Favorite Country Music Songs

This is my all time favorite ...

When I Dream  -  Crystal Gayle

I could have a mansion that is higher than the trees
I could have all the gifts I want and never ask please
I could fly to Paris, oh, it's at my beck and call
Why do I go through life with nothing at all?
But when I dream, I dream of you
Maybe someday you will come true
I can be the singer or the clown in every room
I can even call someone to take me to the moon
I can put my makeup on and drive the men insane

*ahem*

There's a tear in my beer
Cause I'm cryin for you, dear
You are on my lonely mind
Into these last nine beers
I have shed a million tears
You are on my lonely mind

I'm gonna keep drinkin'
Until I'm petrified
And then maybe, these tears will leave my eyes
There's a tear in my beer
'Cause I'm cryin' for you, dear
You are on my lonely mind

Last night I walked the floor
And the night before
You were on my lonely mind
It seems my life is through
And I'm so dog gone blue
You are on my lonely mind

I'm gonna keep drinkin
Til I can't move a toe
And then maybe, my heart won't hurt me so
There's a tear in my beer
'Cause I'm crying for you, dear
You are on my lonely mind

Lord, I've tried and I've tried
But my tears, I can't hide
You are on my lonely mind
All these blues that I've found
Have really got me down
You are on my lonely mind

I'm gonna keep drinkin
'Til I can't even think
'Cause in the last week, I ain't slept a week
There's a tear in my beer
'Cause I'm crying for you, dear
You are on my lonely mind

Songwriters: Hank Williams Sr.

I don't know if it's my favourite, but it's certainly iconic. It has all the tropes of a good country song.

-CK

Chris, I like that one and most of Hank's songs.  Here is my favorite:

I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry

Hear that lonesome whippoorwill
He sounds too blue to fly
The midnight train is whining low
I'm so lonesome I could cry

I've never seen a night so long
When time goes crawling by
The moon just went behind a cloud
To hide its face and cry

Did you ever see a robin weep
When leaves begin to die?
Like me he's lost the will to live
I'm so lonesome I could cry

The silence of a falling star
Lights up a purple sky
And as I wonder where you are
I'm so lonesome I could cry

Songwriters: Hank Williams / Sr.

Two of my many favorites by my favorite musician...he's all over the place musically, not to be categorized, but these are pretty country twangy sounding to me

Too Far Gone

When I woke up you were gone
And the sun was on the lawn
Empty pillow with perfume on
I smelled it

Well, we met in my favorite bar
Took a ride in my old car
But I still don't know how
We made it home

Was I too far gone
Too far gone
Too far gone
For you

We had drugs and we had booze
But we still had something to lose
And by dawn I wanted
To marry you

With our attitudes by day
And our secret dreams by night
Can we really live our lives
That way

Am I too far gone
Too far gone
Too far gone
For you

Was I too far gone
Too far gone
Too far gone
For you


On The Losing End

I went into town to see you yesterday but you were not home.
So I talked to some old friends for a while before I wandered off alone.

It's so hard for me now
But I'll make it somehow,
Though I know I'll never be the same.
Won't you ever change your ways,
It's so hard to make love pay
When you're on the losing end,
And I feel that way again.

Well, I miss you more than ever, since you've gone I can hardly maintain.
Things are different round here every night, my tears fall down like rain.

It's so hard for me now
But I'll make it somehow,
Though I know I'll never be the same.
Won't you ever change your ways,
It's so hard to make love pay
When you're on the losing end,
And I feel that way again.

I heard this one last night:

Rose Garden - Lynn Anderson

I beg your pardon
I never promised you a rose garden
Along with the sunshine
There's gotta be a little rain some time
When you take you gotta give so live and let live
Or let go oh-whoa-whoa-whoa
I beg your pardon
I never promised you a rose garden

I could promise you things like big diamond rings
But you don't find roses growin' on stalks of clover
So you better think it over
Well if sweet-talkin' you could make it come true
I would give you the world right now on a silver platter
But what would it matter
So smile for a while and let's be jolly
Love shouldn't be so melancholy
Come along and share the good times while we can

I beg your pardon
I never promised you a rose garden
Along with the sunshine
There's gotta be a little rain some time

I beg your pardon
I never promised you a rose garden

I could sing you a tune and promise you the moon
But if that's what it takes to hold you
I'd just as soon let you go
But there's one thing I want you to know
You better look before you leap, still waters run deep
And there won't always be someone there to pull you out
And you know what I'm talkin' about
So smile for a while and let's be jolly
Love shouldn't be so melancholy
Come along and share the good times while we can

I beg your pardon
I never promised you a rose garden

Along with the sunshine
There's gotta be a little rain some time

Songwriters: Joe South









“The Lynn Anderson" HYBRID TEA ROSE was created in honor of the 1970 classic song.

