Avoid Being A One-Trick Pony

Avoid Being A One-Trick Pony

Ever been accused of being a one-trick pony? In the animal kingdom, it’s probably a compliment: the dog that jumps through a hoop, the elephant that sits up.

5 min read

Find ways to branch out and give back 

He’s a one-trick pony,

One trick is all that horse can do

He does one trick only
It's the principal source of his revenue
But when he steps into the spotlight
You can feel the heat of his heart
Come rising through 

See how he dances
See how he loops from side to side
See how he prances
The way his hooves just seem to glide
He's just a one-trick pony, that's all he is,
But he turns that trick with pride 

He makes it
Look so easy, it looks so clean
He moves like God's immaculate machine
He makes me
Think about all these extra moves I've made
And all this herky-jerky motion
And the bag of tricks it takes
To get me through my working day
One-trick pony 

He's a one-trick pony
He either fails or he succeeds
He gives his testimony
Then he relaxes in the weeds
He's got one trick to last a lifetime
But that's all a pony needs.

--One-Trick Pony, Paul Simon 1980