"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.
Bad Habit
Cross Canadian Ragweed Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Long about the summer of 1993
Rushin' in just like a fool
Used to be my golden rule
But the one that got to me
Knocked me damn near off my feet
Came up like a southern breeze
Knocked me to my knees
(Chorus)
My only bad habit comes with lovin' you
But I don't think about you as much as you want me to
And if it gives me cancer, and if it gives me shakes
It's one of my habits, baby, I ain't gonna break
No surgeon general's gonna tell me what to do
My only bad habit, baby, comes with lovin' you
I had bout with Mary Jane
She damn near drove me insane
To the point that she had to hit the road
Wild Turkey slightly chilled
Cocaine and prescription pills
Soon enough that starts gettin' old
The promise that I make to you
Is you won't ever not feel new
You're the one that gets to me
Drop me to my knees
Repeat Chorus
And if it gives me cancer
If it gives me shakes
It's one of my habits, baby, that I ain't gonna break
No surgeon general's gonna tell me what to do
My only bad habit, baby, comes with lovin' you
My only bad habit, baby, comes with lovin' you
The song "Bad Habit" by Cross Canadian Ragweed describes the lead singer's addiction to different vices and how they all pale in comparison to his addiction to the person he loves. The first verse discusses his addiction to smoking cigarettes in the summer of 1993, and how it used to be his golden rule. However, the addiction that really "got" to him came "like a southern breeze" and knocked him to his knees. The second verse speaks about his struggles with other substances like marijuana, alcohol, and prescription pills which all "start getting old." Despite all of these addictions, the one “bad habit” that he refuses to break is his love for his partner, and he’s not going to let any outside influence dictate his decisions. He reiterates this with the chorus: his only bad habit comes with loving her, he won’t let anyone tell him what to do, and he stands behind his choice.
The lyrics of the song could be interpreted in a few different ways. The song could be interpreted as a warning about the dangers of addiction, however, one could also interpret it as a love song. The singer confesses that despite his love being an "addiction" of sorts, he will never break his "bad habit" of loving her. The song paints a picture of a man who has experienced addiction in many forms but who understands the nature of addiction and how it can feel all-encompassing. It could be argued that the song presents the idea that despite people's addictions and bad habits, the one thing is that truly meaningful is love.
Line by Line Meaning
Smokin' cigarettes got a hold of me
I started smoking cigarettes and it became a habit that was hard to quit.
Long about the summer of 1993
It happened a long time ago around the summer of 1993.
Rushin' in just like a fool
I started smoking without thinking about the consequences.
Used to be my golden rule
Smoking cigarettes used to be something I did all the time without thinking twice about it.
Long before I graduated school
I started smoking before I finished school.
But the one that got to me
Out of all my bad habits, there is one that affects me the most.
Knocked me damn near off my feet
This bad habit had a powerful effect on me.
Came up like a southern breeze
This bad habit appeared so casually and quickly, like a breeze.
Knocked me to my knees
This bad habit had a huge impact on me, causing me to fall to my knees.
My only bad habit comes with lovin' you
My only bad habit is that I love you so much that I will do whatever it takes to make you happy.
But I don't think about you as much as you want me to
Even though I love you, I am not as obsessed with you as you think I am.
And if it gives me cancer, and if it gives me shakes
Even if my bad habit causes me harm, I won't stop it for anything.
It's one of my habits, baby, I ain't gonna break
This bad habit is a part of who I am and I'm not going to change it.
No surgeon general's gonna tell me what to do
I won't listen to any official warnings about the dangers of my bad habit.
I had bout with Mary Jane
I used to smoke marijuana.
She damn near drove me insane
Marijuana had a powerful effect on me that almost drove me crazy.
To the point that she had to hit the road
I had to quit smoking marijuana because it was affecting my life too much.
Wild Turkey slightly chilled
I started drinking Wild Turkey whiskey that was slightly chilled.
Cocaine and prescription pills
I also started using cocaine and prescription pills.
Soon enough that starts gettin' old
These habits became boring and no longer gave me the same thrill they used to.
The promise that I make to you
I promise to always love you and be committed to you.
Is you won't ever not feel new
I will always make you feel special and loved.
You're the one that gets to me
You are the person who means the most to me.
Drop me to my knees
You have such a powerful impact on me that I feel weak in your presence.
And if it gives me cancer
Even if my bad habit of smoking causes me to get cancer, I won't quit for anything.
My only bad habit, baby, comes with lovin' you
I will continue to love you and keep my bad habit of smoking for as long as I live.
Lyrics © Bluewater Music Corp., Peermusic Publishing
Written by: CODY JAY CANADA
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind