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Total ratings: 2746
Length: 8:21
Plays (last 30 days): 1
In a cherry coke, we're goin' to Oklahoma
To the family reunion for the first time in years
It's up at uncle Slaton's 'cause he's getting' on in years.
No longer travels but he's still pretty spry
Not much on talk and he's too mean to die
And they'll be comin' down from Kansas and from west Arkansas
It'll be one big old party like you've never saw.
Uncle Slaton's got his texan pride
Back in the thickets with his asian bride
He's got an airstream trailer and a Holstein cow
Still makes whiskey 'cause he still knows how.
Plays that Chocktaw bingo every Friday night
You know he had to leave Texas but he won't say why
He owns a quarter section up by Lake Eufala
Caught a great big old bluecat on a driftin' jugline.
Sells his hardwood timber to the chippin' mill
Cooks that crystal meth because his shine don't sell
He cooks that crystal meth because his shine don't sell
You know he likes that money, he don't mind the smell.
My cousin Roscoe, Slaton's oldest boy
From his second marriage up in Illinois
He's raised in East St Louis by his mamma's people
Where they do things different thought he'd come on down.
He's goin' to Dallas Texas in a semi truck
Caught from that big Mcdonalds, you know that one thats built up on that
Big old bridge across the Will Rogers turnpike
Took the big cabin exit stopped and bought a carton of cigarets.
At that indian smoke shop with the big neon smoke rings
In the Cherokee nation hit Muskogee late that night
Somebody ran the stoplight at the Shawnee bypass
Roscoe tried to miss him but he didn't quite.
Bob and Mae come up from some little town
Way down by Lake Texoma where he coaches football
They were two A champions now for for two years running
But he says they won't be this year, no they wont be this year.
And he stopped off in Tushka at the pop knife and gun place
Bought a SKs rifle and a couple full cases of that
Steel core ammo with the berdan primers
From some east bloc nation that no longer needs 'em.
And a desert eagle thats one great big old pistol
I mean fifty caliber made by bad-ass Hebrews
And some surplus tracers for that old BAR
Of Slaton's as soon as it gets dark, we're gonna have us a time
We're gonna have us a time.
Ruth-Anne and Lynn come down from Baxter Springs
That's one hell-raisin' town way down in south eastern Kansas
Got a biker bar next to the lingerie store
That's got Rolling Stones lips up there in bright pink neon
And they're right downtown where everyone can see 'em
And they burn all night, you know they burn all night
You know they burn all night.
Ruth Ann and Lynn they wear them cut off britches
And those skinny little halters and they're second cousins to me
Man, I don't care I want to get between 'em
With a great big ol' hard on like a old bois d'arc fence post
You could hang a pipe rail gate from do some sister twisters
'Til the cows come home and we'd be havin' us a time.
Uncle Slaton's got his texan pride
Back in the thickets with his asian bride
He's got a corner pasture and an acre lots
He sells them owner financed strictly to them.
It's got no kind of credit 'cause he knows they're slackers
And they'll miss that payment and he takes it back
Plays that Choctaw bingo every Friday night
He drinks his Johnny Walker at that club 69
We're gonna strap those kids in give em a lil bit of Benadryl
And a cherry coke we're goin' to Oklahoma, we're gonna have us a time
We're gonna have us a time.
If you know you know
actually the meme fits the song theme quite nicely
Trust me, there's no tongue in any cheek. This is exactly what life is like in small town Oklahoma. It's more of an ode to redneck living.
These lyrics are spot on...
It's a bizarre world in SE Kansas, NE OK
Maybe hast to do with oil drilling and the polluted water everyone drinks, cause the EPA ain't welcomed.
OK seems like a damned weird place. There's a thread in the RP Forum called "Derplohoma" that makes me smhlmao all the time...
Only song ever written that mentions Berdan primers. I'm giving it an 8 just for that alone.
...from some East bloc nation that no longers needs 'em.
c.
I live in Georgia; wonder how Okies -- or you --see us?
I can Appreciate the Americana, but when Americana bleeds into guns, then its a big "NO" from me.
I understand your emotion and rationale -- and I agree with them to a point -- but truth is truth and "USA " plus "guns" is truth.
lyrics are missing
. . . one stanza . . . wonder why?
It's a bizarre world in SE Kansas, NE OK
Maybe hast to do with oil drilling and the polluted water everyone drinks, cause the EPA ain't welcomed.
