swamper

Before his nine-month stint as a “swamper,” assisting in the rigging up and down of drilling and auxiliary equipment at a well site, Smith was an actor, musician and playwright, with Brooklyn liberal politics to match.

I landed work as a swamper for a rig moving company.

A swamper is basically a rigger.

“For the fun of it, I guess. And because I’m a swamper and he’s not.”

My mom, now, she weren’t no swamper, not even close.