The challenge this week came from Ron Irving who asked us to write an “edgy” country pop tune with some added criteria:

Male artist, early 20s, no mention of marriage or kids, no references to partying at the lake, and no “bro country” vibe (I’m not sure what that means).

I don’t listen to much country per se, so I spent a few days getting exposed.  Wow, the genre is really wide and there is plenty of room for crossover with pop/rock.   What makes it country?  The accent.  The content.  And, interestingly, almost every song I heard was written in first person POV.

So here it is.  It does include mention of (a) beer ; (b) a woman; (c) a truck;  And the guy loses his woman and his job.  But if you stay with it, there’s a moment redemption at the bridge and third verse of the song.

Enjoy!

Good Man Down

Friday night he gets home late
grabs a beer and sits and waits-
for that woman he loves so much
what would he do without her touch

He finds a note by the kitchen sink-
she wrote it fast, in lipstick pink
she’s going south to West Palm Beach-
for sun and sand, and another man
God, he’ll never understand

Why an honest guy can’t get a break
he keeps on losing ground
when a lover leaves him in misery
we got another good man down

Monday morning he shows up at work
grabs his tools from out of his truck
he does this job to pay the rent
but by the end of the week the money’s spent

The boss is shoutin’, callin’ his name
tells him business just ain’t the same
they’re closing down the shop today
the payout’s just a couple of grand
we hope that you’ll understand

That an honest Joe can’t get a break
he’ll keep on losing ground
and when the economy leaves him in misery-
we got another good man down

Oh, he could crawl into a hole and hide
or he could curl up and die
but something stirs in him deep down inside
and he gets back up on his feet again

This stretch of highway is all his own
he puts the pedal down and leaves his home
it’s time to make a change for good
he’s gonna get what he needs
to hell with what they might believe

An honest soul can get a break
he might even gain some ground
he’s had enough of dealing in misery
you can’t keep a good man down

We got a good man down
we got a good man down
we got a good man down
we got a good man down