Rockin' Chair My Ass

Ole George Jones got my back.

Been listening to him a lot over the last couple of weeks on my rides back and forth from HELL.

Got me a triple CD compilation of his songs and it is delicious. Saw him live in Concord, NH about 10 years ago at the Capital Center for the Arts. How cool is that? Got his autograph too.

Strange that I like the guy; he sings those syrupy, broken-hearted, country love songs that I tend to hate.

But somehow when George does it, it sounds authentic. And I love his voice.

Authenticity is what all those old country dudes were about. Waylon, Willie, Johnny, and Kris. Merle Haggard. George Jones.

They got married, they got divorced, they got into fights, they went to jail, they drank whiskey and missed shows.

They were real. One of my favorite country lines is "I am ragged but I'm real." Charlie Daniels.

Today's country music is disgusting. Country singers are lilly livered, Caspar Milquetoast imitators.

As long as their lyrics include the words truck, dog, jeans, girl and guns they feel they got this country thing covered.

The good ole boys could kick their asses physically and musically and then go on a three day whiskey binge and live to sing about it.

On the GJ CD I came across a spectacular version of "Night Life", featuring George, and Waylon Jennings.

I have heard 2,351 versions of that song sung by every country singer in the world, but this version could be my favorite. They really bluesed it up. And I love Waylon's voice.

Wait, didn't I just say that about George Jones? Oh, yeah - I did. Tough - I love them both. Live with it.

"The night life ain't no good life but it's my life." Written by Willie nelson. Great lyrics.

Anyway............I haven't listened to this CD in a long while so stuff surprises and delights me.

"I Don't Need Your Rockin' Chair." Gonna make this my new anthem.

I was motoring down the road when it came on and seconds later I was singing and smiling.

Anyone who visits these pages at all knows my age is obsessing me. I don't like staring down 62. I haven't done enough and the clock is ticking like a screaming banshee.

I have been down about it for a while. Tried to adopt my brother's mantra of "60 is the new 18" but it's tough to convince myself as I strain to look beyond my beer belly.

"I don't need your rockin' chair, your Gerotol or your Medicare, well I still got Neon in my veins, this grey hair don't mean a thing, I do my rockin' on the stage, you can't put this possum in a cage, my body's old but it ain't impaired, well I don't need your rockin' chair."

"I ain't ready for the junkyard yet, cause I still feel like a new corvette, it might take a little longer but I'll get there, well I don't need your rockin' chair."

That's what I'm talking about, baby. My back hurts, I don't sleep well, my knees hurt and my brain is clogged but goddamn it, other than that, I feel pretty good.

I think young and sometimes even feel young.

Gonna stop thinking of myself as old; gonna start thinking of myself as invincible.

You don't survive 61 years on this horrible planet in this gut twisting life without getting tough.

Ole George Jones got me singing and laughing. He made me feel good about myself.

Yeah, ole George Jones got my back.