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Mysteries of Country Music


skeith

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I am very surprised that so many songs by Merle Haggard, Willie Nelson, and George Jones talk about drinking wine. Somehow I find it hard to imagine these guys stepping up to a bar in Texas or Bakersfield or Nashville in the 1950s or 60s (when these songs were written) and ordering a glass of "chilled Chardonay" or the "latest Beaujolais" or some such thing. I would imagine that in those locales in those days a man doing that would be considered something less of a man (probably be thought of as gay) and get his ass kicked. Did they order by the glass or by the bottle?

Also a number of songs have the following lyric or something close to it:

"I matched a man behind the bar for the jukebox" - Translation please?

(Let me state that I greatly love all three of these guys and I do not intend to offend any current residents of those locales)

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A bottle of cheap wine goes a long way towards...wherever. White port was a favorite where I came from, unless you were an out-and-out wino, and then it was Mad Dog or some such.

As for that lyric, that's "Little Old Wine Drinker Me", right? I think the actual lyric is "I've asked the man behind the bar for the jukebox". If not, yu got me as to what it means.

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A bottle of cheap wine goes a long way towards...wherever. White port was a favorite where I came from, unless you were an out-and-out wino, and then it was Mad Dog or some such.

As for that lyric, that's "Little Old Wine Drinker Me", right? I think the actual lyric is "I've asked the man behind the bar for the jukebox". If not, yu got me as to what it means.

Thanks JSangry,

I was thinking of Little Ole Wine Drinker Me as one example - but there are many more songs with that lyric. For example in the Buck Owens Classic "A-11" he seems to say "I heard you matching for the music" and there are other tunes but I can't remember them now.

If Haggard is saying "asked" ... not sure that makes much sense either.

Edited by skeith
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I am very surprised that so many songs by Merle Haggard, Willie Nelson, and George Jones talk about drinking wine. Somehow I find it hard to imagine these guys stepping up to a bar in Texas or Bakersfield or Nashville in the 1950s or 60s (when these songs were written) and ordering a glass of "chilled Chardonay" or the "latest Beaujolais" or some such thing. I would imagine that in those locales in those days a man doing that would be considered something less of a man (probably be thought of as gay) and get his ass kicked. Did they order by the glass or by the bottle?

Also a number of songs have the following lyric or something close to it:

"I matched a man behind the bar for the jukebox" - Translation please?

(Let me state that I greatly love all three of these guys and I do not intend to offend any current residents of those locales)

I burnt a man alive for playing Sylvester's You Make Me Feel Mighty Real on our local jukebox.

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Sounds like the bartender put money in the jukebox, then he matched that amount just to keep it going.

That sounds about right.

Best explanation I have heard yet. Thanks Neal!!!

I am very surprised that so many songs by Merle Haggard, Willie Nelson, and George Jones talk about drinking wine. Somehow I find it hard to imagine these guys stepping up to a bar in Texas or Bakersfield or Nashville in the 1950s or 60s (when these songs were written) and ordering a glass of "chilled Chardonay" or the "latest Beaujolais" or some such thing. I would imagine that in those locales in those days a man doing that would be considered something less of a man (probably be thought of as gay) and get his ass kicked. Did they order by the glass or by the bottle?

Also a number of songs have the following lyric or something close to it:

"I matched a man behind the bar for the jukebox" - Translation please?

(Let me state that I greatly love all three of these guys and I do not intend to offend any current residents of those locales)

I burnt a man alive for playing Sylvester's You Make Me Feel Mighty Real on our local jukebox.

Really? well I shot a man in Reno, just for pissing on my thread!!!

Edited by skeith
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Sounds like the bartender put money in the jukebox, then he matched that amount just to keep it going.

That sounds about right.

Best explanation I have heard yet. Thanks Neal!!!

I am very surprised that so many songs by Merle Haggard, Willie Nelson, and George Jones talk about drinking wine. Somehow I find it hard to imagine these guys stepping up to a bar in Texas or Bakersfield or Nashville in the 1950s or 60s (when these songs were written) and ordering a glass of "chilled Chardonay" or the "latest Beaujolais" or some such thing. I would imagine that in those locales in those days a man doing that would be considered something less of a man (probably be thought of as gay) and get his ass kicked. Did they order by the glass or by the bottle?

Also a number of songs have the following lyric or something close to it:

"I matched a man behind the bar for the jukebox" - Translation please?

(Let me state that I greatly love all three of these guys and I do not intend to offend any current residents of those locales)

I burnt a man alive for playing Sylvester's You Make Me Feel Mighty Real on our local jukebox.

Really? well I shot a man in Reno, just for pissing on my thread!!!

Sorry, about that. I didn't read your thread closely enough. I thought you were being partly tongue in cheek. Please accept my apologies, and offer any insights you might care to if you can help on the similar thread re-Jazz titles.

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Sounds like the bartender put money in the jukebox, then he matched that amount just to keep it going.

That sounds about right.

Best explanation I have heard yet. Thanks Neal!!!

I am very surprised that so many songs by Merle Haggard, Willie Nelson, and George Jones talk about drinking wine. Somehow I find it hard to imagine these guys stepping up to a bar in Texas or Bakersfield or Nashville in the 1950s or 60s (when these songs were written) and ordering a glass of "chilled Chardonay" or the "latest Beaujolais" or some such thing. I would imagine that in those locales in those days a man doing that would be considered something less of a man (probably be thought of as gay) and get his ass kicked. Did they order by the glass or by the bottle?

Also a number of songs have the following lyric or something close to it:

"I matched a man behind the bar for the jukebox" - Translation please?

(Let me state that I greatly love all three of these guys and I do not intend to offend any current residents of those locales)

I burnt a man alive for playing Sylvester's You Make Me Feel Mighty Real on our local jukebox.

Really? well I shot a man in Reno, just for pissing on my thread!!!

Sorry, about that. I didn't read your thread closely enough. I thought you were being partly tongue in cheek. Please accept my apologies, and offer any insights you might care to if you can help on the similar thread re-Jazz titles.

I wasn't really going to shoot you... and it's ok. Now where is this other thread you are talking about.

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Thank you for accepting my apology. But I know men have been shot for less in those parts :)

However I must warn you that I have been known to walk the earth there...you know like Kwai Chang Caine :w

2854106630102774342S600x600Q85.jpg

The other thread is a very interesting one too, re-asking for help or posting solutions to mysterious song/album titles. I started it off with some Ronald Shannon Jackson titles.

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Thank you for accepting my apology. But I know men have been shot for less in those parts :)

However I must warn you that I have been known to walk the earth there...you know like Kwai Chang Caine :w

2854106630102774342S600x600Q85.jpg

The other thread is a very interesting one too, re-asking for help or posting solutions to mysterious song/album titles. I started it off with some Ronald Shannon Jackson titles.

which forum is the other thread in?

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