Nothing Rhymes with Lydia…

I’d like to tell you a little bit about my dad. First, this character is probably a pretty true representation of who he was in the 1970s:

Alright, alright, alright.

This, is a good idea of who he is, now:

Yes, he is singing off-key.

Now that you know my dad, let me tell you a story about him. Everyday this past weekend, Dad would ask me if I knew “that one song. You know, that one country song that I like. Don’t you still listen to country?” My answer was that, yes, sort of, but not as much as I used to and I’d need a little more to go on than, “that one song.” So, he told me it was a song that he’d like. O-K.

kyL: Is it a song about drinking?
D: Probably.
kyL: About a cowboy?
D: I don’t think so.
kyL: About women?
D: Of course. Oh! and it’s a funny song.

Uggh. That narrows it down to about 70% of the songs out there on country radio, which is where he’s been hearing this song. (Dad is horrendous at remembering names of people he’s known his whole life, of course he’s not going to remember the singer’s name.)

As I’m driving home from work today, I decide to listen to my local country radio station since the Work Buddy isn’t riding with me (he doesn’t like country or any of the music I listen to, actually). I hear the newest Montgomery Gentry song, Lucky Man*. This is a song my dad could really like. It talks about hating your job, being sad when the Wildcats lose, loving your wife and your kids and your brother and your momma. It talks about having a truck that runs good and ticker that keeps on ticking. It’s his kind of song. However, I didn’t think it was quite the song he was talking about.

I called him up on the phone and asked him. He said he wasn’t sure if that was it, but that he thought he liked that one, too. Then, he said the words that nearly choked me, “Hey, I remember. I heard it this morning. It’s got something to do with ticks.”

Oh. Jesus. Not the ticks song!

About two months ago, the lovely (and only) bit of royalty that I know, Duchess Jane, wrote a lovely little blurb about the newest crap to come out of Nashville. You guessed it. It’s the song Ticks by Brad Paisley (who is adorable, but needs to better screen the music his label wants him to sing). I should have known my dad would like a song whose chorus is:

‘Cause I’d like to see you out in the moonlight
I’d like to kiss you way back in the sticks
I’d like to walk you through a field of wildflowers
and I’d like to check you for ticks

This is really more reminiscent of the 1970s dad than today’s dad, I think. Yay! My dad loves the worst country song about bugs, ever.

*Just out of curiosity, the first verse of the song, says “Last Sunday when my Wildcats lost, Lord it put me in a bad mood.” See, this makes sense since Eddie and Troy are Kentucky fans, being from Nicholasville. What I’m wondering is if it’s like that Terri Clark song “I Wanna Do It All” where she sings, “Watch the ‘Cats play ball” on our radio station, but says “Yankees” or “Cards” or whatever in other places. If so, I’ll be really disappointed in ol’ EM & TG.