"My dad was a guitar player. He played with Bob Wills and a little bit with Reba McEntire when she was first starting out," says Ragsdale. "He really didn't want me to be a drummer but I insisted. I found a set of drums in a neighbor's trash one day and hauled them into the cellar. He kind of figured out after about a year that I was serious and finally got me a new drum set. And when he met Cody, he realized his talent and how seriously we wanted to take music, and he really pushed us. He completely drove us up the wall, but later down the road, we realized he did it for a good reason."
Once the band got its chops they moved to Stillwater, Okla., where acts like Mike McClure's Great Divide and singer-songwriter Jimmy LaFave had established enough of a local scene to earn Stillwater the nickname "North Austin" (or, depending on your perspective, "West Nashville"). Inspired by McClure's self-penned Great Divide songs (and more than a little by early Steve Earle), the band quickly grew out of its Merle Haggard and classic rock covers and began focusing on Canada's uncommonly honest and straight-forward originals. A potent foursome of albums -- 1998's Carney, 1999's Live at the Wormy Dog, 2001's Highway 377 and 2002's Live at Billy Bob's Texas -- collectively sold more 70,000 copies to date. Combined with the band's average of 200 gigs a year, Cross Canadian Ragweed cinched a place at the top of the Texas-Oklahoma music totem pole.
"We're a little more rock 'n' roll than other people [from the Oklahoma/Texas scene], and that's not a bad thing," laughs Canada, whose Southern-fried lead guitar licks betray his love of heroes like Stevie Ray Vaughan, Pete Anderson (of Dwight Yoakam fame) and Eddie Van Halen -- not to mention the fact that he's been playing since he was 8 years old.
After building a huge concert following in Texas and Oklahoma, the band decided to look into signing a record deal. In 2003, fledgling label Universal South released a self-titled album (produced by McClure) that the band recorded prior to signing their record deal. They released Soul Gravy in 2004 and Garage in 2005.
Their offical website is at www.crosscanadianragweed.com.
42 Miles
Cross Canadian Ragweed Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
This stuff it cramps my style
Broke down on the side of the road
A thousand flies a buzzin'
Sittin', spittin', and cussin'
Sittin' on top of our load
[Chorus]
If I ever get down the road
I got forty two miles to go
5:30 in the evening
Mechanic phone's a ringin'
Is he ever gonna fix our ride
You know I ain't bitchin', but bad news is all we're getting'
Just need a little luck on our side
[Chorus]
That fire siren screamin'
Still I'm not believin'
That much goes on in this town
You know if I had the chance I'd do a chicken dance
After I watched it burn to the ground
[Chorus]
The lyrics to Cross Canadian Ragweed's song "42 Miles" might seem straight forward in describing a car breakdown on the side of the road, but they also convey a deeper message about the hardships and tribulations of life. The line "This stuff it cramps my style" represents the obstacles that we all sometimes face that interfere with our plans and ambitions, while the chorus "If I ever get out of this hole, If I ever get down the road, I got forty two miles to go" can be interpreted as a struggle to move forward and overcome challenges. The repetition of the number 42, coupled with the mention of time (5:30 in the evening) and a sense of urgency conveyed by the chorus, illustrate the feeling of being stuck in a difficult situation that one wants to escape from.
The imagery described in the rest of the song, such as "a thousand flies a buzzin'", "sittin', spittin', and cussin'", and "that fire siren screamin'", help to paint a vivid picture of a moment of frustration and despair. However, the line "Just need a little luck on our side" offers a glimpse of hope that things might turn around, even if it's just a stroke of luck. Finally, the last lines "You know if I had the chance I'd do a chicken dance/After I watched it burn to the ground" suggest a release of tension and a desire to let loose after going through a difficult experience.
Line by Line Meaning
Forty two more miles
We have 42 miles more to travel before reaching our destination.
This stuff it cramps my style
This situation is hindering our progress and it's frustrating.
Broke down on the side of the road
Our vehicle has broken down and we are stranded on the side of the road.
A thousand flies a buzzin'
There are a lot of bothersome flies around us.
Sittin', spittin', and cussin'
We are sitting around, spitting, and cursing in frustration.
Sittin' on top of our load
We are sitting on our belongings, unable to travel any further at the moment.
[Chorus]
No specific meaning associated with this line, it's the chorus of the song.
If I ever get out of this hole
If we can just get out of this bad situation, we'll feel much better.
If I ever get down the road
If we can just continue traveling and making progress, that would be a relief.
I got forty two miles to go
We still have 42 miles left to travel before reaching our destination.
5:30 in the evening
It's getting late in the day.
Mechanic phone's a ringin'
The mechanic is calling us.
Is he ever gonna fix our ride
We're unsure if the mechanic will actually be able to fix our vehicle.
You know I ain't bitchin', but bad news is all we're getting'
We're trying not to complain, but we keep receiving bad news and it's disheartening.
Just need a little luck on our side
We're hoping for some good luck to turn things around for us.
That fire siren screamin'
We can hear a fire siren in the distance.
Still I'm not believin'
We're having trouble believing that much could be happening in this small town.
That much goes on in this town
We're surprised that there's so much activity and excitement in this small town.
You know if I had the chance I'd do a chicken dance
If we had the opportunity to do something celebratory, we would.
After I watched it burn to the ground
Specifically after watching something burn down, we would do a celebratory dance.
Lyrics © Bluewater Music Corp.
Written by: CODY JAY CANADA
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind