Open Thread (& Playlist): Country's Best First Lines

Or "country's best starts" as a playlist I've had forever is called

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By Natalie

“You were the first thing that I thought of/when I thought I drank you off my mind” — every time I hear Clint Black’s “Killin’ Time,” I am freshly amazed that anyone could write such a perfect lyric. Of course the song is iconic (and really just gets better as it goes) but that opening line is such a perfect punch in the gut, distilling at least two different stories into 18 crystal-clear words.

The iconic opening line is something I (maybe wrongly!) associate with country music. Plainspokenness and brevity and poetry are all obviously core to the genre, producing these single memorable lines that contain multitudes. I’ve collected a few favorites here, and I’d love it if you shared yours in the comments!

Since like many of us (I’m telling myself) I’ve been watching too much of the Olympics this week, I’m going to lay out the rubric I am using to hone in on “great opening lines” (gold medal-worthy ones, even) as opposed to just “great songs.” We’ll deduct a few tenths of a point if you don’t read this part…

1. First line — not first verse. A sentence or mayyyyybe two depending on the song.

2. I’m excluding songs that start with the chorus or refrain. Too easy and also muddies the waters.

3. My focus is more on lyrics than delivery, but not to the exclusion of opening lyrics where the way they’re performed is notable even if what’s being said isn’t particularly (the example here is “Let’s go girls”).

Here are a couple from my playlist, which is included below.

“Chances Are,” Lee Ann Womack: Here I am, breaking my own rules already. Yes, the song starts “Chances are…” and the phrase also appears in the chorus BUT it’s a wordplay thing so I’m allowing it. Thank you Hayes Carll. “Chances are I took the wrong turn/Every time I had a turn to take” — OK Lee Ann (and Hayes), run me over with a truck. Never mind, don’t, this song already did.

“Let’s Fall To Pieces,” George Strait: “Pardon me, you left your tears on the jukebox” — textbook. Classic. Does not get better. Thanks George, I did leave my tears on the jukebox — oh, did they get mixed up with yours??