The other day my dad and I were discussing my Rhetoric of Country Music class and he asked me if we have looked at the actual rhetoric of lyrics. When I told him we were learning about the history of country music, he replied with, “You have to look at the rhetoric and strategies behind a certain James McMurtry song. These days whenever we think about which genre of music contains the most bizarre and catchy songs we think of Hip Hop and Rap. Look no further because I am about to show you how one country song tops those charts and truly “keeps it real.”
Have you ever heard “Choctaw Bingo,” by James McMurtry? If not I suggest you to give it a listen you will not be disappointed. Now some might say this isn’t a country sing, but I beg to differ, the bluegrass feel of this song definitely puts it in the country genre. I am serious, this song is the epitome of outlaw country. It makes sense that the artist, son of famous author Larry McMurtry, would cross the boundaries of country music and come up with the most unreal situations you could think of.
So how to describe “Choctaw Bingo?” Basically it is 9 minute song about a family reunion in a heavy meth county brought together by “Uncle Slayton” who resembles almost an alter ego of Uncle Sam. The song begins with,
“strap them kids in
give ’em a little bit of vodka
In a Cherry Coke, we’re going to Oklahoma
To the family reunion for the first time in years
It’s up at uncle Slayton’s ’cause he’s getting on in years”
I mean the first verse should have listeners’ eyes wide open and curious what else James McMurtry will rattle off next. The narrator starts the song by asking the other person to pack up their children and sedate them with vodka and, later, Benadryl… come on man.. Let me tell you he does not disappoint in bringing us the most outlandish and absurd song I have ever heard.
The song continues to talk about the family members and their backgrounds from Uncle Slayton who goes to Choctaw Bingo to bring money home to his Asian bride, to cousin Roscoe and his many packages of cigarettes to the second cousins who stop at a truckstop to buy a rifle. “Choctaw Bingo” is the “people of walmart” song of the 21st century.
So country music can also step up to the plate with bizarre and outrageous songs just like popular Rap songs. Don’t believe me? Just watch.
Cool article! I had never heard of this song or James McMurty before. It’s crazy how you mentioned it’s 9 minutes long! I definitely don’t have the attention span for that. I like how you incorporated the “they say, I say…” into this by providing a direct quote from your dad. It’s crazy what the different stuff people find to sing about this! And I think this song is a good example of how country music talks about things other than trucks/dogs/beer contrary to popular belief. This song is definitely absurd, and I’m glad you wrote an article about it! I would have never heard it otherwise. Thanks for sharing!
Really great song and article choice! I’ve never heard this song, and really the only song that I’ve heard by James McMurtry is “Fire Line Road.” After listening to the song, I agree that it’s completely bizarre, he even starts the song by introducing it as a song about the Northern Texas/Southern Oklahoma meth county! McMurtry has such a unique style that shows through both in this song and in “Fire Line Road,” and coupled with his non-traditional lyrics makes for pretty unforgettable songs. No other country artist these days would dare wander in to the territory that McMurtry covers in this song, such as incest or methamphetamine, and I believe that is where McMurtry really shines.
I had never heard of this singer or this song so I really enjoyed this! He definitely keeps it real with the topics he discusses and the fact that it is 9 minutes long shows he didn’t care and just wanted to get his story out. The way he started out the song by saying how they were going to a family reunion and to “strap them kids in / give ’em a little bit of vodka” set up the scene that it was about to be a mess of a song. People give rap music a lot of heat for talking so much about drugs but I think this song shows that every type of music discusses controversial issues. He seems like an interesting guy and I do not know of another country singer like this guy.
Claudia,
I’ve never heard of this song or artist, but clearly the song caught my attention dramatically, and surprisingly kept it for almost the entirety of the nine minute song. I like that you compared it to the outrageousness of lyrics that are so present in hip- hop songs. I think it’s important for people to realize that country music, too can be rebellious and push the limit through its lyrics. It’s also interesting to hear a country song so centralized on a drug, when I feel as though this rarely occurs in country, while it occurs nearly daily in hip- hop/ rap music. This was a really interesting article and I like that you brought in a song that is probably known by very little of us class readers.