The Song I'm Loving Today

Merry Go 'Round (Kacey Musgraves)

E turned me on to this song, and I've been listening to it for a couple of months and am still unsure of exactly what I want to say about it.  So I'll just stumble along with half-thoughts, and hope you can figure out the rest.

First things first: Ms. Musgraves can sing.  That's an excellent quality in a singer, one which isn't always present.  Her voice doesn't sound particularly strong, but she does the right thing and doesn't try to force it.  She doesn't belt or scream, she just sings.  And this is an appropriately non-belty, non-screamy song.  It's melancholy, but poignant.  It's all about how our lives don't turn out the way we hope, because we just let them happen.  Maybe it is instructional, a cautionary tale: make your life into what you want, and this won't be you.

And that's another thing I like about it.  It's a song about something.  One of the nice things about country music is that, it seems to me, most of the songs are about something.  They're not always particularly highbrow or deep, but there's usually a story behind them.  I like that.  And this song has primary writing credits going to little Ms. Musgraves, age 24.  Not bad for a kid.  Hopefully she keeps it up.

Plus I like the vintage quality of the video.



If you ain't got two kids by twenty-one
You're probably gonna die alone,
At least that's what tradition told you.
And it don't matter if you don't believe,
Come Sunday morning you best be
There in the front row like you're supposed to.

Same hurt in every heart.
Same trailer, different park.

Mama's hooked on Mary Kay,
Brother's hooked on Mary Jane,
Daddy's hooked on Mary two doors down.
Mary, Mary quite contrary,
We get bored so we get married.
Just like dust we settle in this town
On this broken merry go 'round and 'round and 'round we go,
Where it stops nobody knows, and it ain't slowing down,
This merry go 'round.

We think the first time's good enough
So we hold on to high school love,
Sayin' we won't end up like our parents.
Tiny little boxes in a row.
Ain't what you want, it's what you know,
Just happy in the shoes you're wearing.
Same checks we're always cashin' to buy a little more distraction.

Mama's hooked on Mary Kay,
Brother's hooked on Mary Jane,
Daddy's hooked on Mary two doors down.
Mary, Mary quite contrary,
We get bored so we get married.
Just like dust we settle in this town
On this broken merry go 'round and 'round and 'round we go,
Where it stops nobody knows, and it ain't slowing down,
This merry go 'round.

Mary, Mary quite contrary,
We're so bored until we're buried.
Just like dust we settle in this town
On this broken merry go 'round.
Merry go 'round.

Jack and Jill went up the hill,
Jack burned out on booze and pills,
Mary had a little lamb,
Mary just don't give a damn no more.