Little Town Like This

It started with one line, in June. “Loitering at the dairy queen”. For a while, I’d been interested in writing a song about small town living, but, seeing that it’s a common topic in country music, it’s a somewhat difficult topic to approach, especially when you are an OCD amateur songwriter. For the longest time, I focused on the modern country interpretation of a rural community, complete with bonfires, moonshine and big trucks. But the small town way of life is so much more. It’s an attitude. It’s a cycle. It’s raw, yet artistic. Instead of writing about the common perception of small town living, I approached it as someone who grew up on a few acres, off an old dirt road. I tried to dig to the roots and find some core images that really summarize the lifestyle that I was raised to admire.

That’s easier said than done. I was just driving down the main drag when that single line came to me. There were no accompanying ideas, or melody concepts. Just five words. I decided that, in the pursuit of developing my craft, I would take that line and turn it into a musical portrait of my small southern Indiana community. Surely, it wouldn’t take more than a few hours, right? A few days at the most?

Five months later, I was sitting on three verses and at my wits end. The first two verses came to me a few days after I started messing around with the concept, and a month or so later I worked out the kinks in the third verse. I had no idea where to take the chorus. This was partially due to my OCD, partially due to the fact that I was just thinking the song through in a few spare moments here and there, instead of sitting down to finish it, and partially due to lack of inspiration. I was frustrated that I couldn’t just whip out a chorus. The chorus is supposed to be the easy part. While other writers dread the “second verse curse”, in which they are unable to formulate a follow-up verse after the first verse and chorus have been completed, I determined that I had just the “verse curse”…and my version of the curse was that I could only come up with verses!

I finally gave up. On November 11^th, I sent it to Jake, pitching it to him as an incomplete lyric and essentially telling him that, if he wanted the song, he could do whatever he wanted. Then it happened, on my way home from work. “We ride our one horse, down a two lane, through a single traffic light”. I had the first line of my chorus. What is something ironic that you’ll see in a small town? “Liquor store across the street from the Church of Christ”. 

I figured out how I wanted to hit my hook, but still needed a leading line. I stared at the wrinkled, scribbled, water spotted page, on and off, for a few days. Then, yesterday, I decided to change my guitar strings during my lunch break (because I was trying to get my songwriting idol to autograph it last night, and if he was going to see it, I wanted to have pretty new strings). I didn’t think anything of it. I was just changing strings. However, when I sat back down at my desk and a momentary thought about my beautiful red fender gave me the inspiration I needed.

The date that I noted on the writing pad was 6-25-16. That was when I wrote down the ideas that I’d been tossing around in my head. On November 17^th, I excitedly texted Layton the chorus and a celebratory “It’s done!” 

Music will come later, but for the moment, I will just enjoy the relaxing feeling of resolution, and look for my next glimmer of inspiration.

Little Town Like This

© 2016 Chelsey Sears

Loitering at the Dairy Queen, ‘til the cops chase you away

Hoping he won’t spill the beans, to your momma come Sunday

He’ll roll his eyes, it’s “10-4 guys, just kids being kids

And can you really blame ‘em in a little town like this?”

Relationships, they happen quick, and spin your world around

You kiss, hook up, then fall in love, recite some wedding vows

Do your best to keep it fresh, like Granddaddy did

That’s how you find forever in a little town like this

We ride our one horse down a two-lane through a single traffic light

Liquor store across the street from the Church of Christ

It’s family farms, front porch guitars and cold beer in the fridge

Yeah we thank the good lord that we’re blessed to live

In a little town like this

Turn eighteen, Army, Marines, go defend the flag

Support the troops, you pledge, salute, and pray they all come back

Some pay the price of sacrifice, no we will not forget

That’s how we stand for freedom in a little town like this

We ride our one horse down a two-lane through a single traffic light

Liquor store across the street from the Church of Christ

It’s family farms, front porch guitars and cold beer in the fridge

Yeah we thank the good lord that we’re blessed to live

In a little town like this