I Was Country When Country Wasn't Pop
Cledus T. Judd Lyrics

I remember hearing LeAnn Rimes When she sang blue what sounded like Patsy Cline
I recall listening to LeAnn Rimes' song 'Blue' when it first came out and being struck by how similar her voice sounded to Patsy Cline's, even though it was a new song.

And I remember that Oo SheDaisy But don't they sound a lot like Destiny's Child
I also remember the girl group Oo SheDaisy, but couldn't help noticing how similar their sound was to the R&B group Destiny's Child.

Now Michael Bolton's on the Opry And they've turned me down again And man that really hurts me a lot 'Cause I was country when country wasn't pop
It's disappointing to see that Michael Bolton, who isn't really a country artist, has been allowed to perform on the Grand Ole Opry while my own requests to perform there have been continuously denied - this stings because I was doing country music before it became popular.

I remember 'He Stopped Loving Her Today' Back when radio would play George Jones
I have vivid memories of George Jones' classic song 'He Stopped Loving Her Today' being played regularly on the radio back in the day.

You never hear Family Tradition Or all of those killer songs Bocephus wrote
It's a shame that you hardly ever hear classic songs like 'Family Tradition' or all the amazing work that Bocephus (Hank Williams Jr.) has contributed to country music.

And I ain't heard twin fiddlin' since I don't know when Now it's more like Britney Spears than it is Loretter Lynn
It's been ages since I've heard the great sound of twin fiddling, and it seems like today's country music sounds more like Britney Spears than the traditional country tunes of Loretta Lynn's time.

Yeah I was country way before Kid Rock Now every act sounds the same
I was already into country music long before Kid Rock came along, and it's frustrating to see that many of today's country acts all seem to have the same exact sound and style.

This crossin' over's got to stop Yeah, I was country when country wasn't pop
I think it's time for this trend of crossing over genres to come to an end - I was doing country music when it wasn't trendy or mainstream.

Well they sound like Smashing Pumpkins In a pair of cowboy boots They's about as country as Huey Lewis and the News I was country when country wasn't pop
These current artists sound like they're trying to be country, but really they're more like the band Smashing Pumpkins trying on cowboy boots - in other words, not country at all. I remember playing country music long before it became popular.

It's a shame Shania Twain Is mixin Rock and roll and funky hip hop 'Cause I was country when country wasn't pop
It's a letdown to see Shania Twain blending other genres like rock and hip hop with country, as I was involved in country music when it wasn't seen as cool or popular.

Here, I was country when Barbara Mandrell was really hot
To paint a picture of how long I've been involved in country music, let me tell you that I was around to witness the peak of Barbara Mandrell's success in the genre.