# If it wasn't for bad luck, I wouldn't have no luck at all **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [July 3, 2026, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-it-wasnt-for-bad-luck-i-wouldnt-have-no-luck-at-all/1031390 "2026-07-03T19:14:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2026, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-it-wasnt-for-bad-luck-i-wouldnt-have-no-luck-at-all/1031390/1 "2026-07-03T19:14:10Z")
My old house was sold and is scheduled to have its closing today. Yesterday a storm moved through that area of the city - hardly touching where we live now. It blew in a window. We still owned the house yesterday, so we get to pay all costs for the damage, repair, and cleanup. Could be much worse, I admit, but. Yesterday. Sigh. ---
**Author:** ![Ellecram](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellecram/32/18948_2.png) [@Ellecram](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellecram)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2026, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-it-wasnt-for-bad-luck-i-wouldnt-have-no-luck-at-all/1031390/2 "2026-07-03T19:30:14Z")
That is some bad luck! Hope it doesn’t cause you too much financial or physical stress. I have had similar stories in the past. Sometimes I think I’ve paid my dues but it keeps on happening. Wishing you a speedy and smooth resolution. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2026, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-it-wasnt-for-bad-luck-i-wouldnt-have-no-luck-at-all/1031390/3 "2026-07-03T19:33:53Z")
One of my neighbors sold his house, but rented it back for a few weeks to move out. In the mean time, he backed the moving truck into the house. Nothing major, but he still had to get a mason to fix some of the brickwork. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2026, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-it-wasnt-for-bad-luck-i-wouldnt-have-no-luck-at-all/1031390/4 "2026-07-03T19:44:42Z")
Yikes. Good luck (better) getting the clean up done. Count your stars a whole tree branch didn’t land on the roof. And the the title should be "_If it weren’t for bad luck, I’d have no luck, at all.."_ 🤣 ---
**Author:** ![DavidNRockies](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidnrockies/32/6279_2.png) [@DavidNRockies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DavidNRockies)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2026, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-it-wasnt-for-bad-luck-i-wouldnt-have-no-luck-at-all/1031390/5 "2026-07-03T20:05:42Z")
> [@Beckdawrek](#): > > And the the title should be "_If it weren’t for bad luck, I’d have no luck, at all.."_ That … may not be correct: > **[Born Under a Bad Sign (song)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Born_Under_a_Bad_Sign_(song))** > > "Born Under a Bad Sign" is a blues song recorded by American blues singer and guitarist Albert King in 1967. Called "a timeless staple of the blues", the song also had strong crossover appeal to the rock audience with its synchronous bass and guitar lines and topical astrology reference. "Born Under a Bad Sign" appeared on the R&B chart and became a blues standard. The lyrics to "Born Under a Bad Sign" were written by Stax Records rhythm and blues singer William Bell with music by Stax bandleader... @Exapno_Mapcase : I’m sorry. It wouldn’t feel that way if your closing was still two months off. Yeah: hope it’s relatively cheap, goes smoothly, and doesn’t require too much of you, physically _or_ mentally. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2026, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-it-wasnt-for-bad-luck-i-wouldnt-have-no-luck-at-all/1031390/6 "2026-07-03T22:25:01Z")
> [@Beckdawrek](#): > > And the the title should be "_If it weren’t for bad luck, I’d have no luck, at all.."_ Beck, you weren’t around in the 60s, were you? 😀 Anyway, the magnificent [Quote Investigator](https://quoteinvestigator.com/2020/09/02/bad-luck/) worked his magic and found variations all the way back to 1927. Only one constant: they all used “wouldn’t”. > [@DavidNRockies](#): > > It wouldn’t feel that way if your closing was still two months off. Sure. But one day. We lived there almost 40 years and never had direct storm damage. Our agent worked out a deal, and our lawyer will just change the check to take the money out of the total. We don’t have to do anything. Since you two responded to my other thread, I should add that I’m especially grumpy because despite the great results I had one day - there it is again - after my kyphoplasty, the pain came back as bad or worse than before. I see the surgeon on Monday. If it wasn’t for bad ~~lu~~ back, I wouldn’t have no ~~lu~~ back at all. Bad, bad, bad back. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2026, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-it-wasnt-for-bad-luck-i-wouldnt-have-no-luck-at-all/1031390/7 "2026-07-03T22:37:14Z")
> [@DavidNRockies](#): > > That … may not be correct: Beck is likely thinking- [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/-IIKE9p5SEw/maxresdefault.jpg "HEE HAW Gloom Despair And Agony On Me | Classic Hee Haw TV") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-IIKE9p5SEw) ---
**Author:** ![DavidNRockies](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidnrockies/32/6279_2.png) [@DavidNRockies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DavidNRockies)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2026, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-it-wasnt-for-bad-luck-i-wouldnt-have-no-luck-at-all/1031390/8 "2026-07-03T22:38:59Z")
> [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > Since you two responded to my other thread, I should add that I’m especially grumpy because despite the great results I had one day - there it is again - after my kyphoplasty, the pain came back as bad or worse than before. I see the surgeon on Monday. This isn’t judgment. It’s empathy. I’m a chronic pain guy, too. It takes all my resources, resolve, and will _not_ to just randomly and spontaneously bite heads off. And when life throws me additonal curve balls? I simply have to go into emotional debt to remain relatively even-keeled. Which mostly works … except when it doesn’t. Meaning: I understand. I’m sorry for the relapse/recurrence. I’m incalculably _more_ sorry that it’s as bad as, or worse than, before. I’ve often told friends – as they navigate some of the most serious challenges that life can throw at you – that it can’t be all ‘withdrawal.’ There has to be some measure of ‘deposit.’ But some burdens make that virtually – if not literally – impossible. May there be better days ahead, and a clear path forward, laid out by the surgeon on Monday. ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2026, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-it-wasnt-for-bad-luck-i-wouldnt-have-no-luck-at-all/1031390/9 "2026-07-03T22:42:25Z")
