Pulaski

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She was fresh out of college
First one in her family to go
And California seemed like heaven
Pulaski, Tennessee was her home

She worked on losing her southern accent
Turned her back on her Baptist ways
She bought some clothes that barely covered
Her fair skinned body, went to Nashville and caught a plane

The clouds rushed beneath her
As the L.A. smog filled the air
And she smiled when the airlock opened
And the Pacific breeze blew through her hair

She thought about the boys from Alabama
Who came into town every Friday night
And drank beer out of big glass quart bottles
And left their trail of blood and tears behind

She thought the men in California would be different
She'd grown up watching them on her TV
But the men she came to know in California
Left her longing for Pulaski, Tennessee

Good ideas always start with a full glass
And just breathing here can make a girl's nose bleed
Dreams here live and die just like a stray dog
On a dirt road somewhere in Tennessee

The storefronts are all filled up with eyeballs
As the policemen clear out the street
For a line of cars with their headlights burning
Driving slow through Pulaski, Tennessee

 

Comments

buck09 said…
Mike Cooley is fucking Brilliant! Love this song! He has some of the most original, truthful, and comedic one liners of any songwriter I can think of. Such a good song as are virtually all of his songs. This song rings true for anyone that has grown up in a small town with the aspiration to live the dream that they have been tricked into believing by the media and America's infatuation with the rich and famous and glories of the California sun.

I just recently posted Cartoon Gold on facebook after a listen came up and it was fresh in my mind. "I'm not good with numbers, I just count on knowing when I'm high enough". I take every chance I get to try and pass these guys on to people interested in music as a whole and am glad I'm not the only one. This gives me ideas for my next blog, not to be a copy cat, but I don't get the time often to sit down and do this while in the comfort of my own home as is the case tonight. We'll see what I brew up.

btw- I am listening to the new Chevelle as I type, finally getting around to it and I must agree, its pretty damn good so far. Haven't listened to these guys in years.
He's awesome. I love Patterson, too, but the first time I heard Southern Rock Opera, Mike's voice stood out first. "Pulaski" definitely rings true, too. I think I cried the first time I heard it. I'll take "Pulaski" over L.A. anyday. I wish more people listened to this band. I know we talked about this before, but I feel like at least my whole immediate family should be jamming to them.
Dude, Chevelle is one of those bands that, when they broke out, I thought, "great anyone of those bands," then all the other bands like that lost their balls, and Chevelle kept on rocking. I've really warmed up to them the last three-four years, and I hope they put out albums like this til they die.

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