Country Music as a History Lesson

Country Music has a always been a part of my life. I regard it as the people's music and it has certainly captured history as it happened.

In the lyrics, the writers used phrases popular in their time and some do not translate very well or last through changing times.

The best example I can think of of is a line from the song Frankie and Johnny, the Jimmie Rogers version. After Frankie kills Johnny for cheating on her the song mentions the police coming with a rubber-tired hack. For years I wondered what type of vehicle this was referring to. I did look up the phrase but could never find anything. I finally asked my Dad and he told me it was a Model T police van with rubber tires, back then they were called hacks.

In the 30's the Carter Family had a song called Keep on the Sunny Side. The essence of the song was to keep on the sunny side no matter what your troubles were. I have heard a commentary from Maybelle Carter known as Mother Maybelle; in the interview she says she wrote the song during the depression to remind folks that better times were ahead.

During WWII, a prime example of how much patriotism people felt is shown in a song called There's a Star-Spangled Banner Waving Somewhere. The singer mentions a lot of the American heroes like Washington, Lincoln and Robert Perry. He wants to take the Axis down a peg but as he says do not judge him by his twisted legs. Obviously even the handicapped are motivated to get involved.

During the 50's mores were starting to change especially with more women entering the work force. The traditional view of marriage was still prevalent though. Hank Thompson sang a song called the Wild Side of Life. It describes a woman who decides she likes the bar scene more than being married. the aggrieved husband says he figured she would never make a good wife and loves waiting to be anybody's baby. From the tone of the song this is not the way a good girl would act.

A few years later Kitty Wells answered back with a song called It Was Not God who made Honky Tonky Angels. She says that if married men would quit acting single there would not be any honky-tonk angels. She says it is a pity all the blame gets put on the women. It is repeated that if married men would stop acting single, she would still have been a trusting wife.

I think the 50's was the end of the line for a lot of the train songs. In country music there a bunch of them and you do not hear them today. Some of the best were The Wabash Cannonball, The Wreck of the Old 97, The City of New Orleans, The Rock Island Line and The orange Blossom Special. Those guys were good at imitating the sound of train whistle and you can hear the wheels clicking and clacking in some of them.

It came to mind that Glenn Miller had several train songs in he repertoire as well.

As time moved into the 60's there were a lot of things happening like the space race and Vietnam. I cannot think of any songs directly relating to those events but other changes were sung about.

Tammy Wynette's D.I.V.O.R.C. E was one of the songs to deal deal directly with this in that era. Merle Haggard made a social commentary in relation to the hippie movement with Okie from Muskogee.

Sliding into the 70's country was turning more pop but there was a bit of a fight between new female freedom and traditional values. I submit Harper Valley PTA, Lorretta Lynn's The Pill and Donna Fargo's, The Happiest Girl in the Whole World.

As some of you may know Harper Valley PTA talks about a mother who really sticks it to her local Teachers Association. It starts with a letter brought home mentioning the mother is wearing her skirts too short and going out at night a lot. As we learn the town is literally full of sexual goings on. A married man asking the mother out seven times. The questioning why a secretary had to leave town and a few other things. The husband seems to have a drinking problem since is at the bar late again.

Donna Fargo presents a woman who is very happy that her spouse is in her life. She asks if he loves waking up next to her as much as much as she loves waking up next to him. The alarm clock has been moved away from the bed so they can spend a couple of extra minutes together. As they are getting ready for work she asks if her old shoes look funny and then says if he will make the coffee she will make the bed. Apparently they are happy enough that they make each others sandwiches. She goes on thanking God that he made this man for her.

In The Pill Lorretta lays it on. She talks about being promised the world but all she has seen is a bed and big doctor bill. She mentions he maternity dress is going in the garbage and her new clothes will not have so much yardage. She calls herself a brooder house and it is going to get shut down and hubby will not be able to crow so much. As the song closes, she says the sun is setting and she is looking forward to the night. As you can imagine this song caused some controversy when it came out.