“I dug my key into the side of his pretty little souped-up four-wheel drive” is a lyric that will always hit. The sheer passion the song makes me feel is truly unmatched. “Before He Cheats” (2005) by Carrie Underwood has invoked this emotion in me ever since I first heard it on the radio as a child. During one listen, I remember imagining a scenario where I keyed a boy’s car because he left me for a cowboy. Mind you I was eleven years old thinking of this scenario.
Country music paints a narrative so clearly that there is no room for vagueness in its lyrics. One theme in this genre is as common as it is brilliant: women singing about murdering men, specifically their husbands.
Songs with this murderous narrative include “The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia” (1972) by Vicki Lawrence, which is the earliest song released in this list. It discusses a husband who finds out that his wife had been cheating on him with another man while he was away. The man then proceeds to go murder his wife’s new lover, but then discovers him already dead. The husband is sentenced to death, and as the song progresses, we find out that the man’s sister murdered the wife’s new lover. She also killed her brother’s wife, most likely due to her infidelity. The killer being the man’s sister is a perfect example of the phenomenon being discussed. The song makes the listener think the song’s story will go one way, but instead goes the opposite way, with a quintessential female killer taking center stage.
Another song that discusses women exacting their revenge on men is “Two Black Cadillacs” (2012) by Carrie Underwood, which is my personal favorite. Something about two lovers of the same man teaming up and throwing “a handful of dirt into the deep ground” induces a relatable rage inside of me. Other songs include the hilarious classic “Goodbye Earl” (2000) by The Chicks and the lyrically fiery “Gunpowder & Lead” (2007) by Miranda Lambert.
Why do women sing about sending men to the afterlife? Well, the answer is clear: they are men. Just look at Luke Bryan’s “Country Girl (Shake It For Me)” (2011), which objectifies a woman and wants her to “shake it for the birds.” The song ultimately belittles a woman down to her body, and incorporates cliche elements of trucks to support its toxic masculinity. This song is only one out of a hundred in a catalog characterized by misogyny.
Still from The Band Perry’s “Better Dig Two” music video. Photo Credit via BMLG from YouTube.
It has been stated that men objectify women while singing about drinking beer and driving their new truck. But does this warrant murdering them? Well… of course not, but it does give context to this oddly common concept in country music. Women have to deal with men writing them off in a stereotypical way that paints them as nothing but a trophy. They have had enough with the lack of respect given to them.
In addition to the misogynistic content that men sing about, it is clear that they also underestimate women. Just look at “Better Dig Two” (2012) by The Band Perry. This song discusses a woman threatening to kill herself and her husband if he ever cheats on her, with the line “it’ll be your name on my last breath.” The tone of this line seems as though it is trying to convince the woman’s husband that she is serious. She means what she says, and what she says is the morbid truth.
Men cheat — another factor that plays into the rage women feel when conspiring their homicidal plots against their former lovers. In almost all of the songs mentioned, cheating is an action that the men commit. Continuing to underestimate women, they do not think that they will get caught. This is not true, as most of these men eventually lay six feet under with the animals they once wanted their women to “shake it” for. Maybe then, they will realize that their trophies were more than capable of just being a hip to be attached to.
Straying away from the reasoning of this topic in country music, we must discuss the topic of its longevity. This theme has been extraordinarily stretched out for about half a century. The concept of women murdering their husbands for revenge has captured society’s attention for a while now. And it looks like this phenomenon will not fade away anytime soon. “No body, no crime (feat. HAIM)” (2020) by Taylor Swift is a perfect example of this. The track was released within the past two years and peaked at number 34 on the Billboard Hot 100 (chart dated: December 26, 2020). These songs are still relevant, and have proven to be mildly successful on the charts.
Women lending a lethal blow to men in the form of clever storytelling is something that cannot be forgotten. These musicians deal a deck of cards so unique in their lyricism and voice that listeners feel their anger. Country music is generally frowned upon by Gen Z, but taking a deeper glance will reveal that there is much more to the genre than people think. In fact, it perfectly captures a distinct perspective through captivating and interesting tales. The perspective of being the victim to a man’s need to satisfy his own desires and nobody else’s.
Written by Adrian Ceja.
Featured Image via SME of Carrie Underwood’s “Two Black Cadillacs” Music Video.