Noteworthy for their three guitars lineup, the 'Truckers' are often associated with the Southern rock movement of the 70s and "jam" bands but are too cerebral and irreverent to sit squarely in either genre. Their lyrics often revolve around the working class trying to survive in economically-depressed small towns of the South.
Co-founded by Patterson Hood (son of bassist David Hood of the legendary Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section) and longtime friend and musical partner Mike Cooley in Athens, Georgia, in 1996. The two men had played in various other bands including Adam's House Cat which was chosen as a top ten Best Unsigned Band by a Musician contest in the late 1980s.
Together with a revolving group of musicians, Drive-By Truckers put out their first two albums, Gangstabilly (1998) and Pizza Deliverance (1999). Following their second release, the band embarked on a nationwide tour, resulting in a live album called Alabama Ass Whuppin' (released in 2000 by Second Heaven Records, re-released in 2002 by Terminus Records). They had an entertaining and informational website long before most bands had begun taking advantage of the internet as a promotional tool, and together with constant touring, they quickly developed a large and dedicated fan base both on and off-line.
After three years on the road a tight-knit group of musicians emerged and they began work on 2001's Southern Rock Opera. Southern Rock Opera is a double album executed as a song cycle. The album loosely uses the rise and literal fall of Lynyrd Skynyrd as a metaphor for the culture of the American South.
Self released on their own Soul Dump Records on September 12, 2001, Southern Rock Opera, quickly accumulated praise from fans and critics alike, including a four-star review in Rolling Stone. To take advantage of the positive reception, Southern Rock Opera was re-issued by Mercury and Lost Highway Records in July 2002. Soon after, Drive-By Truckers were named Band of the Year by No Depression.
Before they could record a follow-up to Southern Rock Opera, guitarist Rob Malone left and was replaced guitarist and songwriter, Jason Isbell. Originally from Greenhill, Alabama, during his five years with Drive-By Truckers, Isbell contributed a number of significant songs to the albums he worked on.
Due to changes at Lost Highway, the Truckers were released from their contract and signed with Austin-based record label New West, for the follow-up to Southern Rock Opera, 2003's Decoration Day. Like its predecessor, the album received broad praise from fans and critics alike. Although it isn't a concept album, the songs of Decoration Day explore a common theme of hard decisions in the context of marriage, incest, break-ups, revenge, murder, and suicide are major themes.
After years of producing and playing with Drive-By Truckers, bassist Earl Hicks left the band on December 22, 2003. Hicks was immediately replaced by studio bassist Shonna Tucker, then wife of guitarist Jason Isbell. Tucker had previously guested on Decoration Day playing upright bass on the Cooley-penned track, "Sounds Better in the Song".
In 2004, Drive-By Truckers released The Dirty South. Like Southern Rock Opera, The Dirty South was a concept album. The Dirty South further explored the mythology of the South, with songs focusing on Sam Phillips and the Sun Records crowd, John Henry and his hammer, and a three-song suite about Sheriff Buford Pusser.
After touring throughout 2004 and 2005, Drive-By Truckers found their way to the Fidelitorium Recording Studio in Forsyth County, North Carolina during late 2005. These recording sessions, once again produced by David Barbe, resulted in the band's seventh LP, A Blessing and a Curse.
Released on April 18, 2006, A Blessing and a Curse showcased Drive-By Truckers' ability to branch out into new territory, and can be seen as the band's attempt at shaking labeling by critics, detractors, fans, and followers, particularly the Southern rock label that has haunted the band since Southern Rock Opera. The album sounds less like Skynyrd, and more closely resembles the bare-bones British rock of the early 1970s such as The Rolling Stones and Faces. Tom Petty's influence on the band's sound is more prominent on this album as well.
In 2006, Drive-By Truckers reunited, both on-stage and on-record, with Athens-based pedal steel guitarist, John Neff. Neff first played with the band on their 1998 debut LP, Gangstabilly, and played pedal steel on three subsequent albums, 1999's Pizza Deliverance, and 2003's Decoration Day. Neff was featured heavily on the 2006 release, A Blessing and a Curse. During the next year, Neff began touring with the band as an unofficial sixth member.
On April 5, 2007 Jason Isbell announced that he was no longer a member of the band. The following day, Patterson Hood confirmed the break on the official site. In his letter to the fans, Hood described the parting of ways as "amicable" and expressed the hope that fans would continue to support Drive-By Truckers as well as Jason's solo efforts. In the same letter, Hood announced that John Neff would become a full-time member playing both guitar and pedal steel.
Shortly after Isbell's departure, on April 20, 2007, Patterson Hood announced via the band's website that a longtime friend of The Hood Family, Spooner Oldham, would be joining the band playing keyboard for a string of acoustic performances called The Dirt Underneath Tour.
Drive-By Truckers performed as backup musicians for Bettye LaVette's 2007 album, The Scene of the Crime. The album went to #1 on Billboard's Blues Chart and was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Blues Album. Partly as a result of this collaboration, the Truckers went on to act as the backing band for Booker T Jones for his first recording in more than a decade. The album, Potato Hole, was well received by critics and it resulted in numerous shows together.
On January 22, 2008, the Drive-By Truckers' eighth album, Brighter Than Creation's Dark (named after a line in a Cooley song entitled "Checkout Time in Vegas"), was released in the US and went to #37 on the Billboard 200 album charts. Once again, David Barbe produced the album and artist Wes Freed provided the artwork. The album has nineteen tracks and features the first song contributions from bassist Shonna Tucker.
The band's ninth album "The Big To-Do" was issued on March 26, 2010 on ATO Records, the label founded by Dave Matthews and home to such artists as My Morning Jacket, Radiohead, The Whigs and Brendan Benson.
Marry Me
Drive-By Truckers Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Rock and roll means well, but it can't help telling young boys lies.
A baby on the way's a good enough reason to get you out alive
Get you out without having to swallow any pride.
All my friends are restless, all they do is talk it down,
Two or eight lanes, it don't matter, it's just another town.
There's a fool on every corner, on every street, in every one
So marry me, sweet thing won't you marry me
Your mama thinks I beat anything she's ever seen.
This old town's alright with me, there's nowhere I'd rather be.
Long as they stay mad at one another, they can't get mad at me
Every time I leave here something bad happens to me
Like a busted hand or finding some man laying where I sleep
She don't mean nothing to me, that's just how it goes round here
It's a cartoon town, I play my part, and I ain't spoke her name in years
So marry me...
I don't want anything I done to be nobody's fault
Even if they got more money and mouth than they got balls.
That's just how it went down, right or wrong, it's just that way.
Just cause I don't run my mouth don't mean I got nothing to say...
Marry me...
The lyrics to "Marry Me" by Drive-By Truckers are emotional, raw and depict a narrative of a man who's about to become a father and is looking for a way out of his present situation. The opening lines, "Well, my daddy didn't pull out, but he never apologized, rock and roll means well, but it can't help telling young boys lies," signify the singer's feelings of being trapped in his life's circumstances, much like his father. The lyrics are an admission of the singer's faults and failures, along with his own efforts to navigate them.
The singer's friends are also restless and have no sense of direction, which adds to his sense of dissatisfaction with his circumstances. He is searching for a way to escape his life, and the lyrics offer the notion of marriage as an outlet. The lines "So marry me, sweet thing won't you marry me, Your mama thinks I beat anything she's ever seen" speak to the singer's reservation in asking for marriage, but also reveals that he has found solace in the idea of it even if it is not perfect.
The song's chorus "Marry me, sweet thing won't you marry me" portrays the singer's desire to leave his past behind and start fresh. The lyrics make an incisive commentary on small-town life, his failed relationships, and his struggles with accepting responsibility. In essence, this is a song about redemption and the idea that love is powerful enough to transcend perceived faults.
Line by Line Meaning
Well, my daddy didn't pull out, but he never apologized
My father made a mistake by not using protection during sex but he never admitted his fault.
Rock and roll means well, but it can't help telling young boys lies.
Rock and roll music has a good intention but it often gives unrealistic ideas to young boys.
A baby on the way's a good enough reason to get you out alive
The news of having a baby is good enough to motivate someone to step up their game and act responsible.