> [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > Anyway, the magnificent [Quote Investigator](https://quoteinvestigator.com/2020/09/02/bad-luck/) worked his magic and found variations all the way back to 1927. Only one constant: they all used “wouldn’t”. You really can’t argue against Blues lyrics with something like grammer… ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2026, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-it-wasnt-for-bad-luck-i-wouldnt-have-no-luck-at-all/1031390/10 "2026-07-03T22:48:49Z")
Not grammar, memory. Sixties’ blues are seared into my brain. ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2026, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-it-wasnt-for-bad-luck-i-wouldnt-have-no-luck-at-all/1031390/11 "2026-07-03T22:51:24Z")
Oh well, I understood, and I didn’t mean you, but @Beckdawrek, who was questioning the grammar. I think she just didn’t know the song, that’s all. Btw., that album is one of the best Blues albums I know. Released on Stax, backing band Booker T and the MG’s. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2026, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-it-wasnt-for-bad-luck-i-wouldnt-have-no-luck-at-all/1031390/12 "2026-07-03T23:32:32Z")
All I know is Hee haw reruns. I’m not sure that was correcting grammar. Was just making a joke. So sorry. ---
**Author:** ![Andy\_L](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2026, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-it-wasnt-for-bad-luck-i-wouldnt-have-no-luck-at-all/1031390/13 "2026-07-03T23:36:25Z")
I was thinking of the Hee-Haw song too. ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2026, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-it-wasnt-for-bad-luck-i-wouldnt-have-no-luck-at-all/1031390/14 "2026-07-03T23:50:33Z")
Ok, and that’s a gap in my song knowledge, I don’t know the Hee-Haw song. ---
**Author:** ![Folacin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/folacin/32/3195_2.png) [@Folacin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Folacin)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2026, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-it-wasnt-for-bad-luck-i-wouldnt-have-no-luck-at-all/1031390/15 "2026-07-04T00:38:48Z")
I’m guessing that Hee-Haw wasn’t one of the American television programs that jumped the Atlantic. Even in the US it was a niche market. My dad was a big fan, mostly because of Roy Clark, I think. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2026, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-it-wasnt-for-bad-luck-i-wouldnt-have-no-luck-at-all/1031390/16 "2026-07-04T02:06:46Z")
> [@EinsteinsHund](#): > > Ok, and that’s a gap in my song knowledge, I don’t know the Hee-Haw song. I posted it three hours ago. > [@Folacin](#): > > I’m guessing that Hee-Haw wasn’t one of the American television programs that jumped the Atlantic. Even in the US it was a niche market. My dad was a big fan, mostly because of Roy Clark, I think. My dad also. ---
**Author:** ![gnoitall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bb73d2/32.png) [@gnoitall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gnoitall)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2026, 3:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-it-wasnt-for-bad-luck-i-wouldnt-have-no-luck-at-all/1031390/17 "2026-07-04T03:32:06Z")
> [@Folacin](#): > > I’m guessing that Hee-Haw wasn’t one of the American television programs that jumped the Atlantic. Dear God, I hope not. It’s bad enough we were beaming that stuff into outer space. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2026, 5:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-it-wasnt-for-bad-luck-i-wouldnt-have-no-luck-at-all/1031390/18 "2026-07-04T05:19:18Z")
The reruns cracked me up as a young-un. It’s not so awful. It was dated in the 90s. Possibly earlier. But a good gag is a good gag. ---
**Author:** ![ZonexandScout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zonexandscout/32/544_2.png) [@ZonexandScout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZonexandScout)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2026, 12:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-it-wasnt-for-bad-luck-i-wouldnt-have-no-luck-at-all/1031390/19 "2026-07-04T12:12:29Z")
Since we started out using examples of selling houses, I’ll add one. My wife (not my wife at the time) retired early and moved here from CT. She found the perfect house. Nice area, close to everything, reasonably priced, great condition, and, perhaps most important, it was a ranch style. Having a single level was extremely important to her because she retired early due to some mobility issues. So she signed the contract and then the owner died three days before closing. Her household belongings were literally packed and going on the moving truck when the seller passed. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2026, 12:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-it-wasnt-for-bad-luck-i-wouldnt-have-no-luck-at-all/1031390/20 "2026-07-04T12:43:03Z")
When we put our last house on the market, woodchucks tunneled under our back steps and partially collapsed them. Then, within days of closing, the sump pump failed, our basement partially flooded and we had to replace the pump. _My baby left me my mule got lame Lost my money in a poker game A windstorm came just the other day blew the house that I lived in away_ ![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/KBECb0qr9To/maxresdefault.jpg)https://www.youtube.com/embed/KBECb0qr9To?feature=oembed&wmode=opaque&list=RDKBECb0qr9To [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-it-wasnt-for-bad-luck-i-wouldnt-have-no-luck-at-all/1031390.md?page=2)