Mike's 104 Songs to Hear Before You Die: Song #5

Photo by Mike

#1) The Smashing Pumpkins - Muzzle (for teaching me how to be a teenager)
#2) Sufjan Stevens - Vito's Ordination Song (beautiful sounds, transcendent lyrics)
#3) They Might Be Giants - Number Three (goofy lyrics, unstoppable foot-tapping fun)
#4) Counting Crows - Four Days (beautiful harmonies, sweet metaphors)

Ok, let's spin that wheel and see what pops up next... a great song from 2008:

Drive-By Truckers - Two Daughters and a Beautiful Wife

Who: Drive-By Truckers on their release Brighter Than Creation's Dark

What: Two Daughters and a Beautiful Wife, the tale of a man confused to wake up in heaven

When: January of 2008. I heard it just before the album was released through hypem, and in conjunction with another song (also on The List) I was compelled to purchase the album

Where: Surprisingly I was in Japan - the song sounds like pure Southern U.S. though

Why: This is an easy one. Even Dan, who is not a rock fan, and surely not an Alt-Country fan, loved this song on first listen. The storytelling prowess of Patterson Hood rivals my favorite wordsmiths of all time (read my review of Brighter Than Creation's Dark). This is a "goosebump" song if ever I heard one. A man who leaves his "two daughters and a beautiful wife" has his story wonderfully spun by Hood, who is backed by the most hallowed plucked and slide guitar (thanks to new addition to the Truckers, John Neff on pedal steel - insanely glorious improvement) that you will hear this decade. The story pops back and forth between the man wandering around heaven and his friends and family back on Earth. The bittersweetness is almost too much, really, but somehow it never seems over the top like many tear-jerking country songs do these days. I think this one stands on its own merits so I'll just let you hear it and decide. If you like the song check out Brighter Than Creations Dark and then go back and pick up older Drive-By Truckers albums; they are all great.

When he reached the gates of heaven
He didn’t understand
He knew that folks were coming over
Or was it all a dream?
Was it all a crazy dream?

He saw them playing there before him
What were they doing there?
It felt like home, It must be alright
Or is it just a dream?
Is it just a crazy dream?

Memories replay before him
All the tiny moments of his life
Laying round in bed on a Saturday morning
Two daughters and a wife
Two daughters and a beautiful wife

Meanwhile on Earth his friends came over
Shocked and horrified
Dolls and flowers at the storefront
Everybody cried
Everybody cried and cried

Is there vengeance up in heaven?
Are those things left behind?
Maybe everyday is Saturday morning
Two daughters and a wife
Two daughters and a beautiful wife
Two daughters and a beautiful wife

Buy Drive-By Truckers
Drive-By Truckers