopes that the coal-dealer will be generous enough to lend him some coal. He claims that he will pay for the coal later. When he arrives, he pleads for the coal, but it soon becomes apparent that the coal-dealer and his wife are oblivious to his needs. The wife in particular ignores him, and the narrator scorns her. He leaves them in anger, "ascending to the ice mountains ... lost forever."
The story, the bulk of which is dialogue, has been interpreted as a discourse on the inevitable conflict between people due to the innate differences between them. Another interpretation is that the conflict between the bucket-rider and the coal-dealer is due to language being both a barrier and a bridge among people.
The Bucket
"The Bucket" is the first single taken from the Aha Shake Heartbreak album by the American rock band Kings of Leon. It is one of the band's most successful singles, reaching number 16 in the UK Singles Chart (making it their most successful UK release at the time) and number 23 in the U.S. Modern Rock chart.
In Australia, the song was ranked #31 on Triple J's Hottest 100 of 2004.
The song is written about bassist Jared Followill, who is the youngest member in the band, dealing with the band's fame at the age of 17. The song was written by Caleb Followill, Nathan Followill, Jared Followill and Matthew Followill. In the music video, the word "legs" (as part of "I'll swing my legs") is censored due to the line meaning to hang oneself.
In October 2011, NME placed it at number 38 on its list "150 Best Tracks of the Past 15 Years".
Track listing
All songs written by Kings of Leon except where noted.
CD single
10" vinyl
Podcasts:
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by Stephanie Rearick
The Bucket Rider
by: Stephanie RearickThere's a tiny little manin a tiny little house
with a tiny little wife
for his tiny little spouse
By a tiny little choice
she wears a golden ring
has a tiny little voice
'cause he hates to hear her sing
They do a tiny dance
Wave their little limbs
Bark their tiny shins
Step on little toes and ankles
They jitterbug
They cut a rug
He gives a tug
And she just topples over
She holds to some sign of happiness
like she clutches her pocketbook
meanwhile...
Every robber can tell
she'll never let go while he's
throwing paper airplanes at her-
throwing paper airplanes till she's-
throwing paper airplanes like I said
So the tiny little man
and his tiny little spouse
gave a tiny little birth
to a tiny little louse
which falls down tiny stairs
and he swings his little fists
and he splits her tiny hairs
and she slits her little wrists
They do a tiny dance
Wave their little limbs
Bark their tiny shins
Step on little toes and ankles
They jitterbug
They cut a rug
He gives a tug
And she just topples over
He is carefully watching himself
for some sign of empathy
While she's avoiding his eyes
and every moment he's
throwing paper airplanes at her-
throwing paper airplanes till she's-
throwing paper airplanes like I said
like I said
like I said