Roofers sayings

I heard a million of them. I'll start with the one I heard my first day roofing. First 2 rules of roofing kid water rolls downhill and we get paid on Fridays! Do something even if it's wrong just do something. Go down to my truck and get me a bucket of dope. My response lol you keep it in a bucket? Let's hear some good ones you guys have heard!

These got me cracking up guys! My Uncle Bob always used to tell me, hurry up kid you're cutting into my drinking time! ... Good enough for the girls I go out with, just don't tell my wife!... Years ago we did a hot job at a supermarket. There were 2 old ladies walking out, and Uncle Bob was running the kettle. The one lady turns to the other holding her nose and said. Oh my God they're boiling hot tar! Needless to say that is said on every hot job we do which aren't as many now. There are guys who never met him that quote that!

The one that stayed for me more than any other: "Can't never could." Then this: "When the mop stops you ain't makin' any money." For us speed-shinglers: "Flog 'em on." Then, when one guy drops down to pick up the run from the guy in front of him, "Beep beep." One I never cared for: "We sealed the sh!t out of it." And now, Woody's: "No more poun-poun. Peepo eat peepo eat." Love it.

"if your gonna stand around and do nothing, at least look busy doing it" "cant see it where i drink beer" "Birds cant talk, so that will fly!" Im so fast, i have to keep a fire extinguiser next to me just to keep osha happy! "

heard all those from the ol guys ...how about sending the new guy for the sky hook or bring me up a keg of asphalt

"Go down in the truck and get the gradual magnet"

I can't say it's a famous roofing quote, but my dad one day told me "You can't do what I do".... He was right. I can't do it like him, but that quote's been one heckuva motivator for 14 years.

"If you fall off the roof, you have to nail 2 or 3 shingles on the wall of the house on the way down".

" I could put 10 sq. on a telephone pole in a day "

" I wish, I could tear off all neat and pretty like my boss man "

" We only take breaks when it rains "

" A trip up the ladder empty handed is a wasted one "

"It's not the fall that will kill you, it's the sudden stop."

We always like to ask the new guy on the hottest, dirtiest job, "So you want to be a roofer?" 99% of them found out that they didn't. Smarter than me I guess. :laugh:

" If you fall off the roof your fired before you hit the ground". That's what I heard before I stepped on the ladder. "The shingle stretcher is in the truck". "Chew the asphalt chunks for whiter teeth." "Falling never heard anybody. Interruptions on the way down, and the landing itself can be rough though." (I can attest to this one being correct.) :)

The one I was told my first day and I still hear a lot is " If you fall off the roof your fired before you hit the ground, and when you do hit your trespassing"

You know what they do in China when it rains? They let it rain! A good one for when someone asks you what you are going to do on a tear off and it is threatening showers.

We often see tile roofs improperly being installed around here that will eventually be a repair for us. The response on seeing them is the old Fram filters tagline; Pay me now or pay me later.

I used to have an old journeyman that due to too many drugs in the 60's was always coming up with dumb quotes that would become part of the crews' lexicon. The only one I remember now is once when a seagull landed on the roof, in all seriousness he claimed " hey, I know that bird."

But now, 30 years since I started, I just say "Old roofers never die, we just don't get on top anymore" ;)

;)

Started working on roofs with my dad at 15 yrs old. By age 27 with 12 years experience, I had already put on nearly 30 sq. in one day, could tear off like a mad man with a pitch fork in each hand and had all the detail work down to a fine art.

Yet several times a day, he would still say "I'm gonna make a roofer outta you yet"

:laugh: