Key West Music And Happenings: Story Behind The Song

"The Greatest Country" is a song I wrote in 2004. Many people are not familiar with it because to date, I've never released it. I do have a demo of it, however and a few stations play it from time to time.

Click the YouTube link above to hear it!

The curious thing here is: There is a sizable amount of people who feel this may very well be my best song.

I've been blessed in having been a Nashville published songwriter since 2000 with McClure and Trowbridge Publishing. Additionally, I've been in the Key West Songwriter's Festival, seven times. To the lay person, The Key West Songwriter's Festival may sound like a small, colloquial event. Actually, it's the largest songwriting festival in the world. The event is put on by Charlie Bauer, here in Key West, and BMI Nashville. The event has about 240 songwriters from around the world in it, so for me to be included in seven was a great honor!

Honestly, I can't say if it, or anything else I've written is my best? It's like picking out favorite children.

What I can do though is talk about the song and how it came about.

My second wife had three girls when I came into the scene. The youngest was 8, the next 11, and the oldest 14. We lived in Cutler Bay at the time and Key Largo was just over a half hour drive. The Caribbean Club, an incredible, rustic, historic, open air bar dating from the 1930's, became a Sunday expedition. We talked a lot of when the girls were grown, we'd move to Key Largo. We also talked about buying an RV and seeing the country!

Influenced by that, I ended up writing this song "The Greatest Country".

On the surface, because of it's name, it may come across as something of a gung-ho nationalist theme. Actually it's not, but rather a song that celebrates all of the places, as diverse as they are, that this country has to offer, in the setting of traveling.

I say all, but actually it's just a few select places. The song required a lot of editing, or it would have been as long as Alice's Restaurant!

The worst part of editing is that it really hurts! It's a lot like being the coach of a little league baseball team and having to cut some kids. With the songs, there are so many that so much went into, I stash the cut lyrics. Maybe I can find a better home for them down the line?

As I've said previously, I write the music first. You can have the best lyrics in the world, but if the song can't hold it's own weight, it will never be able to justify the story it's been entrusted to carry.

Musically, I was very happy with the song when I wrote it. The song is in the key of A.

The opening musical line is A F#m7 Bm7 Esus
The next line is A F#m7 B7 Esus

Strictly speaking, this shouldn't work The first line has a Bm7 and the next a B7. It is a contradiction that manages somehow to be a complement. The Bm7 and B7 continue to alternate, though during the lyric the B7 resolves on an E instead of the Esus,

The song's lyrics follow and the demo recording is above. Check out both and see what you think! Let me know if you think I should record it on my next release, after the upcoming EP, due out in 60 days! 😀

The Greatest Country

WE ALWAYS TALK ABOUT HITTIN' THE ROAD

PACK UP THE DOGS AND AWAY WE GO

BUY OURSELVES AN R V AND TAKE OFF LIKE A BIRD

CAUSE MEMORIES AND HIGHWAYS LEAD TO YOU

WE'LL GET THE KIDS ALL GROWN UP AND ON THEIR OWN

EVERY NIGHT WILL BE A NEW BACKYARD WHEREVER WE GO

WE'LL SEE THIS NATION SEA TO SHINING SEA

CAUSE MEMORIES AND HIGHWAYS LEAD TO YOU

(chorus)

AND I CAN SEE IT NOW WE'RE ROLLIN' DOWN A ROAD

HONEY CAN'T YOU SEE IT IN MY EYES TOO?

THE PAINTED DESERT LIES AHEAD, LOUISIANA TOO

AIN'T THIS THE GREATEST COUNTRY!

A BATTLEFIELD IN VIRGINIA THE BLUES IN SAINT LOUIS

THE BIG RACE AT INDY ON MEMORIAL DAY

AND ON TO ILLINOIS WE'LL LOOK UP JOHN PRINE

CAUSE MEMORIES AND HIGHWAYS LEAD TO YOU

THE GRAND CANYON, THE HOOVER DAM

THE ALAMO IN TEXAS, CROCKETT'S LAST STAND

LITTLE BIG HORN AND ROUTE 66 HONEY LET'S MAKE THIS BAG OF TRIPS

CAUSE MEMORIES AND HIGHWAYS LEAD TO YOU

(chorus)

AND I CAN SEE IT NOW WE'RE ROLLIN' DOWN A ROAD

CAN'T YOU SEE IT IN MY EYES TOO?

THE OLD SOUTH, NEW ENGLAND, DESERT SOUTHWEST

BIG CITIES AND GHOST TOWNS TOO

AIN'T THIS THE GREATEST COUNTRY!

DAKOTAS, MONTANA, YEAH WE'LL SEE MOUNT RUSHMORE TOO

AND A CALIFORNIA MISSION IS RINGING IN THE RAIN

SEQUOIAS AND REDWOODS WILL RICOCHET US BACK TO THE FLORIDA KEYS

AIN'T THIS THE GREATEST COUNTRY!

(chorus)

AND I CAN SEE IT NOW WE'RE ROLLIN' DOWN A ROAD

CAN'T YOU SEE IT IN MY EYES TOO?

THE OLD SOUTH, NEW ENGLAND, DESERT SOUTHWEST

AIN'T THIS THE GREATEST COUNTRY!

© 5/15/2004 McClure and Trowbridge Publishing Nashville. BMI

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