When thinking of country music I typically imagine upbeat tunes. Songs that talk about first loves, driving down dirt roads, and family values. However not all country music is up lifting. Sometimes they talk about the harsh realities of life as well. Also, there are some with surprisingly dark origins. Here are 4 country classics with surprisingly dark origins that you may not have known about.
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Country Classics With Surprisingly Dark Origins
While some songs are about heartbreak and some are about dogs, there are several country classics with surprisingly dark origins. While there are way more than four, these four stood out to me for their haunting messages.
1. 'Whiskey Lullaby' Brad Paisley and Alison Krauss
This song was released in 2003 and it talks about a relationships dark ending. The melody is slow and sad and the lyrics are painful. The first verse states,
"She put him out
Like the burning end of a midnight cigarette
She broke his heart
He spent his whole life trying to forget."
Then it goes into how each of the individuals drank themselves to death. The man after losing the woman, "He put that bottle to his head and pulled the trigger." Then, the woman for not being able to rid herself of the blame over his death. "She finally drank her pain away little at a time, But she never could get drunk enough to get him off her mind."
2. 'Watch You Burn' Chris Stapleton
Taste of Country shares the origin of this haunting song. They share that the song "is a missive directed at mass shooter Stephen Paddock, who killed 60 people at the Route 91 Harvest country music festival in 2017." In this song, Stapleton does not hold back on how he feels about the shooter's actions. The song opens up with a powerful first sentence. "Only a coward would pick up a gun/ And shoot up a crowd tryin' to have fun."
Later in the song, Stapleton talks about how he wish he could change the outcome of the events. "If I could snap my fingers, if I could flip a switch / I'd make that last bullet first, you son of a b-tch." The steady beats and impactful lyrics make this song dark and meaningful all at once.
3. 'Church Bells' Carrie Underwood
This song tells the story of a woman who was born into poverty, but she was graced with incredible beauty. Therefore she ends up marrying a wealthy man and all seems well at first. However, her new husband was harboring a dark past. As it turns out, her husband is an abusive alcoholic. Some of the lines of this song are truly haunting.
"And all his money could never save Jenny/ From the devil livin' in his eyes."
Eventually, Jenny decides to take matters into her own hands. After suffering bruises and abuse she decided she had had enough. "jenny slipped somethin' in his Tennessee whiskey / No law man was every gonna find/ And how he died is still a mystery / But he hit a woman for the very last time." While I am sure some can understand Jenny's actions, the lyrics definitely earn this song a spot on the list of country classics with surprisingly dark origins.
4. "Papa Loved Mama" Garth Brooks
Finally, last on our list of country classics with surprisingly dark origins we have a Garth Brooks classic. I guess there is something about infidelity that makes good country music. From classics like Before He Cheats by Carrie Underwood to this classic by Garth Brooks.
Don't let the upbeat tempo fool you, this song definitely has dark origins. It talks about how papa is a trucker and is constantly gone for work. Well, one day when he comes home to surprise his wife, he is the one who is surprised when he finds her in bed with another man. In a fit of rage, he resorts to murder.
Here are some of the lyrics from the country classic.
"The part she couldn't handle was the bein' alone
I guess she needed more to hold than just a telephone"
"Papa loved Mama, Mama loved men
Mama's in the graveyard, Papa's in the pen"
