"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.
When It All Goes Down
Cross Canadian Ragweed Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
If you proclaim me to the people
My father said, "Church, it's in your heart, son"
You don't always need a steeple
A preacher's truths aren't always shown
If you follow a heart, make sure it's your own
One man's lifted up to Heaven
One man's cast into Hell
The second man's beliefs are the first man's jail
To be or not to be
Born to decide what will set you free
When it's said and done
Sit back and watch the show
When it all goes down
There ain't nobody knows
I got something on my mind
That I can't ignore
I gotta tell you the truth
The devil comes rapping at my back door
Sometimes I don't know what to do
I see the light and it starts to fade
It blinds my eyes as I turn away
The offer's on the table
The pen's in my hand
The devil thinks she's got a deal
Temptation road may be paved in gold
But the gravel one is better my friend
The lyrics to Cross Canadian Ragweed's song "When It All Goes Down" discuss the idea of personal beliefs and the struggle to find truth in a world where different people have different beliefs. The chorus implies that ultimately, when everything is said and done, no one truly knows what will happen. The first verse references religious themes, with the singer proclaiming someone to the father in exchange for that person proclaiming the singer to the people. However, the singer's father tells him that church is in his heart and that he doesn't always need a steeple. This suggests that it's important to follow one's own beliefs rather than blindly following what someone else tells them.
The second verse continues the theme of personal struggle and difficult decisions. The singer talks about feeling temptation and not always knowing what the right thing to do is. The imagery of the devil coming to his back door is a powerful one, symbolizing the internal struggle between good and evil. The singer acknowledges that sometimes he sees the light but turns away from it. In the final lines of the song, the singer suggests that the path less traveled (the gravel one) is ultimately better than the one that seems more attractive (the one paved in gold).
Overall, "When It All Goes Down" is a song that explores the themes of personal belief, struggle, and choice. It encourages listeners to trust their own hearts and to not always follow the beliefs of others.
Line by Line Meaning
I'll proclaim you to the father
I will vouch for you to God
If you proclaim me to the people
In turn, would you speak well of me to society?
My father said, "Church, it's in your heart, son"
God believes your heart is the true home of religion
You don't always need a steeple
A building should not be able to confine your devotion to faith
A preacher's truths aren't always shown
The sermons you hear may not always be authentic
If you follow a heart, make sure it's your own
While you are free to follow your own beliefs, be mindful not to get swayed
One man's lifted up to Heaven
One's fateful destination can either be eternal paradise or misery
One man's cast into Hell
One's fateful destination can either be eternal paradise or misery
The first man's beliefs are the second man's prison
What may seem liberating for one, can be imprisoning for another
The second man's beliefs are the first man's jail
What may seem liberating for one, can be imprisoning for another
To be or not to be
The existential question of existence
Born to decide what will set you free
Our true calling in life is to find what liberates us
When it's said and done
At the end of life's journey
Sit back and watch the show
The events hereon cannot be predicted or controlled
When it all goes down
When calamity strikes, nobody has foreknowledge of the future
There ain't nobody knows
Without a crystal ball, nobody can predict what's going to happen next
I got something on my mind
Something has been bothering me
That I can't ignore
I can't brush it aside
I gotta tell you the truth
I need to be honest with you
The devil comes rapping at my back door
Temptation is always lurking around the corner
Sometimes I don't know what to do
Sometimes I find myself at a crossroads
I see the light and it starts to fade
A moment of clarity comes and goes too soon
It blinds my eyes as I turn away
With an ability to renounce what I know is right, I become blinded
The offer's on the table
I am faced with a challenge
The pen's in my hand
It's in my power to make a choice
The devil thinks she's got a deal
Temptation believes to have struck a bargain
Temptation road may be paved in gold
Doing the wrong thing can appear very attractive
But the gravel one is better my friend
The right thing to do is always more rewarding in the end
Lyrics © Bluewater Music Corp., Downtown Music Publishing, Peermusic Publishing, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: CODY JAY CANADA, PAUL BOWEN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind