A Voice from From My Home Town (or could have been)

I watched just the beginning of the Billboard Mag Awards Show this week.  One of the first performances was by Kacey Musgraves and I admit I've never heard of her before.  But the lyrics quickly caught my ear.

I grew up in a small southern town, deep in the Bible-belt and I can say that virtually the last two generations have been lost from Christianity.  Preachers (those that still do believe) like to blame the evils of this world and the poor choices of the kids for the leaving.  I say, the kids were given nothing to stay for . . . but pretending or "out of ought."  Those that stay are often the most pretentious ones. Which brings me back to Boobs for Jesus (two posts ago) and HUG, I will get back to that thought.

But listen to Kacey's voice and look at the lyrics below. She captures the hopelessness that I see in the backwoods of where I grew up.  Bible-belt Evangelicalism having gone to seed . . . as the great migration out or the Boobs for Jesus pretentiousness.

If you ain't got two kids by 21,
You're probably gonna die alone
At least that's what tradition told you.

And it don't matter if you don't believe,
Come Sunday morning you best be there
In the front row, like you're s'posed to.

Same hurt in every heart.
Same trailer, different park.

Mamas hooked on Mary Kay
Brothers hooked on Mary Jane
And Daddy's hooked on Mary two doors down.

Mary Mary quite contrary,
We get bored so we get married
And just like dust we settle in this town.
On this broken merry go 'round and 'round and 'round we go,
Where it stops nobody knows...
And it ain't slowin' down, this merry go 'round...

We think the first time's good enough,
So we hold on to high school love,
Say we won't end up like our parents.

Tiny little boxes in a row,
Ain't want you want it's what you know,
Just happy in the shoes you're wearin'.

Same checks we're always cashin',
To buy a little more distraction.

Cause Mamas hooked on Mary Kay
Brothers hooked on Mary Jane
Daddy's hooked on Mary two doors down.

Mary Mary quite contrary,
We get bored so we get married
And just like dust we settle in this town.
On this broken merry go 'round and 'round and 'round we go,
Where we stop nobody knows...
And it ain't slowin' down, this merry go 'round...

Mary Mary quite contrary,
We're so bored until we're buried.
And just like dust we settle in this town.
On this broken merry go 'round...
Merry go 'round...

Jack and Jill went up the hill,
Jack burned out on booze and pills,
And Mary had a little lamb,
Mary just don't give a damn no more.