"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.
Breakdown
Cross Canadian Ragweed Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
There I'd carve your name
If it would brighten up this room
But you know that anyway
I can't be the rock
Not today
Sometimes i wanna pop
Sometimes i wanna say
I'd like to breakdown, but I can't find the time
You're all lookin' to me
To keep it in line
I hope i can keep it in line
Sometimes i slow it down
To hear what I haven't heard
And when the darkness rolls around
I scream out the words
His picture's on my wall
He looks about my age
I wonder if he ever broke at all
I wonder if he ever had to say
I'd like to breakdown, but I can't find the time
They're all lookin' to me
To keep it in line
And I'm gonna keep it in line
It's gonna work itself out
It always does
At the last drop of doubt
Just like it never was
repeat 2nd chorus
Just like every single time
The lyrics of "Breakdown" by Cross Canadian Ragweed portray a sense of overwhelming pressure and responsibility. The opening lines describe a desire to do anything to improve the situation, even if it means building a ladder to the moon and carving a loved one's name into it. However, the singer admits that this won't fix everything since they can't be the strong and steady "rock" they normally are. The chorus reveals the internal struggle the singer is facing, wanting to break down and release the tension but feeling obligated to hold it together for everyone else's sake.
The second verse portrays the singer's attempts to find a reprieve from the stress, slowing down to appreciate life's smaller moments and screaming out their frustration alone. The mention of a picture on the wall, particularly someone of similar age, makes the singer consider the possibility of someone else feeling the same pressure as them. The final verse gives a glimmer of hope, expressing the idea that things will eventually work themselves out and doubts will disappear like they never existed. Nonetheless, it ends by repeating the chorus, indicating the struggle is far from over.
Line by Line Meaning
I'd build a ladder to the moon
I would do anything for my loved one just to make them happy.
There I'd carve your name
I would express my love and devotion in any way possible, no matter how impossible it seems.
If it would brighten up this room
I would go to great lengths to make my lover's surroundings joyful and full of light.
But you know that anyway
My loved one knows how much I care for them, even if I can't always express it in grand gestures.
I can't be the rock
Sometimes, I'm not strong enough to face every challenge on my own.
Not today
I need some space and time to gather my strength and face my challenges tomorrow.
Sometimes i wanna pop
I have my own struggles, and sometimes they become overwhelming.
Sometimes i wanna say
I'm often tempted to speak out and express myself more fully.
I'd like to breakdown, but I can't find the time
I am struggling, but I can't always take the time to address my own needs because others are relying on me.
You're all lookin' to me
I am responsible for maintaining stability and keeping everyone else on track.
To keep it in line
I must ensure everyone follows the rules and doesn't deviate from our chosen course.
I hope i can keep it in line
I worry about my ability to continue holding everything together when I'm struggling to hold myself together.
Sometimes i slow it down
I take a break from the daily grind to reflect and recharge.
To hear what I haven't heard
I try to listen more deeply to the people and the world around me, in search of new understanding.
And when the darkness rolls around
When I am faced with difficult times, which will inevitably come.
I scream out the words
I need an outlet to express my thoughts and feelings, no matter how raw or difficult they may be.
His picture's on my wall
I have a role model or inspirational figure that inspires me to keep going.
He looks about my age
I can relate to this person because they are similar to me in some way.
I wonder if he ever broke at all
I wonder if even the most inspirational people have moments of weakness and despair.
I wonder if he ever had to say
I wonder what kinds of struggles he overcame in his life, and whether he ever had to ask for help.
It's gonna work itself out
I have faith that things will get better even if I can't see how yet.
It always does
I have had difficult times before and I know that eventually, things will improve again.
At the last drop of doubt
Even when it seems like there's no hope left, I still believe deep down that things will work themselves out in the end.
Just like it never was
When the worst is over, it will feel like it never happened at all.
I'd like to breakdown, but I can't find the time
I am struggling, but I can't always take the time to address my own needs because others are relying on me.
They're all lookin' to me
I am responsible for maintaining stability and keeping everyone else on track.
To keep it in line
I must ensure everyone follows the rules and doesn't deviate from our chosen course.
And I'm gonna keep it in line
I will continue to do all I can to be there for others and support them, no matter what.
Just like every single time
Every time I face a challenge, I will try my best to stay strong and overcome it, because I know I can.
Contributed by Nolan S. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Liza E.
I'd build a ladder to the moon
There I'd carve your name
If it would brighten up this room
But you know that anyway
I can't be the rock
Not today
Sometimes i wanna pop
Sometimes i wanna say
I'd like to breakdown, but I can't find the time
You're all lookin' to me
To keep it in line
I hope i can keep it in line
Sometimes i slow it down
To hear what I haven't heard
And when the darkness rolls around
I scream out the words
His picture's on my wall
He looks about my age
I wonder if he ever broke at all
I wonder if he ever had to say
I'd like to breakdown, but I can't find the time
They're all lookin' to me
To keep it in line
And I'm gonna keep it in line
It's gonna work itself out
It always does
At the last drop of doubt
Just like it never was
Repeat Chorus
Just like every single time...
Travis Daniels
Listen to this every time I lose a loved one or a loved one loses someone. They always come to me, the youngest in my family for comfort. It helps me regain my spiritual strength to help them and me. Miss yall ily ccrw
Charlie the Blue Heeler
my family comes to me as well. I'm youngest of 4. lost my grandpa on my 16th birthday so I guess they think that has hardened me. lost my dad and my brother my grandmas as well. friends ask me how do you not shed a tear.....I say because if I lose it we all go down. I'm the rock. I do lose it by myself but not in front of anyone....good or bad that's what I do.
Paden D
Love you brother! I’m thankful to have a brother like you! I’ll visit you as soon as the wife is out of the hospital. Maybe CCR will do an encore tour and we can go see them together. Give the wife and baby a hug and a kiss from me. In the meantime, I’m gonna have a little cry and nurse this Shiner Bock. Love y’all!
Mike Burke
This is an awesome song. I had a breakdown last week. In 25 years of being with my wife she has never seen that side of me. I have depression and A Lot on my shoulders but one thing is true,
My family is looking to me to keep it in line, and I will from this poi t forward keep it in line.
Dan Smith
I absolutely love their musc .. hits rite to the heart..
Bradley Fournier
Wish y'all were still together producing these old sounds..
Dwayne Vannoy
really like these guys! great music!
Liza E.
I'd build a ladder to the moon
There I'd carve your name
If it would brighten up this room
But you know that anyway
I can't be the rock
Not today
Sometimes i wanna pop
Sometimes i wanna say
I'd like to breakdown, but I can't find the time
You're all lookin' to me
To keep it in line
I hope i can keep it in line
Sometimes i slow it down
To hear what I haven't heard
And when the darkness rolls around
I scream out the words
His picture's on my wall
He looks about my age
I wonder if he ever broke at all
I wonder if he ever had to say
I'd like to breakdown, but I can't find the time
They're all lookin' to me
To keep it in line
And I'm gonna keep it in line
It's gonna work itself out
It always does
At the last drop of doubt
Just like it never was
Repeat Chorus
Just like every single time...
Ginger Calvert
Glad i found their music. Great sound
Tammie Castleberry
I love this song ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️