Tyler Childers – "Charleston Girl" (2013)

 

I don't know if it’s the wine or the coke

That makes her sound like her jaw is broke

In the previous 2 or 3 lines, I told you about seeing the “twang and bang” band Buckle & Shake perform when I day-tripped to Nantucket earlier this month.

My initial impression of the band’s lead singer was not favorable.  He sort of smirked his way through the old Waylon Jennings hit, “Are You Sure Hank Done It This Way” (which pays tribute to the great Hank Williams), which raised my hackles a bit.  

Buckle & Shake

I assumed that this too-cool-for-school dude was from Boston or New York City or someplace that was purt near one of those burgs, which he clearly felt entitled him to condescend to those who were from  parts further south and west – a group that mos’ definitely includes yours truly.

“I know that none of you is a Trump-loving hillbilly,” was the unspoken, read-between-the-lines message that the singer seemed to be trying to communicate to his audience.  “I’m just playing this country crap to demonstrate what a well-developed sense of irony I have.”

If I had been content with only one beer, I would have mounted my rented bicycle and ridden off into the sunset.  But I wanted a second beer, so I hung around and listened to the rest of Buckle & Shake’s set.

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Most records do nothing for me the first time I listen to them – I almost always need to hear a record several times before it starts to grow on me.

But that wasn’t my experience with the utterly unfamiliar song that Buckle & Shake played after “Are You Sure Hank Done It This Way.”  I was mesmerized by it.

The frontman deserves much of the credit for that – he sold that song.

I had a hard time deciphering my mystery song’s lyrics, but I was able to suss out some of the chorus – there was something about leaving West Virginia and crossing a river.  I did a quick Google search for those phrases, and was rewarded with several hits relating to today’s featured song.

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Tyler Childers is a 31-year-old Kentucky singer-songwriter who has been described as a country/bluegrass neotraditionalist.

He was born in Lawrence County, Kentucky – which is right across the Big Sandy River from West Virginia.  (The chorus of “Charleston Girl” includes a reference to that river: “Don’t know why but every time I cross that river/There’s somethin’ tears me up, and makes me wild.”)

Tyler Childers

But Childers went to high school in neighboring Johnson County, which was home to the late great Loretta Lynn.  (The fathers of both Loretta and Tyler were coal miners.)

“Charleston Girl” doesn’t appear on any of the five studio albums Childers has released to date.  But there’s a live version of it on a 2013 digital EP titled Live on Red Barn Radio.  (“Red Barn Radio” is a weekly syndicated radio show that features interviews with and live performances by traditional country musicians from Kentucky.)

I probably should listen to some other Tyler Childers tracks, but life is too short to waste time on speculation.  So for the time being I’m sticking with a sure thing – I’m just going to continue listening to “Charleston Girl” over and over.

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The lyrics from “Charleston Girl” that are quoted at the beginning of this post are the most striking lines in the song.  But these lines are the ones that keep running through my head:

I wish to God that I could help her out

I wish I knew what she was talkin’ bout

Click here to listen to “Charleston Girl.”

Click here to buy the Red Barn Radio EP from Bandcamp.