Country My Ass

Today in the Tennesseean there's an article about outlaw country singer Dale Watson. He's recently recorded a new album in Nashville which he looking to sell to a label. Why is this news? Watson hasn't been coy about what he thinks has happened to country music over the past few years.  Here's a couple of videos to explain what I mean. They're live and kind of rough in the audio and video departments but worth a listen/view. The first one is "Nashville Rash."



Lyrics to "Nashville Rash"

Help me Merle, I’m breakin’ out in a Nashville rash

It’s a-looking like I’m fallin in the cracks
I’m too country now for country, just like Johnny Cash
Help me Merle, I’m breakin’ out in a Nashville rash

Shoulda known it when they closed the Opry down
Things are bound to change in that town
You can’t grow when you rip the roots out of the ground
Looks like that Nashville rash is getting’ ‘round

Ain’t it funny how things can really change
Rock and roll back in the 70’s are country hits today
Breaks my heart to see my heros fadin’ away
The victims of Nashville rash, it’s Nashville’s ways

Help me Merle, I’m breakin’ out in a Nashville rash
It’s a-looking like I’m fallin in the cracks
I’m too country now for country, just like Johnny Cash
And Buck Ownes and Faron Young and Johnny Bush
And Johnny Paycheck and Charley Pride and Loretta Lynn, Mmmmmmm
Help me Merle, I’m breakin’ out in a Nashville rash

Aw good god it’s gonna be the death of us
*******
And if that little ditty didn't make clear his attitude toward the music now produced in Nashville and called "country," here's the clincher for you. This Dale Watson anthem is called "Country My Ass."


Here are the lyrics to "Country My Ass."

He ain't even near twenty, but he says he's seen plenty of hard times,
'Cause he's been on his bus for five days and in his hotel for five nights.
And his satellite dish is broke and the new band is treatin' him mean. (Yeah, I know.)
And there's still another week to go: he misses that karaoke machine.

Hey, that's country, my ass,
Who do they think we am?
Force-feed us that shit.
Ain't you real tired of it?
Tell 'em, stick it up high,
Where the sun don't shine.
Get pissed, an'get mad,
cause that's country, my ass.

Now, she's out there too, she's got her own secrets too. (Shhhh, don't tell nobody.)
She can't sing a lick and in a bucket, she couldn't carry her tunes. (Now wait a minute.)
She's pretty as a picture and she sure got a nice set of...wits. (Yeah.)
And she misses her producer slash boyfriend who seduced her, er produced her a hit.

(Chorus: Hey, that's country, my ass...)

Now don't get me wrong, to each his own I believe.
But they've took the soul out of what means a whole lot to me.
'Cause I can see Hank and Lefty, they're spinning around in their graves.
And if they were here now, I think y'all know what they'd say. (Don't you?)
(What they'd say?)

(Chorus)
********
Watson's been around awhile and I like his attitude and what I've heard of his music. I certainly sympathize with his feelings about what's happened to country music over the past two decades. When I say I like country music, I usually add the qualifier "old" country music.

But the history of the music shows that there have been other such cycles in the past. Randy Travis started his career by helping to return CM to its roots. Earlier, Willie and Waylon and the boys reacted to the so called "Nashville Sound." What goes around comes around. Still, I like Watson and may buy a CD. Or do a download. Or do whatever one does these days to purchase music.