"These people"? You realize that line of thinking is what has led to some of the worst things people have done to each other, especially coming to light in the past year and a half.
Let's practice being responsible with our words and be part of the solution and not perpetuate the problem.
c.
I heard this on Radio Paradise when I was in college in 2004 and I still love it to this day. Character description and storytelling ON POINT! You don't like these people, but you do know exactly who they are!
Oh, I dunno... they can be a hell of a lot of fun long as you don't gotta live with 'em, speakin' from personal experience!
Great song...Americana defined.
Wondering if this tune describes Sacramento too. Yep, not really like New York City either.
One of the great things about America is it is a very diverse place.
Agree, great tune.
I heard this on Radio Paradise when I was in college in 2004 and I still love it to this day. Character description and storytelling ON POINT! You don't like these people, but you do know exactly who they are!
"These people"? You realize that line of thinking is what has led to some of the worst things people have done to each other, especially coming to light in the past year and a half.
Let's practice being responsible with our words and be part of the solution and not perpetuate the problem.
My dad the woodworker (from east Texas) used to say that bois d'arc would dull his saw blades faster than anything.
http://www.slate.com/articles/...
lyrics are missing
Yes the ones about having a threesome with your second cousins
being born there, many years ago....I'm always intrigued by songs that can reference that city
Great song...Americana defined.
Totally agree! Check out, if you haven't, We Can't Make it Here...I really like his style!
He got joo joo eyeball...
Ruth Ann and Lynn, they wear them cut-off britches
And them skinny little halters
And they're second cousins to me
Man, I don't care, I want to get between 'em
With a great big ol' hard-on like a old Bois d'Arc fence post
You could hang a pipe rail gate from
Do some sister twisters 'til the cows come home
And we’ll be havin' us a time
Uh-huh
'were gonna strap those kids in
give em a lil bit of benadryl'
My wife, children and I drove around like gypsies in the early 2000's and we used that little trick more than once! Don't worry they are both grown and healthy.
just got that groove that make you dance in your chair....less yer dead n 'at.
That's his Dad. But yeah, when does the guy breathe?
c.
Agreed, but 'bad-ass Hebrews' kicks it up to a 9 for me.
I shot a Desert Eagle once. Not as terrifying as you'd think. Its heft damps the recoil.
c.
Yeah, I hear that too. Frustrating. Great lyrics. But take it somewhere musically.
Really good show. Pretty good guitar player. Great attitude.
Yes it is.
Well, as some say 'opinions are like assholes, we all have one', or 'that's why there's different flavors of ice cream'. I myself can dance myself silly to this and love the crazy images conjured by the lyrics. This is an outline for a potentially fun movie!
Like a stroll down memory lane....
Yup- and it's great
markw wrote:
Before they were allowed to operate casinos, the only legal gambling in Oklahoma was Bingo at gaming centers on Indian land. For poor and bored rural Oklahomans this was cheap entertainment that would sometimes pay off a few hundred dollars.
In an (much) earlier post I included a link to info about the world's largest McDonald's on the Indian Nations turnpike. In Oklahoma it's as close as we're likely get to something like the Eiffel Tower.
The "two-A" or double-A (football) Championship refers to a ranking system that groups high schools based on enrollment and geographical regions. AA is the second smallest ranking, indicating a rural or small town's high school. Like bingo, high school football is a major source of entertainment and pride for rural Okies.
Cut-off britches = worn out blue jeans that have been repurposed as shorts by cutting the legs off. This guy's cousins have apparently cut them off very short, ala Daisy Mae, or more appropriately Daisy Duke (Dukes of Hazard TV show). It's hot and humid here in the summer, especially down in the boondocks. Skimpy clothing is de rigueur. Oh, by the way... Oklahoma has the highest rate of teenage pregnancy in the US.
A pipe-rail gate is made from heavy duty, larger diameter (~4-6 inch) steel pipe and is HEAVY. It is usually hung from a steel post and pivots to block off a small road or driveway. In rural areas the driveway to a house can be quite long since the house on an acreage can be set back a distance from the main road. The singer is likening his manhood to a branch of a Bois D'arc tree (pronounced BO-dark in Oklahoma). This is extremely hard wood. Fence posts made of it last forever. The metaphor is obvious, but likening it to this wood takes it to the ultimate level.
