As long as country has been a genre, country artists have been singing about their rural roots. They’ve pretty much exhausted the ways someone can long for a one-stoplight town. Still, it remains a theme that artists go back to time and time again.
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The hallmark of a small-town living has been up for debate as of late. We’d like to add a little more color to the conversation by exploring the many ways country artists have celebrated their own small-town childhoods.
Find 10 of the best country songs that capture life in a small town, below.
[RELATED: 6 Comedic Country Songs That Will Get You Laughing]
1. “Thank God for Hometowns” (Carrie Underwood)
Life in the big city can be draining. It’s always a comfort to know that there is a small town out there somewhere that can offer a sense of relief.
Thank God for the county lines that welcome you back in / When you were dying to get out, Carrie Underwood sings “Thank God for Hometowns.” It’s a phrase that anyone who has gone through the toils of moving away will know all too well.
2. “My Tennessee Mountain Home” (Dolly Parton)
In my Tennessee mountain home / Life is as peaceful as a baby’s sigh, Dolly Parton sings in this 1973 hit.
If any country artist has stayed true to their roots, it’s Parton. While many of her songs might reference her rearing in Tennessee, “My Tennessee Mountain Home” is the definitive ode.
3. “Boondocks” (Little Big Town)
Little Big Town created a rousing, playful take on life in a small town with “Boondocks.” From fishing to churching, LBT encapsulates many essential parts of southern living in this 2005 hit.
I feel no shame, I’m proud of where I came from / I was born and raised in the boondocks, the chorus reads.
4. “Merry Go ‘Round” (Kacey Musgraves)
Kacey Musgraves dictates the downsides of staying close to home in “Merry Go ‘Round.”
Mama’s hooked on Mary Kay / Brother’s hooked on Mary Jane / And Daddy’s hooked on Mary two doors down / Mary, Mary quite contrary / We get bored, so we get married, she sings in this biting, yet empathetic tune.
5. “Break Up in a Small Town” (Sam Hunt)
Sometimes small towns can be a little too small…It’s something Sam Hunt knows all too well. If there is someone you really don’t want to see–like an ex–living in a town with less than 10,000 residents makes avoiding them a fickle task.
“Break Up in a Small Town” prompts a knowing head nod from anyone who has been in a similar situation.
6. “Paradise” (John Prine)
If you’re looking for a powerful sonic vignette, look no further than John Prine. Though Prine grew up in a suburb outside of Chicago, he would spend summers visiting family in Kentucky. Those summers were the inspiration behind “Paradise.”
Prine comments on the devastating effects of strip mining and the loss of the town he loved so much. Daddy won’t you take me back to Muhlenberg County…Mister Peabody’s coal train has hauled it away, he sings.
Photo by Anthony Pidgeon/Redferns
