With a keen eye of observation and a wise man’s knowledge, Ray Wylie Hubbard composes and performs a dozen songs that couldn’t spring from anywhere else but out of his fertile rock and roll bluesy poet-in-the-blistering-heat southern noggin. ”I like to look at both enlightenment and endarkenment,” he declares. “I feel comfortable observing each.”
His 2010 album "A. Enlightenment B. Endarkenment" demonstrates the kind of talent that every great songwriter yearns for. Throughout the album, his focus remains on the song-constructing and performing stories set to music that resonate in a way that is completely his own. Hubbard recruits an ensemble of accomplished musicians to make the album’s larger than life outlaw tunes echo from track to track. Among the musicians featured on the album are Kevin Russell (The Gourds), Gurf Morlix (Lucinda Williams, Robert Earl Keen), Bukka Allen (Ian Moore, Jack Ingram), Billy Cassis (Bob Schneider,Double Trouble, Soulhat), Ray Bonneville (B.B. King, JJ Cale, Muddy Waters), Seth James (Percy Sledge, Delbert McClinton), David Abeyta (Reckless Kelly) and The Trishas as well as his own son, Lucas Hubbard.
The writing and recording of A. Enlightenment B. Endarkenment came on the heels of Hubbard’s first screenplay endeavor, which was funded and filmed with a cast of icons including Kris Kristofferson, Dwight Yoakam and Lizzy Caplan. A weekly radio show, constant touring, and producing kept him busy, but didn’t manage to steal the Texan singer-songwriters focus. The outcome of the album is a juxtaposition of songs like “Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse,” a fundamental gospel piece, and “Drunken Poet’s Dream,” cowritten with Hayes Carll.
Cooler-N-Hell
Ray Wylie Hubbard Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Four speed transmission, chrome heads
Rev her up and she cast a spell
Some things here under heaven
Are just cooler 'n' hell
A pack of Chesterfields, sun glasses and a suit
A half pint of Gin, a gold tooth
Some things here under heaven
Are just cooler 'n' hell
A blond telecaster 1955
Dyna comp pedal, and a beer bottle for a slide
A black face twin with JBL's
Some things here under heaven
Are just cooler 'n' hell
Black mascara, L'Oreal upon her lips
A tribal tattoo just above her hips
A honky tonking woman
Who wears her ink well
Some things here under heaven
Are just cooler 'n' hell
Yeah, some of this stuff down here's
Just cooler 'n' hell
The lyrics to Ray Wylie Hubbard's song "Cooler-N-Hell" explore the idea that some things in life are just inherently cool, beyond any logical or rational explanation. The song's opening verse describes a candy apple red 68 Camero with a four-speed transmission and chrome heads that has the ability to cast a spell on the listener. The image here is one of a classic muscle car, a symbol of power and freedom that has become iconic in American culture. The use of the line "Some things here under heaven are just cooler 'n' hell" suggests that the car's coolness is beyond explanation or measure.
The second verse of the song continues this theme of coolness. Hubbard lists a pack of Chesterfield cigarettes, sunglasses, and a suit, a half pint of gin, a gold tooth, Lightning Hopkins, and a pentatonic scale as things that are "just cooler 'n' hell." The variety of items on this list suggest that coolness can come in many different forms, whether it's the image of the smooth-talking gentleman with the gold tooth and the slick suit or the virtuoso blues guitarist who can play a mean pentatonic scale.
The rest of the song continues to explore this idea of coolness, using images of vintage guitars, high-powered amplifiers, and honky-tonking women with tribal tattoos to demonstrate the point that some things in life are just undeniably cool. The lyrics to "Cooler-N-Hell" suggest that coolness is a quality that exists independently of any particular context or meaning, and that it is something that we all instinctively recognize and appreciate.
Line by Line Meaning
A 68 Camero, candy apple red
Describing a classic car that is painted in a beautiful and shiny red color
Four speed transmission, chrome heads
Mentioning the specific parts of the car's engine that are impressive and worth noting
Rev her up and she cast a spell
Implying the car has a powerful engine that makes an unforgettable sound and feel when driven
Some things here under heaven, Are just cooler 'n' hell
Suggesting that there are things on earth that are so impressive and amazing that they are beyond comparison with other things
A pack of Chesterfields, sun glasses and a suit
Describing a specific fashion style that is classy and stylish
A half pint of Gin, a gold tooth
Mentioning two specific details about a person, a small amount of a popular alcoholic beverage and a tooth with a gold cap
Lightning Hopkins, and a pentatonic scale
Referring to a famous musician and a certain type of musical scales used in blues music
Some things here under heaven, Are just cooler 'n' hell
Repeating the idea that some things are incredibly impressive and awe-inspiring
A blond telecaster 1955
Describing a specific type of electric guitar, famous for its sound and appearance
Dyna comp pedal, and a beer bottle for a slide
Mentioning two specific accessories used by guitar players to enhance their sound
A black face twin with JBL's
Referring to a specific type of guitar amplifier and speakers that produce a high-quality sound
Some things here under heaven, Are just cooler 'n' hell
Repeating the idea that some things are so amazing that they are beyond comparison with other things
Black mascara, L'Oreal upon her lips
Describing a specific makeup style that is considered very attractive
A tribal tattoo just above her hips
Mentioning a specific type of tattoo done on a specific part of the body, which is also considered attractive by some people
A honky tonking woman, Who wears her ink well
Describing a woman who is comfortable with her tattoo and has a good sense of style that complements it
Some things here under heaven, Are just cooler 'n' hell
Ending the song by repeating the central idea that some things are incredibly impressive and beyond comparison
Writer(s): Ray Wylie Hubbard, Cody Canada
Contributed by Scarlett D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.