Grandpa's Cough Medicine is a 3 piece bluegrass band from Jacksonville, Flo… Read Full Bio ↴Grandpa's Cough Medicine is a 3 piece bluegrass band from Jacksonville, Florida. Heavily influenced by outlaw country and bluegrass, GCM plays a devilish blend of blood and beer soaked originals along with hot pickin instrumentals. Driven by furious flat picking guitar and blazing banjo runs with a thumping bass holding it all down. GCM is sure to entertain and influence you to drink.

Brett Bass - Acoustic Guitar/Dobro, Vocals
Michael "Banjo Boy" Coker - Banjo
Jon Murphy - Upright Bass, Vocals

American Dream
Grandpa's Cough Medicine Lyrics

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Well I ain't got a nickle to my name
The bills are commin due any day
I done spent every cent of my pay
Just to try to keep them blues away
And liquor bottle here and a case of beer there
and my wallet's getting bear
And Florida home grown's gonna get me stoned
to the point where I just don't care

I've been workin the same job way to long
My chances they've come and gone
Booze is the only way I can make it through each day
Without Blowing my brains on the wall
And liquor bottle here and a case of beer there
and my wallet's getting bear
And Florida home grown's gonna get me stoned
to the point where I just don't care
Well I got my self a college degree
Right now it don't mean too much to me
All it got me is some debt and a job that I would bet
Could be done by a trained monkey
And liquor bottle here and a case of beer there
and my wallet's getting bear
And Florida home grown's gonna get me stoned
to the point where I just don't care
Well I ain't got a nickle to my name
The bills are commin due any day
I done spent every cent of my pay
Just to try to keep them blues away
And liquor bottle here and a case of beer there
and my wallet's getting bear

And Florida home grown's gonna get me stoned
to the point where I just don't care

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Grandpa's Cough Medicine's song "American Dream" depict a person who is struggling with their finances and finds comfort in alcohol and drugs. The singer of the song confesses to having spent all their hard-earned money trying to keep their blues at bay, and they resort to consuming liquor and beer frequently. They are also shown to smoke Florida-grown marijuana, which helps them reach a state of apathy where they don't care about their problems.

The song resonates with the disillusionment of the American middle class, who are struggling to make ends meet despite doing everything "right," such as obtaining a college degree. The lyrics suggest that the job market is so bleak that the singer doubts their degree will help them find a better job than a trained monkey could do. Overall, the picture painted in the song is one of frustration, hopelessness, and the desperation to escape reality via intoxication.

Line by Line Meaning

Well I ain't got a nickle to my name
I am broke and don't have any money at all

The bills are commin due any day
I have bills to pay and they are due soon

I done spent every cent of my pay
I have spent all the money I earned

Just to try to keep them blues away
I spent my money to keep myself from feeling sad

And liquor bottle here and a case of beer there
I drink alcohol to cope with my problems

and my wallet's getting bear
I am running out of money

And Florida home grown's gonna get me stoned
I use drugs to numb my feelings

to the point where I just don't care
I am so numb that I don't care about anything anymore

I've been workin the same job way too long
I have been working at the same job for a long time

My chances they've come and gone
I missed my opportunities

Booze is the only way I can make it through each day
Alcohol is the only way I can cope with my daily struggles