Story Behind The Song - “The South”
I believe it was in 2010, at the Key West Songwriter's Festival. It was a beautiful day and Robert Earl Keen was on stage at The Green Parrot with another songwriter.
When Robert Earl Keen first addressed the crowd, he proclaimed “It's so great to be back in The South again!!!”. Hummm. This left me a bit puzzled.
Then, at another show in the Key West Songwriter's Festival that year, my friend Misty Loggins said the exact same thing when she first addressed the crowd. Was this some kind of movement, or something?
Later, at another show, yet another performer stated the exact same thing!
Being a resident of Key West and a songwriter, I was inspired to address the subject and wrote a song with the title of “The South” to do so in a tongue-in-cheek format.
“The South”
I
Well they all came down from Nashville to this island in the stream
To have good times and share their rhymes with the likes of you and me
And we love them so and hate when they go, wish they could stay longer in town
One thing I've got to help them with though, just so they know...
II
It's an annual migration from Nashville down to the Keys
They send their best to give them a rest, stretch their legs out by the sea
And they play here and they play there, you know they play all over town
And the hustle and bustle of Nashville, here, ain't to be found
III
Well I go with a big smile to every event I can
One thing I happen to notice though, no matter where I've been
You know they all say it's so great to play in the South again
That thing I gotta help them with though, just so they know The South
is north of here
< Bridge>
Now, you gotta travel south to find your way here
We're just shy of Havana you see, swimin' in that ol' Gulf Stream
Now it may sound confusing, but you ain't loosing your sanity
That's why The South, is north of here.
IV
We're a crazy combination, some say a wild-ass stew
A little Bahamas, a bit of Cuba, a pinch of New England too
And yeah, you can bet there's a lick of Dixie, so don't have no fear
But be rest assured, you can take it to the bank
That The South, is north of here
V
Here chickens are protected, they don't go in your stew
We all ride bikes to get around town
And on the corner we can drink our brew
To the north of us is The South and we love our island view
Insanity might take the rains, that may be true
That's why The South is north of here
< Bridge>
Now, you gotta travel south to find your way here
We're just shy of Havana you see, swimin' in that ol' Gulf Stream
Now it may sound confusing, but you ain't loosing your sanity
That's why The South, is north of here.
© 2010 by Christopher R. Rehm - BMI
Listen to “The South” here:
Available for download at:
Thank you for reading my blog!!!
Catch our band, The Shanty Hounds, all around Key West and the lower Keys
We're always at Grunts, 409 Caroline St. Thursday's and Sundays 8 - 11 pm.
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