Shakespeare and "Red-neck Crazy"

If you know me, you'll know that I love certain country songs. I hate others. I've gotten really good at hearing the first few opening strains and knowing whether it's time to turn it off, or whether it's a gem like "Would You Go With Me," "Runnin' Outta Moonlight," "Everybody's Got Somebody But Me," or "A Little More Country Than That." But by default, I've heard my share of stupid country songs - the songs that give country music a bad name among some people, because anyplace you go when you live out here, you're going to collide with country music.

Probably the worst song to come out recently (stupidity-wise) is "Redneck Crazy" by Tyler Farr. I just laugh in pain every time I hear the chorus in the feed-store. Besides containing a couple of cuss-words, this song is like Ernest T. Bass drunk:

"I'm gonna aim my headlights into your bedroom windows
Throw empty beer cans at both of your shadows.
I didn't come here to start a fight but I'm up for anything tonight.
You done broke the wrong heart, baby, and drove me red-neck crazy."

Seriously. That's the chorus. That's the best part of this singularly inane song. By now you'll be wondering why the heck I decided to write a post about stupid country songs; here's the answer:

I've been on a bit of a Shakespeare kick in recent days, and I'm currently reading Twelfth Night. I was sprawled out on Mama's couch reading, waiting for Levi to fall to sleep the other night and I literally laughed aloud when I came to this part:

Olivia: ...a gracious person. But yet I cannot love him.

        He might have took his answer long ago.

Viola: If I did love you in my master's flame,

           With such a suffering, such a deadly life,

           In your denial I would find no sense;

           I would not understand it.

Olivia: Why, what would you?

Viola: Make me a willow cabin at your cate

         and call upon my soul within the house.

         Write loyal cantons of contemned love

          And sing them loud even in the dead of night.

          Halloo your name to the reverberate hills

          And make the babbling gossip of the air

          Cry out, 'Olivia!' Oh, you should not rest

          Between the elements of air and earth,

          But you should pity me.

Guys. Do you not get this? Either Tyler Farr is way better-read than we all assume from his lyric-writing abilities, or Shakespeare wrote "Redneck Crazy" before anyone even knew what country-music was.

I can't even.

Shakespeare: "Oh, you should not rest between the elements of earth and air..."

Tyler Farr: "Nah, he can't amount to much by the look of that little truck. He won't be getting any sleep tonight."

I still think it's a ridiculous song - that's probably why these lines were written for Twelfth Night which is a comedy about star-crossed lovers. It's hilarious, the way that man's nature has, evidently, not changed when it comes to dealing with rejected love suits.

There are two lessons to be learned from this episode:

• Never assume Rednecks don't read Shakespeare 
• Never say no to the proposal of a man who is crazy about you.

I....can't...even...

*Goes off in a puddle of laughter*

"Comparisons are odorous." ;)

We are rummaging about in the dirt today--tilling up the garden plots, transplanting, delving out all the forgotten perennials in the raised beds...I enjoyed transplating all our teensy-weensy herb seedlings! They are no taller than apple-seeds and yet they are full of fragrance already! I can't wait to start cooking with them. We are a tad late with starting up the garden--lots of it ought to have been planted several weeks ago, but we are planting nonetheless. :) But updating you about the garden was not meant to be the point of this post...

 I've been realizing all of a sudden (haha-why did it take so long?) that Shakespeare's writings are the most quoted of all time! (Excluding the Bible, of course.) Generally when we think of Shakespeare we have a vague idea of men in funny, feathered hats, pink tights, and slashed doublets. Poison and daggers and "Woes-is-me" figures rather largely too. In most circles quoting Shakespeare is so old-school. No one does it anymore?...or do they?

That's what I'm realizing, and what most people don't ever understand. Scads of common words and terms and expressions in the English language were coined by William Shakespeare! What do I mean? Here are just a few examples:

All that glitters is not gold.

All's well that ends well.

Bated breath

Bag and baggage

Best foot forward

Breathed his last

Break the ice

Dead as a doornail

Eaten me out of house and home.

Forever and a day

The game is afoot

In my mind's eye

Kill with kindness

Knock-knock. Who's there? :D

Neither rhyme nor reason

Own flesh and blood

I could go on. And on. And on. There are hundreds of other examples I could use, but why don't you find them out for yourself? Here is a great website full of them: The Path Guy: Words and Phrases Coined by Shakespeare.
So I'm calling for a revolution--give Shakespeare a bit more recognition...and it makes you sound smart too! So next time you "Send someone packing" or see a "sorry sight" stand up a bit taller--you're quoting one of the most brilliant authors in all history. :)