Mark Chesnutt’s stature is easily gauged. He has 14 #1 hits, 23 Top 10 singles, four platinum albums and five gold records to his credit; he maintains a front-and-center presence with a hefty tour schedule year after year. Country music critics and fans alike need look no further when it comes to Country music basics. If you ask Chesnutt, he’ll tell you, “It’s the music and the fans that have kept me around this long.” In a creative forum that sometimes confuses style with substance, Mark Chesnutt possesses both.
Remaining true to himself as a traditional country artist, while keeping the pace with the ever-changing country recording landscape, Mark Chesnutt has a knack for picking great songs, delivering them with world-class style and a heart-felt emotion that’s lived-in. With a trademarked voice, Chesnutt has set the bar for his generation and those that follow in his footsteps shaping the music of today’s country music newcomers and the new country music format. Mark Chesnutt’s personal integrity combined with his principal to record a genuine country song has made him a fixture on radio and in honky tonks across the globe.
Chesnutt got his start in the honky-tonks of Beaumont, Texas, learning from his father, Bob Chesnutt, a singer, record collector and major fan of classic country music. Playing alongside his dad, Mark embraced his father’s influence one set at a time and to begin making a name for himself. Mark sang covers by Lefty, Merle, George and Waylon to develop his unmatched crowd-pleasing rapport and his authentic country style.
Bob Chesnutt often traveled to Nashville to record and to broaden his exposure. He began taking Mark along to record when he was just 17. After nearly a decade of recording on regional labels, word got out about this young country vocalist. Music Row executives came to hear Mark on his own Texas turf and recognized the depth of Mark Chesnutt’s raw talent.
In 1989, he was signed to MCA Nashville and his list of accolades tells the rest of his story. With the release of his first single“ Too Cold At Home,” Mark established himself as one of country’s most authentic and talented vocalists. He won the CMA Horizon Award attracting the attention of country legend [and Mark’s greatest mentor] George Jones who introduced him as “A boy from Beaumont, Texas who is the real deal.” That recognition and initial success opened the door to offer Mark his chance of a lifetime, to do what he loved most—sing country music for country fans; this time, on a national level. “The first couple years it was non-stop.” Mark says.
“I can remember one time during a tour, I didn’t step foot on the front porch for ten months, with exception of a day or a day-and-a- half, then, it was right back out again.” Mark’s dedication paid off. He developed a true blue fan base. Fans, he confides, “are the reason for my success.”
His fans helped his records to climb the charts one right after the other making him one of Billboard’s Ten Most-Played Radio Artists of the ‘90’s. Mark’s singles were some the decade’s most memorable; from the fun tempo “Bubba Shot The Jukebox” to emotional ballad “I’ll Think Of Something.” Mark is easily identified for his string of hits including “Brother Jukebox,” “Blame It On Texas,” “Old Flames Have New Names,” “Old Country,” “It Sure Is Monday,” “Almost Goodbye,” “I Just Wanted You To Know,” “Going Through The Big D,” “It’s A Little Too Late,” “Gonna Get A Life,” and one of his biggest, “I Don’t Want To Miss A Thing;” a song that held its position at the top of the charts for four consecutive weeks.
Of all the recorded highlights Chesnutt has enjoyed, they take a back seat to his first love; Mark Chesnutt lives to perform on stage. “I just make records because want people to come see my show,” he says with a grin. “Recording music for folks to just listen to music is great,” he says, “but I’ve got to be out there on stage making it.” Fans who have seen him perform agree. Known as one of the industry’s hardest-working concert performers, maintaining a hefty tour schedule and steady presence in front of his fans, Mark’s dedication to deliver live music is unsurpassed. Mark has been on the road since 1990. Whether you hear Mark Chesnutt with a new release on the radio, or see his face on the cover of a new CD, folks can always find Mark doing what he was born to do playing. “The clubs and honky tonks are home for me; it’s comfortable and I’m always with friends,” says Chesnutt.
Married since 1992, Mark and Tracie Chesnutt are the loving parents of three boys, Waylon, Casey & Cameron.
