Great Lyrics: Lee Ann Womack - "I'll Think of a Reason Later"
I was gonna write a full song analysis tonight, but I kinda realized that the song I wanted to do an analysis of (Lee Ann Womack's "I'll Think of a Reason Later", for those of you not into reading titles) doesn't need one, as the lyrics are extremely straightforward. There is no trickery, and as far as I can tell the musicality of the song does not enhance the lyrics at all. I'm going to print the lyrics here anyways, since they demonstrate something I wanna talk about a bit. The song's not available on Youtube or any other free listening site as far as I can tell, boo! Anyways, I recommend you download (or legally buy!) the song, because it's great!
Here are the lyrics, before I get too ahead of myself:
I heard he was gone to marry some girl from Denver.
Then my sister came over, had the Sunday paper with her.
There was the girl on the social page,
loooking in love and all engaged.
We decided she don't take a very good picture.
It may be my family's redneck nature
Rubbin' off, bringin' out unladylike behavior.
It sure ain't Christian to judge a stranger,
But I don't like her.
She may be an angel who spends all winter
Bringing the homeless blankets and dinner.
A regular Nobel Peace Prize winner,
but I really hate her.
I'll think of a reason later.
I drew horns and blacked out her tooth with a marker.
Childish, yes, but she made such a thin little target.
I couldn't be happier on my own,
But I've got the slightest of a jealous bone,
And seein' her with him tends to enlarge it.
It may be my family's redneck nature
Rubbin' off, bringin' out unladylike behavior.
It sure ain't Christian to judge a stranger,
But I don't like her.
She may be an angel who spends all winter
Bringing the homeless blankets and dinner.
A regular Nobel Peace Prize winner,
but I really hate her.
I'll think of a reason later.
Inside her head may lie all the answers
To curin' diseases from baldness to cancer.
The salt of the earth and a real good dancer,
But I really hate her.
I'll think of a reason later.
(Well, it was just one tooth.)
(Did I mention I don't particularly care for her.)
(She makes me sick.)
Reasons this song has great lyrics:
1. It has a great story and simple theme that is used in a few other songs but not so many other songs as to make it totally overdone. I can't really think of another song that deals with quite this aspect of your ex hooking up witha new lover.
2. It doesn't need a whole lot of words to say what it's got to say. It gets its message across then rides off into the sunset
3. The lyrics are genuinely funny and nearly have made me laugh out loud on some occassions (though, admittedly, some of the humor is in the performance too). I love love love the "thin little target" line. Also where it punches in with the "We decided she don't take a very good picture" out of nowhere.
4. It's a country song that is anti-redneck! Take that red states!
5. It demonstrates that songs don't have to be serious and oblique to have great lyrics. Anybody could listen to the song once and instantly understand (and probably identify with) the message to the song, and it's entirely tongue in cheek the entire way. But the lyrics are still great! Back when I was indie (a.k.a. "The Dark Years") I used to only respect (and I get the idea that a lot of people still do this) songs that had obtuse, inscrutable lyrics with multiple interpretations. Or only one correct interpretation but it's hard to get to. Bob Dylan, Leonard Cohen, etc. And a song as tongue and cheek as this is a silly little throwaway novelty hit; maybe good for fun but not to be seriously enjoyed. Anyways, this song demonstrates that silly and very straightforward songs can have great lyrics if they can pick a good theme and consistently turn good phrases, as this song does. [Not that serious or inscrutable or general or vague songs can't have good lyrics too, of course.]
Song gets a 10/10, it's one of my 10 favorite country singles of the 90s.
As a bonus, here's another great song with great lyrics that takes the same general idea and goes a different way with it [Note: Setting the line breaks in these lyrics was really hard]:
Well he used to be mine, not so very long ago.
I was crazy to ever let him get away.
But girl you should know better,
than to go braggin' in my face.
So forgive me for what I'm 'bout to say.
Big deal.
So what.
Who cares.
You just got lucky, that's all it was. Shut up.
Don't wanna hear another word about candlelight and long-stem roses
And how you've fallen head over heels
In love.
So what.
Big deal.
He's perfect, I heard ya
the first ten times that you told me, yeah yeah
It's amazing, it's lovely, I can't believe I let him go
I regret it, there I said it.
You call yourself a friend but you just keep rubbin' it in.
Big deal.
So what.
Who cares.
You just got lucky, that's all it was. I swear.
If I hear another word about candlelight and long-stem roses
And how you've fallen head over heels
In love.
So what.
Big deal.
Congratulations I'm just so happy for you
I can't contain the way I feel.
[Chorus repeats a few times to close out.]
Youtube: LeAnn Rimes - "Big Deal"
Miscellaneous note: This one goes with the angle of pretending not to care when she clearly does, which is another nice angle to take on the matter. Lyrics have a nice sense of humor but are more anguished and definitely less funny than "I'll Think of a Reason Later". So I guess it's a matter of taste, but I prefer the Womack one. Anyways, this is probably my favorite LeAnn Rimes song. This or "Commitment".
Meta: I was at a Sara Evans concert on Thursday night and I'll probably put something down on that this weekend. Jordan Pruitt album comes out this Friday, and I'll be posting a review of that sometime soon (as I have gotten my hands on an advance copy). Plus there will be a real song analysis coming soon. My queue on that is growing, but the plan as of right now is to do "So Yesterday" then some Sheryl Crow song, maybe "My Favorite Mistake". Plus other stuff too, if I think of it I guess. Maybe some non-musical stuff but I haven't been watching much of TV lately and I don't really watch movies, so whatever. Still waiting on Unfabulous to come back on...(screw you Nick).
Here are the lyrics, before I get too ahead of myself:
I heard he was gone to marry some girl from Denver.
Then my sister came over, had the Sunday paper with her.
There was the girl on the social page,
loooking in love and all engaged.
We decided she don't take a very good picture.
It may be my family's redneck nature
Rubbin' off, bringin' out unladylike behavior.
It sure ain't Christian to judge a stranger,
But I don't like her.
She may be an angel who spends all winter
Bringing the homeless blankets and dinner.
A regular Nobel Peace Prize winner,
but I really hate her.
I'll think of a reason later.
I drew horns and blacked out her tooth with a marker.
Childish, yes, but she made such a thin little target.
I couldn't be happier on my own,
But I've got the slightest of a jealous bone,
And seein' her with him tends to enlarge it.
It may be my family's redneck nature
Rubbin' off, bringin' out unladylike behavior.
It sure ain't Christian to judge a stranger,
But I don't like her.
She may be an angel who spends all winter
Bringing the homeless blankets and dinner.
A regular Nobel Peace Prize winner,
but I really hate her.
I'll think of a reason later.
Inside her head may lie all the answers
To curin' diseases from baldness to cancer.
The salt of the earth and a real good dancer,
But I really hate her.
I'll think of a reason later.
(Well, it was just one tooth.)
(Did I mention I don't particularly care for her.)
(She makes me sick.)
Reasons this song has great lyrics:
1. It has a great story and simple theme that is used in a few other songs but not so many other songs as to make it totally overdone. I can't really think of another song that deals with quite this aspect of your ex hooking up witha new lover.
2. It doesn't need a whole lot of words to say what it's got to say. It gets its message across then rides off into the sunset
3. The lyrics are genuinely funny and nearly have made me laugh out loud on some occassions (though, admittedly, some of the humor is in the performance too). I love love love the "thin little target" line. Also where it punches in with the "We decided she don't take a very good picture" out of nowhere.
4. It's a country song that is anti-redneck! Take that red states!
5. It demonstrates that songs don't have to be serious and oblique to have great lyrics. Anybody could listen to the song once and instantly understand (and probably identify with) the message to the song, and it's entirely tongue in cheek the entire way. But the lyrics are still great! Back when I was indie (a.k.a. "The Dark Years") I used to only respect (and I get the idea that a lot of people still do this) songs that had obtuse, inscrutable lyrics with multiple interpretations. Or only one correct interpretation but it's hard to get to. Bob Dylan, Leonard Cohen, etc. And a song as tongue and cheek as this is a silly little throwaway novelty hit; maybe good for fun but not to be seriously enjoyed. Anyways, this song demonstrates that silly and very straightforward songs can have great lyrics if they can pick a good theme and consistently turn good phrases, as this song does. [Not that serious or inscrutable or general or vague songs can't have good lyrics too, of course.]
Song gets a 10/10, it's one of my 10 favorite country singles of the 90s.
As a bonus, here's another great song with great lyrics that takes the same general idea and goes a different way with it [Note: Setting the line breaks in these lyrics was really hard]:
Well he used to be mine, not so very long ago.
I was crazy to ever let him get away.
But girl you should know better,
than to go braggin' in my face.
So forgive me for what I'm 'bout to say.
Big deal.
So what.
Who cares.
You just got lucky, that's all it was. Shut up.
Don't wanna hear another word about candlelight and long-stem roses
And how you've fallen head over heels
In love.
So what.
Big deal.
He's perfect, I heard ya
the first ten times that you told me, yeah yeah
It's amazing, it's lovely, I can't believe I let him go
I regret it, there I said it.
You call yourself a friend but you just keep rubbin' it in.
Big deal.
So what.
Who cares.
You just got lucky, that's all it was. I swear.
If I hear another word about candlelight and long-stem roses
And how you've fallen head over heels
In love.
So what.
Big deal.
Congratulations I'm just so happy for you
I can't contain the way I feel.
[Chorus repeats a few times to close out.]
Youtube: LeAnn Rimes - "Big Deal"
Miscellaneous note: This one goes with the angle of pretending not to care when she clearly does, which is another nice angle to take on the matter. Lyrics have a nice sense of humor but are more anguished and definitely less funny than "I'll Think of a Reason Later". So I guess it's a matter of taste, but I prefer the Womack one. Anyways, this is probably my favorite LeAnn Rimes song. This or "Commitment".
Meta: I was at a Sara Evans concert on Thursday night and I'll probably put something down on that this weekend. Jordan Pruitt album comes out this Friday, and I'll be posting a review of that sometime soon (as I have gotten my hands on an advance copy). Plus there will be a real song analysis coming soon. My queue on that is growing, but the plan as of right now is to do "So Yesterday" then some Sheryl Crow song, maybe "My Favorite Mistake". Plus other stuff too, if I think of it I guess. Maybe some non-musical stuff but I haven't been watching much of TV lately and I don't really watch movies, so whatever. Still waiting on Unfabulous to come back on...(screw you Nick).
Labels: Country, Song Analysis
posted by Greg at 11:11 PM
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