Many of Don William's songs have such quality lyrics but Healing Hands is a favorite! Both my grandfathers were passed away before I was born and my grandmothers did/do not have what this song speaks of, yet I've been fortunate enough to meet folks who were just like grandparents to me and they had such healing hands...its something I'll always be drawn to and what i want to have myself!

My Grandma and Grandpa had wonderful hands
With callouses and wedding bands.
They taught me that where there was love
There was always a way.
The picture of the two of them
Has seen me through a lot of years
They were there when I reached up to them
And they're in my life today.
Healing hands, something I can hold on to.
Healing hands, the touch that understands.
Healing hands, I'll always be drawn to
Hearts that belong to healing hands.
You and I may worry so,
To see the kingdoms come and go.
But we've seen enough to know
That it's only love that lingers.
And learning how to live can take a lifetime.
We've got to lend a hand in this troubled world
Before it slips right through our fingers.
Healing hands, something I can hold on to.
Healing hands, a touch that understands.
Healing hands, I'll always be drawn to
Hearts that belong to healing hands.

David Mallett is one of my favorite writers and singers.  He's from Maine and tried for a long time to make it in Nashville.  Here are a couple of examples of his music.  He's got dozens of great songs on Youtube and a website.

David Mallett - Haying Song lyrics

When the raspberries burst from the woodbine
And the summer lies close to the ground
And the porch is the fit place for young boys to sleep
And the brook in the hollow dies down
Then with straw hats and wagons and horses
Like young Tim and tired old Dan
We head for the field to the creek of the wheel
With the pitchfork that blisters your hand

And ya have to make hay when the sun shines
That's what all of the hill people say
Ya just keep your load wide, keep an eye on the sky
And make sure it's dry when you put it away

I remember the chaff on the back of my neck
The cool at the edge of the trees
And you rest for a time, you talk about the weather
You drink from the spring and get mud on your knees
But it's back to the wagon, it's back to the mow
Six loads in and eight more to go
And there's biscuits and beans at the late supper meal
And there's nothing like beans when you're workin' you know

And ya have to make hay when the sun shines
[Lyrics from: https:/lyrics.az/david-mallett/-/haying-song.html]
That's what all of the hill people say
Ya just keep your load wide, keep an eye on the sky
And make sure it's dry when you put it away

'Tis the season of clover and killdeer
'Tis the time when the earth does her best
It's when all men are strong and the workdays are long
And ya know when to rise and ya know when to rest
And in the cool of the evenin' I'd perch on the load
And let the wagon wind blow thru my hair
And count off the stars and talk to the moon
And sing to myself in the sweet summer air
Hang on at the corners and duck from the branches
And sing to myself and the sweet summer air

And ya have to make hay when the sun shines
That's what all of the hill people say
Ya just keep your load wide, keep an eye on the sky
And make sure it's dry when you put it away

And ya have to make hay when the sun shines
That's what all of the hill people say
Ya just keep your load wide, keep an eye on the sky
And make sure it's dry when you put it away

Here is a second song of his

David Mallett - The Last Time I Saw Annie lyrics

Well they say that Annie's married
And livin' on the mainland
And workin' as a waitress
While her husband runs a crane
But the last time I saw Annie
We were s'posed to meet in Calais
Back in nineteen sixty-seven
But my Annie never came

Now some people are farmers
And others farm the oceans
And some men own the factories that clutter up the towns
And some people are good folks
And others they're just outlaws
But Annie was an angel, and me, I hang around

Now the old man at the station
Say's he's got a pint of whisky
And he keeps it mighty handy
And forgets the things he's told
And I'm headin' out for nowhere
For ten days dodgin' memories
And ten nights in a barroom
And I know it's gettin' cold

Now I know that I'll forget her
'Cause I try not to remember
But I've always been a dreamer
Dreamin' dreams of long ago
But the last time I saw Annie
We were s'posed to meet in Calais
When we both we young and hungry
But my Annie never showed

Now the road does not run smooth
It runs in gentle desperation
And there are memories of the kindness
That we find along the way
And they say that Annie's married
And she saves for her vacation
It's a solid situation and it passes time away
But the last time I saw Annie
We were s'posed to meet in Calais
Back in nineteen sixty-seven
But my Annie never came

Islands in the Stream - Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton

Baby, when I met you there was peace unknown
I set out to get you with a fine tooth comb
I was soft inside, there was somethin' going on
You do something to me that I can't explain
Hold me closer and I feel no pain
Every beat of my heart
We got somethin' goin' on
Tender love is blind
It requires a dedication
All this love we feel
Needs no conversation
We ride it together, ah-ah
Makin' love with each other, ah-ah

Islands in the stream
That is what we are
No one in-between
How can we be wrong
Sail away with me to another world
And we rely on each other, ah-ah
From one lover to another, ah-ah

