Dude is into ex-patriate WWI literature, I guess.

I'm dropping an exception to the rule posted in yesterday's Rodney Adkins post: sometimes contemporary country moves out of the generally awesome literal lyric to attempt experimental poetry, and sometimes, the results are exceptional.

Most of the time "I" in a contry song will refer directly to the singer, or a more kick-ass version of the singer: like Garth Brooks, where he's always the sad-sexy cowboy with a heart of gold and a woman waiting somewhere for him at home. That's some poignant shit, Garth!

In his hit song 'Alcohol', Brad Paisley sings AS alcohol, going from metaphor to some real anthropomorphic shit, breaking down the notable actions of alcohol, which include:

- Making white people dance
- Getting people pregnant
- Speeches by the best man at a wedding
- Making Hemingway write the way he did

Indeed, in the second verse, Paisley (as alcohol) credits himself for making 'Hemingway write the way he did', hitting the cross-section of fans who watch Nascar and ponder the narrator's anguish in 'The Sun Also Rises'. Truly cutting, Mr. Paisley. I'm really hoping he takes on other high modernists, like the way overrated Ezra Pound. Fingers crossed.

Also: note that the video again loves breaking this shit down lyrically -- dude with lampshade, check. Pregnant lady, check. Thanks for making this one easy on us, Brad! Embedding disabled, click the screenshot to head to the link.



also -- Brad is actually a pretty stellar Merle Haggard-style guitar player, if you listen between the sweet-assed verses. He rips it up between his working-class insights, and 'Alcohol' is better off for it.