According to Bob Dylan's autobiographical Chronicles, Woody Guthrie gave his unpublished songs to Dylan but Bob was unable to get them from Guthrie's family (he tells a story about a reluctant babysitter).
Nora Guthrie's liner notes in Mermaid Avenue indicate that it was her intention that the songs be given to a new generation of musicians who would be able to make the songs relevant to a younger generation. She therefore contacted singer-songwriter Billy Bragg in spring 1995 about recording some unreleased songs by her father, folk singer Woody Guthrie. Most of the songs were written late in Guthrie's life when he was unable to record due to the motor impairments of Huntington's disease. By the 1990s, Woody Guthrie had become a "relic" to the MTV generation, and Nora sought to establish a different legacy for the musician. To Nora, Bragg was "the only singer I knew taking on the same issues as Woody." Bragg was concerned, however, that his fans would not realize that the songs were written by Guthrie when he performed them on tour, so he decided to record the album with another band.
Bragg contacted Tweedy and Bennett about co-recording the album while Wilco was on the European segment of their Being There tour. Bragg was particularly fond of Being There because their influences extended farther back than the 1950s. Although Tweedy was indifferent to the offer, Bennett was enthused about recording songs of one of his idols—Bennett's previous band Titanic Love Affair was named after a Billy Bragg lyric. A recording contract between Bragg and Wilco was signed after a show at Shepherd's Bush Empire. Bragg mostly recorded the politically-charged lyrics, while Tweedy preferred to record lyrics that showcased Guthrie as a "freak weirdo." The recording of Mermaid Avenue began on December 12, 1997, and was the topic of BBC's Man in the Sand documentary film.
Tempers flared between Bragg and Wilco after the album was completed. Bennett believed that Bragg was overproducing his songs, a sharp contrast to Wilco's sparser contributions. Bennett called Bragg about the possibility of remixing Bragg's songs, to which Bragg responded with "you make your record, and I'll make mine, fucker." Eventually Bragg sent copies of his recordings to Chicago for Bennett to remix, but Bragg refused to use the new mixes on the album. The two parties were unable to establish a promotional tour and quarreled over royalties and guest musician fees.
Despite these conflicts, the album was released on June 23, 1998, and sold over 277,000 copies. The album received rave reviews from Robert Christgau and Rolling Stone, and was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Folk Album. It also placed fourth on the Pazz & Jop critics poll for 1998 (right behind Bob Dylan's Live 1966).
Meanest Man
Billy Bragg & Wilco Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'd do all the mean things anybody could
I'd drink and I'd gamble and I'd louse around
I'd be the meanest man in this whole town
If I hadn't seen the light in that old lady's eyes
I'd try to be a man you would hate and despise
I'd rave and I'd rant and I'd scream and yell
If I hadn't heard those kids laugh playing games
I'd have nervous fits, I'd go insane
I'd turpentine cats and tin can dogs
I'd smother people to death inside of hollow logs
If the people around me wasn't so nice
I'd freeze my heart into a cake of ice
Steal money from soldiers and working folks too
I'd lend you a dollar and take back two
If my wife didn't kiss me the way she does
I'd carry four or five daggers and three or four guns
I'd shoot craps and ramble and hang out late
I'd steal baby buggies and Cadillac Eights
If my friends didn't write me those letters I get
I'd be a dictator, the worse one yet
I'd be the only smart bird, you'd all be fools
Send you all away to war and I'd stay home and rule
If it wasn't for them songs I hear you all sing
I'd put a crown on my dome and I'd say I'm your king
I'd kidnap some and blackmail others
I'd peddle black market stuff and rob sisters and brothers
If it weren't for your talking I hear on the street
I'd be the orneriest man that you ever did meet
I'd preach the gospel of hate and I'd drink your blood
But I can't be this bad because my folks are too good
No I can't be this bad because my folks are too good
The lyrics to Billy Bragg & Wilco's song "Meanest Man" express a conflicted sense of morality. The singer imagines all of the terrible things he could do, like drinking, gambling, lousing around, and lashing out at his neighbors, but he is ultimately held back by the goodness of the people around him. He mentions an old lady whose light he has seen in her eyes, kids who make him smile with their laughter, a wife who kisses him with love, and friends who write him letters. All of these connections to other people remind him of the importance of kindness and prevent him from giving into his worst impulses.
The song seems to be a reflection on the power of community and human connection to guide us towards goodness. The singer recognizes that, without the positive influences in his life, he might be drawn towards selfish and even violent behavior. The repetition of the line "I can't be this bad because my folks are too good" underscores the sense of responsibility we have to one another. We are not just individuals acting on our own, but part of a network of relationships that can inspire us to think beyond ourselves.
Line by Line Meaning
If the folks next door to me weren't so good
If my neighbors weren't kind and decent people,
I'd do all the mean things anybody could
I would do anything and everything to be the meanest person around.
I'd drink and I'd gamble and I'd louse around
I'd spend my days in a stupor of alcohol, gambling, and laziness.
I'd be the meanest man in this whole town
I would strive to be the most detestable and contemptible person in the entire town.
If I hadn't seen the light in that old lady's eyes
If I hadn't witnessed the goodness in the eyes of an elderly woman,
I'd try to be a man you would hate and despise
I would do all that I could to become a person that others would hate and despise.
I'd rave and I'd rant and I'd scream and yell
I would scream, yell, and rave in a fit of anger and lack of self-control.
And I'd chase my neighbors from here to hell
I would terrorize and chase away those who live near me.
If I hadn't heard those kids laugh playing games
If I hadn't gotten joy from hearing the laughter of children playing games,
I'd have nervous fits, I'd go insane
I would suffer from nervous fits of insanity.
I'd turpentine cats and tin can dogs
I would harm innocent animals in grotesque ways.
I'd smother people to death inside of hollow logs
I would murder people by suffocating them in hollow logs.
If the people around me wasn't so nice
If the people around me weren't so kind and good-natured,
I'd freeze my heart into a cake of ice
I would become cold and emotionless, like a heart turned to ice.
Steal money from soldiers and working folks too
I would steal from soldiers and hardworking people without a second thought.
I'd lend you a dollar and take back two
I would take advantage of people even in the guise of doing them a favor.
If my wife didn't kiss me the way she does
If my wife didn't show me love and affection in the way that she does,
I'd carry four or five daggers and three or four guns
I would arm myself and be ready for violence at all times.
I'd shoot craps and ramble and hang out late
I'd spend my nights gambling, wandering aimlessly, and staying out late.
I'd steal baby buggies and Cadillac Eights
I'd steal anything from baby buggies to expensive cars without remorse.
If my friends didn't write me those letters I get
If my friends didn't write me and remind me of their love and affection,
I'd be a dictator, the worse one yet
I would become a tyrannical dictator, and one of the worst ones yet.
I'd be the only smart bird, you'd all be fools
I would see myself as the only intelligent person, while everyone else would appear foolish.
Send you all away to war and I'd stay home and rule
I would send others away to fight in a war, while I stayed home and wielded power.
If it wasn't for them songs I hear you all sing
If it wasn't for the songs I hear other people singing,
I'd put a crown on my dome and I'd say I'm your king
I'd crown myself and declare myself to be the ruling king over everyone.
I'd kidnap some and blackmail others
I would kidnap and blackmail people to get what I wanted.
I'd peddle black market stuff and rob sisters and brothers
I would engage in black market activities to profit at the expense of others, even my own family members.
If it weren't for your talking I hear on the street
If it weren't for the conversations I hear people having on the street,
I'd be the orneriest man that you ever did meet
I would be the most unpleasant and disagreeable person anyone has ever met.
I'd preach the gospel of hate and I'd drink your blood
I would proclaim hatred and evil and harm those around me.
But I can't be this bad because my folks are too good
However, I cannot behave so atrociously because my family and upbringing instilled values of goodness and kindness in me.
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: BILLY BRAGG, WOODY GUTHRIE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind