Fire! Fall Back!

WESTERN WISDOM  Season 2, Episode 019  "Fire & Fall Back" audio podcast by award-winning western author Stephen Bly. Circa 1994. A need for patience at a Grange potluck. Sponsored by BlyBooks.com Legacy Series. 
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Transcript

FIRE & FALL BACK  

We were having a potluck down at the Grange and let me tell you, it was a feast. It’s not that women out here were born better cooks than those in the city, it’s just that the pace of life is slow enough here to still make things from scratch. Fresh cream, butter, and white sugar haven’t been outlawed yet and the result makes some of the best suppers anywhere in the world.  

Folks lined up on each side of the serving table trying to get another spoonful on their plates. For some reason, Lodge Longstreet was clean at the back of the line. All of a sudden a roar thundered from the back of the room. “Fire and fall back up there,” Lodge bellowed. It had been my exact sentiments and I almost hollered out, “Amen!” 

I believe it worked because the line seemed to move a little more briskly after that.  

“Fire and fall back!” has been shouted at cow camps for at least the last 150 years. I’m sure in the beginning it had something to do with firing that black powder weapon at the enemy, then allowing someone with a loaded weapon to step up and take your place on the front line. But as long as anyone can remember, it’s been used as a shout of impatience, meaning “Hurry up and get your business done, so someone else can have a turn.”   

Human nature hasn’t changed much over the years. We’re all still impatient when waiting our turn. We hate waiting at the checkout counter of the supermarket, the bank, or the fast-food restaurant. We don’t like waiting at the stadium ticket booth or even waiting in line to shake hands with the pastor on Sunday morning.  

Somehow men have bought into the idea that patience is a rather wimpy virtue, not to be tolerated under most circumstances. The Bible tells us just the opposite. A man’s wisdom gives him patience. It’s to his glory to overlook an offense.  

Now, isn’t that something? You can demonstrate your wisdom by how patient you are. The most positive, memorable thing you can do is to overlook the one who’s holding everything up. That probably means there aren’t many good times to holler out, “Fire and fall back!” But I suppose I won’t know if I’ve learned that lesson until we have another supper down at the Grange.  

Stephen Bly

Circa 1994