Somebody Save the Honky Tonk
Mark Chesnutt Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
But the joint was closed
Lately they've been droppin like dominoes
All my favorite watering holes
Are dryin' up
Tell me is it too much for a man to ask
To hear Haggard and Jones sing C.C. Waterback
Somebody save the honky tonks
The hardwood floor and the quarter jukebox
Where's a workin' man gonna go to get tore up
When the last one's tore down
Somebody save the neon lights
And the cinderblock shacks cross the county line
Every day another piece of history's lost
Somebody save the honky tonks
It's enough to bring a tear to a bloodshot eye
Not knowin where to go on Friday night
To get down and get loud
And unwind from a hard day
Well listen,
We the people got a make a stand
Maybe write a letter to our congressman
Show some support for the drinkin' man
We can't wait until it's too late
Somebody save the honkytonks
The hardfloor and the quarter jukebox
Where's a workin' man gonna go to get tore up
When the last one's tore down
Somebody save the neon lights
And the cinderblock shacks cross the county line
Every day another piece of history's lost
Somebody save the honky tonks
Why don't they take that old wreckin ball
To the upend bars down at the mall
All I'm askin' and I want
Somebody save the honky tonks
Mark Chesnutt's "Somebody Save the Honky Tonks" is a song celebrating the American honky tonk tradition and lamenting its decreasing popularity. The first verse sets the scene of the singer driving to a favorite honky tonk only to find it closed, like so many others recently. He expresses frustration that the music of his heroes, Merle Haggard and George Jones, is no longer playing at his favorite bars and bemoans the fact that a "tramp" (prostitute) no longer costs just one dollar.
The chorus of the song is a plea for someone to save the honky tonks, with their hardwood floors and quarter jukeboxes, before they all disappear. The singer worries about where working class people like himself will go to unwind after a hard day, and calls on "we the people" to make a stand before it's too late.
In the final verse, the singer suggests taking a wrecking ball to the "upend bars down at the mall" instead of the beloved honky tonks. The message is clear: the honky tonk tradition holds an important place in American culture and should be preserved.
Line by Line Meaning
I drove down to the trap
I went to my favorite bar
But the joint was closed
Sadly, the bar was shut down
Lately they've been droppin like dominoes
Many bars have been closing recently, one after the other
All my favorite watering holes
All my favorite bars
Are dryin' up
Are closing one by one
Tell me is it too much for a man to ask
As a man, I wonder if it's too much to ask for a specific thing
To hear Haggard and Jones sing C.C. Waterback
To listen to classic country music by Merle Haggard and George Jones
With the lights so low a - tramp will cost you one buck, enough's enough
The bar should have a certain atmosphere, where the lights are low and the cover charge is minimal
Somebody save the honky tonks
I plead for someone to save the bars that feature country music
The hardwood floor and the quarter jukebox
The bar has a unique environment, complete with dancing and old-timey music from the jukebox
Where's a workin' man gonna go to get tore up
Where will a hardworking man go for a night of drinking and relaxation?
When the last one's tore down
When the last bar is gone
Somebody save the neon lights
The unique features of the honky tonks, like the neon lights, should be preserved
And the cinderblock shacks cross the county line
The bars that may not look like much from the outside, but have a unique identity
Every day another piece of history's lost
Each time a bar closes, a unique part of history is lost forever
It's enough to bring a tear to a bloodshot eye
It's very emotional and upsetting
Not knowin where to go on Friday night
It's hard to find a good place to go on Friday night
To get down and get loud
To dance and enjoy loud music
And unwind from a hard day
To relax after a long day of work
We the people got a make a stand
As citizens, we need to take action
Maybe write a letter to our congressman
A possible course of action is to write to our elected representative
Show some support for the drinkin' man
Demonstrate that those who want to relax and have a good time with a drink are important members of society
We can't wait until it's too late
We need to act now, before it's too late to save the bars
Why don't they take that old wreckin ball
Why don't we demolish malls instead of the unique and historically significant bars?
To the upend bars down at the mall
The bars that are located at malls and don't have a unique identity or history
All I'm askin' and I want
All I want and am asking for
Somebody save the honky tonks
Preserve the unique and historically significant bars that feature country music
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: REGAN, RITCHEY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind