There isn’t a genre of music that is known for its stories and lyrics as much as country music. For generations, country music has been known for its lyrics, often as much as the melody. We found four of the best lyrics in country music.
Videos by American Songwriter
“God’s Country” by Blake Shelton
Thank HARDy, Devin Dawson, and Jordan Schmidt for Blake Shelton’s “God’s Country“. Out in 2019, the entire song is a lyrical masterpiece, including its subtle nod to country great, Charlie Daniels.
“God’s Country” says in part, “I saw the light in a sunrise / Sitting back in a 40 on the muddy riverside / Getting baptized in holy water and shine with the dogs running / Saved by the sound of being found / Dixie whistle in the wind, that’ll get you Heaven bound / The devil went down to Georgia, but he didn’t stick around / This is God’s country.”
“That was the first song I wrote [in 2019],” HARDY tells The Boot. “I wrote it on January 7, and if I’m not mistaken, it was mine, Devin Dawson and Jordan Schmidt, all three of our first writes of the year.”
“The Dance” by Garth Brooks
It’s hard to think of a lyric more poignant than Garth Brooks’ “The Dance“. Written by Tony Arata, the song is on Brooks’ self-titled debut album.
The chorus of “The Dance” says, “And now, I’m glad I didn’t know / The way it all would end, the way it all would go / Our lives are better left to chance / I could have missed the pain / But I’d of had to miss the dance.”
“Eighteen Wheels And A Dozen Roses”
Kathy Mattea had plenty of hits in her career, but none with the imagery of “Eighteen Wheels And A Dozen Roses”. Written by Gene Nelson and Paul Nelson, Mattea had a No. 1 hit with the song in 1988.
“Charlie’s got a gold watch / Don’t seem like a whole lot,” Mattea sings. “After thirty years of driving up and down the interstate / But Charlie’s had a good life / And Charlie’s got a good wife / And after tonight she’ll no longer be counting the days / Eighteen wheels and a dozen roses / Ten more miles on his four-day run / A few more songs from the all-night radio / Then he’ll spend the rest of his life with the one that he loves.”
“Whiskey Lullaby” by Brad Paisley and Alison Krauss
Jon Randall and Bill Anderson are the writers behind the country music classic, “Whiskey Lullaby“, a song Paisley sings with Alison Krauss on his 2003 Mud On The Tires album.
The chorus of “Whiskey Lullaby” says, “He put that bottle to his head and pulled the trigger / And finally drank away her memory / Life is short but this time it was bigger / Than the strength he had to get up off his knees.”
Sadly, it was partly inspired by a true story, when Randall was getting over his split from Lorrie Morgan.
Anderson recalls Randall telling him that he apologized to a friend after sleeping on his couch for a while.
“‘I know I’ve been an inconvenience to you. I’ve been an intruder, really, in your life and your home. I thank you,’” Anderson recounts to The Tennessean. “The friend said to him, ‘That’s all right, Jon. I’ve put the bottle to my head and pulled the trigger a few times myself.’”
Photo by Allen Clark/NBC via Getty Images
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