Until I read this book, a song represented nothing more to me than a mood or a specific event the artist sang about. The deepest lyrics I had ever listened to were probably about one of the singer's tough break-ups. And as for country music, to me it was happy, simple songs about life on the farm. Before reading "Sing Me Back Home," I definitely underestimated the power of a song, especially country songs.
Jennings opened my eyes to the ability of a song to sing not only to your current mood, but also to your lifetime expereinces, the experiences that shape who you are. As he paralleled various country songs with his life, I realized how central they were to his identity, and the identity of others with his lifestyle. They not only got a struggling, angry man through the day, but they also served as a testament to everything he lived through and died for.
Jennings connected the lyrics of each song to a common aspect of country life. However, one of his most powerful and effective strategies to relate country music with country life is his telling of the artists' lives. Suddenly the lyrics become more than rhymes, they epitomize the life of the singer as well as the lives of the listeners. Jennings shows us that country singers are really just musically talented country boys and girls.
This book truly showed me how ignorant I was about music and especially country music. While it was difficult to get through at times for a reader who has never listened to more country than Taylor Swift, it was definitely worth reading and his message was worth learning.
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