I feel like Streetlights (acoustic version preferred obv) and Children of Children don't get enough attention for their depth. My best friend since first grade (I went to a poor elementary school) had parents that were 15/16 or 16/17 (not entirely sure) when he was born. Children of Children is just laying all sorts of self loathing guilt on the table. It's astounding.
I'm too scared to ask the right questions And too tired to fill the right shoes The jealous innuendos of the lonely hearted men Let me know what kind of country I was sleeping in So, say your last goodbye Make it short and sweet There ain't no way for you to fly With her hanging on your feet I was broke and you were unbroken Our little jokes to keep it unspoken Even then I knew you were the last one too damn many, could do this for hours
I’ve been stuck here in this town, if you could call it that, a year or two I never do what I’m supposed to do, I don’t even need a name anymore No one calls it out, kinda vanishes away
And the church bells are ringing for those who are easy to please And the frost on the ground probably envies the frost on the trees
Stop me if you've heard this one before: A man walks into a bar and leaves before his ashes hit the floor
The following line is even better: Stop me if I ever get that far The sun’s a desperate star that burns like every single one before
And then this And I could find another dream, One that keeps me warm and clean But I ain't dreamin' anymore, girl, I'm waking up
Mama says God won't give you too much to bear. That might be true in Arkansas, but I'm a long, long way from there
This one is a little longer to get the full effect: “There’s a man who walks beside me He is who I used to be And I wonder if she sees him and confuses him with me And I wonder who she’s pining for On nights I’m not around Could it be me the man who did the things I’m living down?” “But there’s red, white, and blue in the rafters And there’s silent old men from the Corps What did they say when they shipped you away To fight somebody’s Hollywood war?”
I grew up two hours north of Birmingham. Me and my daddy used to fish next to Wilson Dam. He told some stories Camaros and J.W. Dant; When I got a little older I wouldn't and now daddy can't.
You could come to me by plane, but that wouldn’t be the same As that old motel room in texarkana was.
I was riding on my mother's hip She was shorter than the corn All the years I took from her Just by being born.
I'm obviously partial to Streetlights, but The Blue has always been one of my favorites I'd crawl to meet you if you'd just stay there, And finally have a thing I couldn't bear to lose
With a steak held to my eye I had to summon the confidence needed to hear her goodbye And another brief chapter without any answers blew by
In a room By myself Looks like I'm here with a guy that I judged worse than anyone else That line hits so hard
Driving to a baseball game on a Friday afternoon Hotter than hell in Atlanta, Georgia And the piss they call tequila even Waylon wouldn't drink Well I'd rather sip this Listerine I packed But I swear, we've never seen a better place to sit and think God bless the busted ship that brings us back
I was born to rock the boat Some may sink but we will float Grab your coat, let's get out of here You're my witness, I'm your mutineer Long ago we laughed at shadows Lightning flashed and thunder followed us It could never find us here You're my witness, I'm your mutineer
I’m sure you guys have seen all the 30-50 feral hogs memes that have originated because of Isbell’s tweets, but it’s always reaffirming seeing him speak out against bullshit while still maintaining levity. Anyway,
The joke is that he can’t acquire sustenance because by doing so he’d be failing to stick to music. Can’t eat, he’ll starve to death
Yeah there’s a scene in “The secret to a happy ending” when they interview an American history professor (I think from Penn) and he talks about how his graduate students write 200 page theses on The new deal/TVA that don’t explain it as well as Cooley does in 2 and a half minutes. High praise for sure.
Every line of Dress Blues is poignant, but for some reason, “Drinking sweet tea in styrofoam cups” triggers a visceral response and transports my mind to the fallen soldier’s visitation. It’s subtle as fuck but conveys the absolute perfect sentiment.
We’ll laugh like little children telling secrets Probably cry like old women drinking gin Cause I’ve done my tour of duty now I’m home and I ain’t leaving here again
I could be way off but does it seems like over the years Isbell’s songs have become less autobiographical? Listening to Live from Bama now and they seem much nearer to his true story than what he’s put out of late.
He's just at a different point in his life. White man's world/molotov/vampires are all about his current life imo.
I think that's an issue a lot of musicians hit at a certain point. It's one Ben Nichols of Lucero has talked about recently. The best Lucero songs are sad songs about drinking and women, and Ben's married with a kid now and happier than ever. That well of material isn't there anymore.
Anybody going to the shows at the Ryman or seen Isbell at the Ryman? Kicking around the idea to see him there at the end of October.
Norm Peterson and I saw him there 7th row. Sturgill opened. Got drunk, ate edibles after the show before going out to the bars. Lost my credit card later. Great fucking night