Country music has always had a knack for holding humor in one hand and truth in the other. The jokes country artists can deliver don’t just make us laugh; they put us in awe. The three country songs below feature funny lyrics that are nothing short of genius. You’ll be stuck deciding whether to laugh or revel in their wordplay while listening to these songs.
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Said I would have to choose / If I hit that fishing hole today / She’d be packing all her things / And she’d be gone by noon…Well, I’m gonna miss her (“I’m Gonna Miss Her” — Brad Paisley)
Country artists know how to write a love song that instantly grips the listener. Take Brad Paisley‘s “I’m Gonna Miss Her” for example. The lyrics in this country song marry the country convention of outdoorsiness with a traditional breakup track. Paisley is rather blasé about losing his love, mostly because he’s too distracted by what’s on the other end of his line.
In the opening verse of “I’m Gonna Miss Her,” Paisley sets up the story of a woman fussed at her partner for always being gone fishing. She gives him an ultimatum, asking him to pick her over his pastime. Paisley delivers the answer to that ultimatum in the funniest way possible. Said I would have to choose / If I hit that fishing hole today / She’d be packing all her things / And she’d be gone by noon…Well, I’m gonna miss her, he sings in this nonchalant breakup song.
I met all my wives in traffic jams / There’s just something women like about a Pickup Man (“Pickup Man” — Joe Diffie)
Joe Diffie‘s “Pickup Man” is a lighthearted look at love. Diffie attributes all his romantic luck to owning a truck. This theme is a country-music convention, but Diffie managed to dust it off and polish it into something fresh.
Many lyrics from this country song could find their way onto this list, but I have to pick: I met all my wives in traffic jams / There’s just something women like about a Pickup Man.
She’s acting single / I’m drinking doubles (“She’s Actin’ Single (I’m Drinkin’ Doubles”) — Gary Stewart)
This title line from a Gary Stewart hit is the epitome of country wordplay. It has everything a listener could want from a great country song: a bar setting, relationship drama, and genius lyrics.
She’s acting single / I’m drinking doubles, sums up a lot in a short time. While many other artists would need lines upon lines to explain how they feel emotionally, Stewart needed only this mic-drop moment.
(Photo by Tim Mosenfelder/Getty Images)
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