Why I Just Can't Do Male Country Music These Days

I've been listening to the latest album from Morgan Wallen.  Here is how it is going.  

Born with a beer in my hand

An interesting song about someone who was born into a family of alcoholics, is now sober, but knows that one day they will return to drinking and die.  

Last night

This is about two people being drunk and having sex even though they are in a negative relationship with each other.  

Everything I love

Sad to say he can no longer enjoy all the things he loves because they remind him of a girl. Not even getting drunk because they use to get drunk together.  

Man made a bar

About how men get drunk and sulk when a woman breaks their heart

Devil don’t know

About a guy who is drunk and sad about the woman who left him

One thing at a time

About a guy who is getting drunk so that he can forget a woman who broke his heart

98 braves

Finally got a song with no alcohol but it’s still about a woman breaking his heart

Ain't that some

OK this one is about being country.  Which apparently you have to live in the South and it of course involves drinking.  Sorry for all you good Christians in the South who think you are country but don't drink.  You are not country.  

I wrote the book

He is a good country boy who's good at lots of things, like drinking and fishing and hunting, but not at being a good person.  Needs to read the Bible but doesn't.  

Tennessee numbers

About a guy who is drunk and trying to call his ex who moved out West but she won't pickup because it's a Tennessee number.  

In the bible

OK I jumped ahead for this one because I was curious to see.  There are 36 songs just couldn’t go through them all.  This one is about how he’d be a good disciple if being country was in the bible.  Apparently being country involves being an alcoholic

Dying man (the last song just ran out of steam on this exercise)

Last song is about a guy who was an alcoholic until he met a woman who turned him around.  I’m assuming when she leaves him, like in all the other songs, he’ll return to being an alcoholic and die young like he had intended.  

OK so here is my problem with what is happening around this kind of country music.  It teaches boys that this is what their life should be like growing up.  These are not sad depressing songs, these are songs rejoicing in this idea of being an alcoholic who constantly feel sorry for themselves.  So if you are a 15 year old boy and you are really into Morgan Wallen, well this is the life for you right?  It also is completely disconnected from most everyone I know who lives in the South.  Oh I know these guys too.  I know how their lives end up and it's not pretty.  Believe me I've seen it.  But why can't we get songs about other types of men in the South.  Those who work hard.  Believe in God and not just the idea of it.  Those who are good family men.  Those who are ambitious.  Those who care about other people and want to help others.  Those who truly see everyone, no matter the color of their skin, or their beliefs, as a brother or sister.

I can't decide if Wallen is being paid by the alcohol industry, the truck industry, the cigarette industry, or the communists (sorry was watching Dr. Strangelove last night).  But whatever he's not representing any of the good things I know about the South or what it means to be "country."