A Blue Cat is a variety of catfish, a lake-dwelling bottom feeder that can grow quite large (big as a bus according to local legend). When Uncle Slayton was a younger man he might not have relied on a trotline to supply him with fish. He probably would have done some hand fishing, or noodling. With over 600 miles of shorline Lake Eufaula, near his quarter-section, is prime spot for this type of activity.
Hope this helps. Even in Oklahoma, rural areas like the one in this song are like foreign countries, the last remaining frontier outposts in America. They have a culture all their own. Outsiders are generally not welcome, but if you can gain their trust and respect you can find no better friends. Salt of the Earth.
And REALLY LIKE the fact that Mr McMurtry feels no need to rhyme his lyrics.
Mid-western culture on the skids?
This song doesn't hold a six-shooter compared to that Black Texan Rap!
"White Texan rap" ? I didn't know there was such a genre.
If you're a songwriter, this is the key to build up fan followings.
coloradojohn wrote:
I think so, too. James is milking this for all it's worth.
gillespp wrote:
Isn't it great?
Why Yes, Yes it is!
Man this is as red neck as it gets!
Love that piano thinggy jamming it's ass off.
Jelani wrote:
And bill has to pay more for music..
What's up with that?
Isn't it great?
Let's not.
you're damn snoring woke me up
What's up with that?
Hahaha! Good for you!
markw wrote:
Before they were allowed to operate casinos, the only legal gambling in Oklahoma was Bingo at gaming centers on Indian land. For poor and bored rural Oklahomans this was cheap entertainment that would sometimes pay off a few hundred dollars.
In an (much) earlier post I included a link to info about the world's largest McDonald's on the Indian Nations turnpike. In Oklahoma it's as close as we're likely get to something like the Eiffel Tower.
The "two-A" or double-A (football) Championship refers to a ranking system that groups high schools based on enrollment and geographical regions. AA is the second smallest ranking, indicating a rural or small town's high school. Like bingo, high school football is a major source of entertainment and pride for rural Okies.
Cut-off britches = worn out blue jeans that have been repurposed as shorts by cutting the legs off. This guy's cousins have apparently cut them off very short, ala Daisy Mae, or more appropriately Daisy Duke (Dukes of Hazard TV show). It's hot and humid here in the summer, especially down in the boondocks. Skimpy clothing is de rigueur. Oh, by the way... Oklahoma has the highest rate of teenage pregnancy in the US.
A pipe-rail gate is made from heavy duty, larger diameter (~4-6 inch) steel pipe and is HEAVY. It is usually hung from a steel post and pivots to block off a small road or driveway. In rural areas the driveway to a house can be quite long since the house on an acreage can be set back a distance from the main road. The singer is likening his manhood to a branch of a Bois D'arc tree (pronounced BO-dark in Oklahoma). This is extremely hard wood. Fence posts made of it last forever. The metaphor is obvious, but likening it to this wood takes it to the ultimate level.
A Blue Cat is a variety of catfish, a lake-dwelling bottom feeder that can grow quite large (big as a bus according to local legend). When Uncle Slayton was a younger man he might not have relied on a trotline to supply him with fish. He probably would have done some hand fishing, or noodling. With over 600 miles of shorline Lake Eufaula, near his quarter-section, is prime spot for this type of activity.
Hope this helps. Even in Oklahoma, rural areas like the one in this song are like foreign countries, the last remaining frontier outposts in America. They have a culture all their own. Outsiders are generally not welcome, but if you can gain their trust and respect you can find no better friends. Salt of the Earth.
ME TOO! Except for the fact that I actually like Steve Earle (at least a little).
Yes it's the — same old drooone — over and over
<repeat ad nauseam>
James McMurtry is a brilliant lyricist. His father was Larry McMurtry author of The Last Picture Show and Terms of Endearment, among others, which were made into critically acclaimed movies.
So, James has the pedigree and in all his lyrics vividly captures life in those remote desert areas where markw is from.
I grew up there too. I rated him a solid 9!
I use a cobra-snake for a necktie
I think its the actual melody he sings. He never gets out of a pattern. The lyrics are all over the place and paint an incredibly visual narrative, but the tone of his drone is horrendous for this length of a song...
I've lived in Oklahoma for going on 40 years and have been to every one of these places more than once. LOVE this song. We go see McMurtry whenever he comes to town.