Hard Country

A while back, a reporter asked me to compile a list of the top five theological Country Songs of all time to use as a sidebar in an article he was writing about religion and country music. He ended up not using the list, so I thought I’d expand it to a “Top Ten” and post it here.

By “theological” I mean any message about ultimate reality or ultimate meanings, not just specifically theistic or Christian or biblical references—though most of the songs on my list include these.

I’d love to hear from readers what songs you would include that I have omitted.

Here’s my list:

1.  Kitty Wells, “It Wasn’t God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels”—In  this song, Kitty Wells answers Hank Thompson’s “The Wild Side of Life,” which had the same tune. Thompson’s song had placed the blame for broken relationships on misbehaving women. Wells turns the table and blames men for the disorder in the moral universe. At least they agree that God is not to blame.

2.     Hank Williams, “A Picture from Life’s Other Side”—In this song, Luke the Drifter paints a chilling portrait of some of the more tragic possibilities of the human condition, exposing the darkness at the heart of Hank’s picture of reality.

3.     Garth Brooks, “The Dance”—So called “purists” might object to Garth’s inclusion here, but there’s no questioning his impact on the world of country music. “The Dance” is Garth’s signature theological statement, advising listeners to bless rather than curse the fate that brings lost love: Make the most of life and especially of relationships, and be grateful that it was good while it lasted!

4.     Martina McBride, “Independence Day”—In her breakout hit, for which she credits Garth with opening the door, McBride recounts a tragic tale of liberation from patriarchal oppression, drawing on images from biblical apocalyptic and patriotic myth.

5.     Clay Walker, “A Few Questions”—In a departure from the tone of his other hits, Walker offers a meditative exploration of the age-old question, Why do bad things happen to good people? The lyrics to this poignant song allude to God’s speeches from the whirlwind in the biblical book of Job.

6.     Hank Williams, “Long Gone Lonesome Blues”—Hank laughs and moans his way to suicide by baptism; listen to this one right after you read Flannery O’Connor’s short story, “The River.”

7.     Johnny Cash, “The Man Comes Around”—Among the gems from the Man in Black’s valedictory recording sessions with producer Rick Rubin comes this stirring and bizarre catalog of apocalyptic images; see how many biblical allusions you can identify.

8.     George Strait, “I Can Still Make Cheyenne”—There’s a famous Zen parable about a guy who stops to eat a strawberry when he’s about to be devoured by ravenous tigers. This song conveys a similar message, without losing the sense of irony endemic to great country music.

9.     Hank Williams, “Be Careful of Stones that You Throw”—Okay, maybe three Hank Williams songs in the top ten is a bit excessive, but this Luke the Drifter recitation is so biblical! It’s a bitter condemnation of hypocrisy with a mournful chorus that alludes to the New Testament book of James and to Jesus’ encounter with the woman caught in adultery in the Gospel of John.

10.  Sawyer Brown, “Mission Temple Fireworks Stand”—Though Paul Thorn’s original version of this tune is much better than the cover, kudos to Sawyer Brown for taking a chance on this off the wall gospel romp and putting it on the country charts.  Once you’ve been to the Mission Temple Fireworks Stand, you won’t want to go to church anywhere else.