Whiskey Myer’s new song Ballad Of A Southern Man is off the latest disc Firewater. It comes from a long tradition of southern pride songs. This is both good and bad. I’ll start with the good.
There’s some really nice writing that evokes everyday life. It resonates with me. My first rifle was a .243 that papa gave daddy and daddy gave me. My own rifle is a .22. Now I grew up on a prison farm sneaking pulls of ’shine from a mason jar. I grew up drinking ice tea out of Miracle Whip jars. My dad drank the stronger stuff.
Now there’s blood on the table cause we work for what we have. I raise and slaughter my own meat. There’s not only blood on my table, there’s blood on my cammo as well. I guess that’s something you don’t understand. I have often felt misunderstood as a southerner.
But, here’s where we differ. I don’t fly “the southern flag” as Myers speaks so proudly of in this song. And, honestly, I am tired of the south and country music falling back on outdated symbols for an easy cheer.
Part of the reason we do still get misunderstood as southerners and why some people are still reluctant to give country a chance is because of reactionary actions like that.
The confederacy is over with. Thank God the north kicked our ass. Is that really such a terrible thing we lost that war? Really? You would really still want to be living amid slavery?
I’m as happy as anyone else to go crazy over southern symbols from moon pies to mama. I even live in a trailer, for goodness sake. But I don’t salute the confederate flag and I can’t give a thumb’s up to a song that does.
Rating: 1/10
Buy “Southern Man” at Amazon.
Buy “Southern Man” at iTunes.
