Fame and fortune are great, but the superstar feels incomplete without “a wife and kids/Smiling faces running to the door when I walk in” (“My Wife and Kids”). A 102-year-old man reflects on the brevity of life on “Don’t Blink.” “Never Wanted Nothing More” ends with the singer’s salvation during a church service (“I swear I changed when I found the Lord/ Glory Hallelujah”), but …
Other fond memories on that cut include losing his virginity to young Katie with the help of a $6 bottle of wine. On “Demons” a guy gives in to his vices, even pursuing them at times (“When I’m not chasin’ demons, there’s demons chasin’ me”). Although she may be thinking of her kids while “Dancing for the Groceries,” a stripper is improperly esteemed as a noble dreamer. “Shiftwork” advocates living for the moment, with alcohol being a big part of that (“I drank my money away/We partied 7 to 3, 3 to 11, 11 to 7”). A cowboy walks into a bar where a wanton woman offers to take him on a “Wild Ride.” “Got a Little Crazy” mixes liquor with a one-night stand—an attractive lover whose name the singer can’t recall.
About “Never Wanted Nothing More” Chesney quipped, “Only in country music can you get laid and saved in the same three-minute song.” Maybe as a 102-year-old man he’ll regret that cavalier view of moral duplicity. Life’s too short to settle for discs like Poets and Pirates.
Paul Asay has been part of the Plugged In staff since 2007, watching and reviewing roughly 15 quintillion movies and television shows. He’s written for a number of other publications, too, including Time, The Washington Post and Christianity Today. The author of several books, Paul loves to find spirituality in unexpected places, including popular entertainment, and he loves all things superhero. His vices include James Bond films, Mountain Dew and terrible B-grade movies. He’s married, has two children and a neurotic dog, runs marathons on occasion and hopes to someday own his own tuxedo. Feel free to follow him on Twitter @AsayPaul.
