Of Tritt's 43 singles, all but two charted on Billboard Hot Country Songs. This total includes five #1's on that chart: "Help Me Hold On" (1990), "Anymore" (1991), "Can I Trust You with My Heart" (1993), "Foolish Pride" (1994), and "Best of Intentions" (2000). "Best of Intentions" is also his highest peak on the Billboard Hot 100 at #27, while its follow-ups ("It's a Great Day to Be Alive" and "Love of a Woman", both of which went to #2 on the country chart) reached #33 and #39 on the Hot 100. He has also charted three album cuts that entered the lower regions of the country chart based on unsolicited airplay.
Tritt has also been featured as a guest on eight singles, including two releases by his friend Marty Stuart: "This One's Gonna Hurt You (For a Long, Long Time)" and "Honky Tonkin's What I Do Best", from 1992 and 1996. He has also sung guest vocals on singles for Patty Loveless, Charlie Daniels, Mark O'Connor, and comedian Bill Engvall.
He has received two Grammy Awards, both for Best Country Collaboration with Vocals: in 1992 for "The Whiskey Ain't Workin'", a duet with Marty Stuart, and again in 1998 for "Same Old Train", a collaboration with Stuart and nine other artists. He has received four awards from the Country Music Association and has been a member of the Grand Ole Opry since 1992.
If Hell Had a Jukebox
Travis Tritt Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
But I thought goodbye wouldn't last that long
You'd go off chasin' rainbows till you realized I loved you
And then run back to my arms where you belong
But months have passed, I guess I was mistaken
And love was something I thought I knew well
But when you called me on the phone, asking when you'd come back home
Well, honey, if Hell had a jukebox
And the Devil kept it full of hurtin' songs
You could find me there this evening
With the broken hearted grieving
Prayin' like hell you would come back home
I've looked at all the pictures from our good times
And tried to figure out where we went wrong
And I've dropped a million quarters down the jukebox
'Cause I'm still haunted by what used to be our song
I wish this mental torture would release me
Lord, I've give all I had for what it's worth
I don't see how the fires below, where you wanted me to go
Could be worse than Hell I'm living here on Earth
And honey, if Hell had a jukebox
And the Devil kept it full of hurtin' songs
You could find me there this evening
With the broken hearted grieving
Prayin' like hell you would come back home
Yes, you could find me there this evening
With the broken hearted grieving
Prayin' like hell you would come back home
Travis Tritt's "If Hell Had a Jukebox" is a heart-wrenching song about lost love and the emotional pain that comes with it. The song tells the story of a man who has been left by his love, who went off chasing her dreams. He had hoped that she would return to him, but after months of waiting, she calls him and coldly tells him he can go to Hell.
The singer is devastated and can't stop thinking about his lost love. He spends his nights at a bar, pouring his heart out to a jukebox that's filled with songs that remind him of her. He wishes the mental torture would release him and he's given all he had for what it's worth. However, he cannot find a way out of his pain and compares it to what he thinks Hell might be like.
The song uses the metaphor of Hell to describe the singer's emotional pain, and how he would be in a better place if it had a jukebox full of sad songs. The lyrics are deeply personal, and the emotions conveyed by Tritt's voice perfectly capture the sense of loss and heartache. The song also showcases Tritt's talent as a country performer and his ability to connect to listeners on an emotional level.
Line by Line Meaning
You left me for a dream you had to follow
You abandoned me to pursue your aspirations
But I thought goodbye wouldn't last that long
I believed you would be back soon after following your dreams
You'd go off chasin' rainbows till you realized I loved you
You would explore the world until you realized my love for you
And then run back to my arms where you belong
And then return to my embrace where you rightfully belong
But months have passed, I guess I was mistaken
Several months have gone by, and I realize I was mistaken
And love was something I thought I knew well
I believed I understood love entirely before this heartache
But when you called me on the phone, asking when you'd come back home
When you contacted me, inquiring when you could return home
You simply told me I could go to Hell
You bluntly informed me to go to Hell
Well, honey, if Hell had a jukebox
My dear, in the hypothetical scenario that Hell had a jukebox
And the Devil kept it full of hurtin' songs
If the Devil kept it stocked with emotionally painful tunes
You could find me there this evening
You could discover me there tonight
With the broken hearted grieving
Commiserating with the sorrowful souls
Prayin' like hell you would come back home
Desperately praying for your return home
I've looked at all the pictures from our good times
I have scrutinized all of the photographs from our cherished moments
And tried to figure out where we went wrong
And attempted to discern where our relationship deteriorated
And I've dropped a million quarters down the jukebox
And I have fed the jukebox with vast coins
'Cause I'm still haunted by what used to be our song
Because I am still tormented by the melody that was once ours
I wish this mental torture would release me
I desire for this mental anguish to liberate me
Lord, I've give all I had for what it's worth
Heavenly Father, I am willing to give everything for what it's valuable
I don't see how the fires below, where you wanted me to go
I can't believe that the flames underneath, where you desired me to abandon myself, could be worse than my current suffering
Could be worse than Hell I'm living here on Earth
It could not be worse than the Hellish existence I am enduring on Earth
Yes, you could find me there this evening
Indeed, you could come across me there tonight
With the broken hearted grieving
With the sorrowful souls mourning their losses
Prayin' like hell you would come back home
Imploring fervently for your return home
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: TRITT
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Will Horting
IMHO, this was Travis Tritt's best album. It was released the same year that I was going thru my first divorce. Man, I played that tape so much that it finally just fell apart.
Targaryen_Girl
One of my favorite Travis Tritt songs❤️
Lee Presley
Awesome tune !
flipside of "Here's a quarter" on 45..
Brad Baker
@Britannicus Maximus @steelermule
steelermule
Hell it is my FAVORITE !
Britannicus Maximus
@Gerald Dutcher My favourite, too. Found Travis Tritt in ¨90 by accident when bought his debut album Country Club because I loved Garth Brooks and Alan Jackson. Travis has been my #1 since that of the 90´s new hat era even though he didn´t wear hat...His first album "Pride of the country" was hard to find but I managed and found it in eBay and wasn´t cheap.
Travis is in middle of Lynyrd Skynyrd and Merle Haggard. Skynyrd is the best band ever and Merle the best country singer ever. With kind regards from Finland, terveisii Kotkast!
Gerald Dutcher
Ditto !!!
K B
This song has so many memories! One of my favorites from way back
Rüdiger Leitheiser
damn good song👌🏼👍🏼
Melissa Okey
One of my all time favorites...