I can't live without you if the love was gone
Everything is nothin' if you got no one
And you did walk in tonight
Slowly losing sight of the real thing

But that won't happen to us and we got no doubt
Too deep in love and we got no way out
And the message is clear
This could be the year for the real thing

No more will you cry
Baby, I will hurt you never
We start and end as one, in love forever
We can ride it together, ah-ah
Makin' love with each other, ah-ah

Islands in the stream
That is what we are
No one in-between
How can we be wrong
Sail away with me to another world
And we rely on each other, ah-ah
From one lover to another, ah-ah

Sail away
Oh, come sail away with me
Islands in the stream
That is what we are
No one in-between
How can we be wrong
Sail away with me to another world
And we rely on each other, ah-ah
From one lover to another, ah-ah

Islands in the stream
That is what we are
No one in-between
How can we be wrong
Sail away with me to another world
And we rely on each other, ah-ah
From one lover to another, ah-ah

Good topic for a post! I can't quite explain why, but to me there's an innate connection between country music and loving the land. There are so many examples I almost don't know where to begin, but ... if I have one all-time favorite song it is South Texas Girl by Lyle Lovett. There is something so humble, so inexplicably all-encompassing about it, and it sort-of implicitly links love, humanity and the land.

Saint Mother Maria watch over us please
As we wonder around in this dangerous world
Thank Mother Maria there's nothing so sweet
As the undying love of a South Texas girl

Three in the front seat they sat on each side
That green-and-white 58 Fairlane it would glide
Down farm roads past open fields seeming like no big deal
As it was happening I never felt a thing

But now looking back it seems like it was everything
Singing with mom just so we could hear ourselves sing
Stealing a drink from the cold can in daddy's lap
Protected by only a small thin brown paper sack

And the wind blew the echoes of long-faded voices
And they'd sing me a song that the old cowboys sang
And I didn't know what the words meant or anything
I was just singing because I was supposed to

Sing Mother Maria watch over us please
As we wonder around in this dangerous world
Thank Mother Maria there's nothing so sweet
As the undying love of a South Texas girl

And with the windows wide open it felt hot to us anyway
Three bound together on a day just like any day
They told me and taught me and showed me and bought me
Whatever I wanted from the corner U-tote-M

They say the name Corpus Christi means the body of Jesus
Pronounce it Refugio city folks they don't know
It looks like Palacios but sounds like Palashes
Just listen the next time you're watchin' Sid Lasher

And the wind blew the echoes of long-faded voices
And they would sing me a song that the old cowboys sang
And I didn't know what the words meant or anything
I was just singing

Saint Mother Maria watch over us please
As we wonder around in this dangerous world
Thank Mother Maria there's nothing so sweet
As the undying love of a South Texas girl

And I didn't know what the words meant or anything
I was just singing

And these days with car seats and open container laws
Social correctness leaves no room for Santa Claus
Sitting right next to me she looks like that used to be
Song that they sang for me

And with the windows wide open it feels hot to us anyway
Two bound together on a day just like any day
The wind blows the echoes of long-faded voices
And they sing us a song that the old cowboys sang
And now that I know what the words mean and everything
I am still singing

Saint Mother Maria watch over us please
As we wonder around in this dangerous world
Thank Mother Maria there's nothing so sweet
As the undying love of a South Texas girl

Saint Mother Maria watch over us please
As we stumble around in this dangerous world
Thank Mother Maria there's nothing so sweet
As the undying love of a South Texas girl
As the undying love of a South Texas girl

Saint Mother Maria watch over us please
As we wonder around in this dangerous world
Thank Mother Maria there's nothing so sweet
As the undying love of a South Texas girl

Saint Mother Maria watch over us please
As we wonder around in this dangerous world
Thank Mother Maria there's nothing so sweet
As the undying love of a South Texas girl

And then there's Tom Russell's Blue Wing:

He had a Blue Wing tattooed on his shoulder, well it might have been a blue bird I don't know
But he'd get stone drunk and talk about Alaska, salmon boats and forty-five below

He said he got that Blue Wing up in Walla Walla, well his cellmate there was little Willy John
Willy, he was once a great blues singer, and Wing and Willy wrote him up a song:

He said its dark in here…can't see the sky, but I look at this Blue Wing and I close my eyes
Then I fly away, beyond these walls… up above the clouds, where the rain don’t fall ...
on a poor man’s dreams…

Well they paroled Blue Wing in August, 1963 and he moved on pickin’ apples to the town of Wenatchee.
Winter finally caught him in a run down trailer park, on the south side of Seattle where the days grow gray and dark

And he drank and he dreamt a vision of when the salmon still swam free, and his father’s fathers crossed that wide old Bering Sea
And the land belonged to everyone, and there were old songs left to sing, now it’s narrowed down to a cheap hotel and a tattooed prison wing.

Well he drank his way to L.A. and that’s where he died, but no one knew his Christian name and there was no one there to cry
But I dreamt there was a service, a preacher and an old pine box, and halfway through the sermon you know Blue Wing began to talk

He said it's dark in here, I can't see the sky, but I look at this Blue Wing and I close my eyes
And then I fly away, beyond these walls, up above the clouds, where the rain don't fall ...
On a poor man's dreams


There are so so many more, but maybe I'll leave it there for now. Thanks for the post!

So many good choices - I can't make up my mind!

Gentle on my Mind - Glenn Campbell
If I Didn't Have You - Randy Travis
Drive - Alan Jackson
Take a Back Road - Rodney Atkins

But this one has to be the one I post the lyrics to - makes me cry every time:

The Dollar - Jamey Johnson



Daddy hugs his little man, says son I've got to go
He pulls out of the drive and disappears
As they walk back in the house the young boy asked his mama
Where does daddy go when he leaves here
Well mama tells her little man your daddy's got a job
And when he goes to work they pay him for his time
The young boy gets to thinkin' heads up to his bedroom
Comes runnin' back with a quarter and four dimes

Says mama how much time will this buy me
Is it enough to take me fishin' or throw a football in the street
If I'm a little short then how much more does daddy need
To spend some time with me

Young boy tells his mama now I know daddy's busy
Cause most times when he gets home it's dark outside
But tell him I've got me some pennies saved up from the tooth fairy
And I keep 'em in a piggy bank and I believe there's thirty-five

And mama how much time will that buy me
Is it enough to take me campin' in a tent down by the creek
If I'm a little short then how much more does daddy need
To spend some time with me

Mama how much time will this buy me
Is it enough for just an afternoon a day or a whole week
If I'm a little short then how much more does daddy need
To spend some time with me

Mama takes her little man sets him on her lap
Starts dialin' up some numbers on the phone
Says daddy come home you don't have to chase that dollar
Cause your little man has got one here at home.

Very many songs. This is kinda country song:

Yesterday the music industry lost the great Charlie Daniels. It’s a sad day in county music.

Koke Fm Austin is doing a tribute currently ( online radio also).



https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charlie_Daniels

I am not sure which of his songs I liked best, though the one I am hearing mostly is "The Devil Went Down to Georgia"

Seriously, no one put "A Country Boy Can Survive"? And to think you call yourselves permies...😂

I am sorry, maybe I am not a country boy?

There are are so many good ones ...

Oh man. So many good options, but this it always the first one that comes to my mind.

Dream River - The Mavericks

Anne Miller wrote:I am sorry, maybe I am not a country boy?

There are are so many good ones ...

Haha, I've always wondered why no one did a re-make as "A Country Girl can Survive." Either as a parody, or serious song.

have to admit country is not usually my cup of tea, but there are definitely some artists i like who have a bit of country flavor.
i guess i like country music when its real close to the folk music line, and especially neo folk...like indigo girls, bluegrassy stuffs, and of course jonny cash is like a genre all his own =)

so yeah idk if these are real country country...but country ish enough  for me =)











this is pretty much a classic -->

like this girl too...although this too is a bit over the folk /country line...if there even is one. but technically the folky side of country =)

ah ok...in goof off you tube mode...y'all got me looking up gillian welch and some other folksy =)

but yeah this is more country to me than folk -->

I am sorry this was meant as a tribute to the late great Charlie Daniels.  So here are some of his:





Source




Source




Source


https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/06/arts/music/charlie-daniels-dead.html

NASHVILLE — Charlie Daniels, the singer, songwriter and bandleader who was a force in both country and rock for decades, bringing a brash, down-home persona and blazing fiddle work to hits like “The Devil Went Down to Georgia,” died on Monday in Nashville. He was 83.

I just found out Keith Gattis died.  A tractor accident, evidently.  I met Keith a few times back in the day, in my former life in the Nashville music scene.  I worked with a lot of country music, but I actually didn’t ever like very much of it.  Keith was an exception.  I played his album, Big City Blues, non-stop for about a year.  It was like my consolation for having to be surrounded by Country instead of Rock and Roll.  Keith married one of my classmates (Penny, another kind, cool, and talented person) and became a great husband and dad, as well.  When I found out he passed away this morning, I put on his record again - the first time in probably 13 years.  I still know the words by heart, the melodies etched in my mind - but I somehow had forgotten just how Texas his accent was.  Time is funny like that.  I guess Kenny Chesney and George Strait recording Keith’s songs since I left Nashville - I had no idea.  I’m glad people saw how great he was.  

Anyway, my heart goes out to Penny and their children.  I can’t imagine the heartbreak.  

This is my son's favorite song - mostly because he knows when we play it for him that we love him just the same way the song describes:



or the Spotify, if you prefer: Spotify link to artist