Get you out without having to swallow any pride.
Taking responsibility for one's action should not be seen as a sacrifice of one's pride or dignity.
All my friends are restless, all they do is talk it down,
My friends are unsatisfied and critical wherever they go.
Two or eight lanes, it don't matter, it's just another town.
Whether it's a small or big town, it doesn't make a difference to them.
There's a fool on every corner, on every street, in every one
They find foolish people everywhere they go.
And I'd rather be your fool nowhere than go somewhere and be no one's
They prefer being foolish in front of my partner instead of being anonymous somewhere else.
So marry me, sweet thing won't you marry me
They propose to their beloved.
Your mama thinks I beat anything she's ever seen.
My partner's mother has a high opinion of me.
This old town's alright with me, there's nowhere I'd rather be.
They like this town and choose to be here.
Long as they stay mad at one another, they can't get mad at me
As long as other people in town are fighting among themselves, they won't be angry at me.
Every time I leave here something bad happens to me
Every time they leave this town, something unfortunate happens to them.
Like a busted hand or finding some man laying where I sleep
They might injure themselves or have to deal with unexpected situations while they are away.
She don't mean nothing to me, that's just how it goes round here
They don't have any emotional attachment with the girl in town. It's the norm here.
It's a cartoon town, I play my part, and I ain't spoke her name in years
They see this town as a fake and absurd place. They don't talk or think about the girl they had a relationship with in the past.
I don't want anything I done to be nobody's fault
They take responsibility for their actions.
Even if they got more money and mouth than they got balls.
They don't care about people who brag a lot without having any real courage to back it up.
That's just how it went down, right or wrong, it's just that way.
Things happened the way they did, regardless of whether it was right or wrong.
Just cause I don't run my mouth don't mean I got nothing to say...
Just because they don't talk a lot, it doesn't mean that they have nothing to say.
Marry me...
Proposal to their beloved.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: SHANNON BROWN, SHAYE SMITH
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@officialjbbeverley
"Rock and Roll means well, but it can't help telling young boys lies"
Amen
@dickjohnson3556
I always new when I was being lied to I just chose blissful ignorance followed by the pain that comes with it . Just smile through n keep moving
@funkdoktor9099
Do you guys know how many songs out there are comprised of D, c, and g? Thousands and thousands. I love "already gone". I love "dont ask me no questions". And I Fucking love this song. They all stand on there own even though they have the same chord progression. If you wanna start excluding songs because they "sound similar" to another one-there will never be another song...ever. And I dare anybody to go try and write an original song...it is way way more difficult than you could ever imagine. Yes, marry me has a D, C,G progression. It also has an awesome e-minor thrown into the chorus. And let's not forget the breakdown where Cooley sings, "I dont want anything I've done to be nobody's fault, even if they've got more money and mouth than they've got balls". Nothing like that chord progression in Already Gone or Dont ask me no questions. This is one of my favorite Cooley Rockers. Hell, it's impossible to pick a Cooley favorite. They are all awesome. Mike Cooley for President.
@blueswasthecatalyst7758
Somewhere out there exists a John Lee Hooker interview about everyone borrowing each other's riffs and tunes to write new songs. He never had any gripes about guitarists using his compositions to make new songs since he had done it throughout his entire career. The way it has just been explained in the above comment gives the entire process perfect clarity.
@comradehermit9320
Why isn't this song the fucking National Anthem yet?
@krazykarl78
I've always thought the "Already Gone" riffage was intentional - that Cooley took a riff from a well-known song about breaking up and used it for a song about getting married. It's a nice contrast between the mean-spirited lyrics of the Eagles' song and the quirky sweetness of "Marry Me"
@B1B904
I always told Jason... Cooley was my favorite...especially when his head got big...lol facts!
@conortaft2039
And, let's be honest, a MUCH better song...that soloing at the end is just devastating!
@ndlaxball2
Just because I dont run my mounth dont mean I got nothin to say... Word up
@leahl7870
My ex proposed to me in the middle of this song at a DBT show in Cincinnati, OH. They called us up front, got us seats right in front of the barrier and shared their bottle with us :)