Song Review – Jason Isbell’s “Something More Than Free”
With the passing of the Homestead Act and the dawning of America’s agrarian identity, the heartland was opened up for settlement to a host of earnest and hungry dreamers looking to make a legacy for themselves and their families by carving out pieces of humble land and sewing their love into the earth through sweat and toil. For years family trees branched out in sprouts of prosperity as strong crops made deep roots in farmland handed down from father to son, and son to grandson. Meanwhile at crossroads, and in the shadows of grain elevators, little shops were opened and small towns sprung to life where a sense of idyllic community was allowed to thrive as the train whistle announced the arrival of industrial goods that made life a little easier, and the departure of the people’s hard-earned agricultural efforts to market on one of the coasts.
So many promises were made, and so many dreams were wrought in that hardscrabble earth as it gave way to plow and tractor. And then the rain suddenly ceased. And then it ceased for another year, and then another. And then the dust blew, and putting people and crops where they probably didn’t belong in the first place brought economic calamity of grand proportions. Then when the war came and went, automation made the family farm obsolete, inefficient, and unnecessary. Communities built upon many generations of love and family and friendships were ravaged due to migrations of economic necessity. But a few hearty souls still held on, because they had nowhere else to go since they had no perspective of the world beyond the county line. Try telling someone whose mother and father were buried 200 yards from where they were born, and who was baptized in the same church their grandparents were married in that they should move to find better luck. Their ancestors were the ones that bore that burden, and it’s their job to hold on so all of those efforts don’t go forgotten and get plowed under by progress.
It’s a tale of two worlds, and two perspectives. In the epicenters of American prosperity, opulence makes everyday trifles feel like tragedy. The adolescent gestation period stretches into the late 20’s, and excess leads to indecision, neurosis, and self-imposed hardship. The question is not about if there will be work, but what work one may choose that will be the most rewarding.
While in the crumbling ruins of America’s agrarian landscape, men and women move like ghosts as they watch the legacies of their forebearers and the communities that fostered their formative memories fall into states of irreconcilable disrepair in hectares of forgotten space. It’s a world where it was once undignified to ask another man for work, and even more undignified to have no work at all. It’s a world where today, the hardship of their ancestors and neighbors make them fancy themselves just lucky to be able to scrape by with enough hard manual labor to try and hold on to parcels of land now valued in pennies, thanking God for any work at all. It’s the thankfulness that comes from knowing first hand of the many who are not so blessed, and deal not just with pain of having to do with less, but the loss of dignity of not being able to provide for one’s self, and one’s family.
This was the important and reminding endowment of perspective that I felt fortunate to have received from Jason Isbell’s song “Something More Than Free.” And to be able to communicate so much through a simple, sparing use of words and a sense of character, is a testament to his songwriting.
Two guns up.
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“Something More Than Free” is the title track to Jason Isbell’s latest record to be released on July 17th. The album is available for pre-order.
July 8, 2015 @ 6:54 pm
Trigger, your review-writing abilities matched Jason Isbell’s songwriting abilities for this one. Beautiful.
July 8, 2015 @ 7:21 pm
Thanks SRM. As I always say, great music inspires great writing.
July 9, 2015 @ 6:00 am
The review is way way way overwritten…the songs ok..i like it..but youre ascribing things in it that arent there
July 9, 2015 @ 7:57 am
Of course it’s overwritten. That’s kind of the point. How annoying it would be if all song reviews were like this? But these were the words that came to me after listening to the song and I felt inclined to share them.
July 9, 2015 @ 6:37 pm
When you review a song like this, I imagine you get the adrenaline boost of knowing you have to rise up and contribute something at least deserving of the song. And for this song, that is TOUGH.
I’ve had this album for 2 months now and I was worried about him becoming unrelatable to me. I didn’t play a single track from it for over 2 weeks because I didn’t want to lose the connection I felt I had to him. He’s sober with an amazing and talented wife. He’s happy. For all he’s been through, God bless him, he deserves it. But where does that leave me, still attempting to drown out failed relationships, drinking and loving those heartbreaking songs? How can he give me another Goddamn Lonely Love or Cigarettes and Wine? Traveling Alone or Songs That She Sang in the Shower? I had a feeling this record was going to be where we parted ways.
I was 100% wrong. If anything, the stories he paints during this album affect me even more than the potential sad song I was hoping to latch on to. Something More Than Free in particular has made an impact on me more than any song I can remember.
His past songs, my favorite songs, helped me get through the nights. Drinking, lonely, sometimes not lonely but still not happy. Those were the hours where Jason Isbell helped. But this album feels like it’s the sun starting to shine through the clouds. Now he’s getting me through my days, and putting things in perspective.
“I’ve been working here, on Monday it’ll be a year. And I can’t recall a day I didn’t wanna disappear. But I keep on showing up, hell bent on growing up, if it takes a lifetime.” (If It Takes A Lifetime)
“I don’t think on why I’m here or where it hurts, Im just lucky to have the work. Sunday morning I’m too tired to go to church, but I thank God for The Word” (Something More Than Free)
“And the day will come, when I’ll find a reason for somebody proud to love a man like me. My back is numb, my hands are freezing. But what I’m working for is something more than free” (Something More Than Free)
(I wasn’t done but have to go. whoops. I can’t just let it go to waste, right)
July 8, 2015 @ 6:58 pm
Excellent song! It’s reminiscent of “Outfit”, but with a much wider scope. The lyric video is perfect too”“ stark and authentic. I thank God to be living at a time when this man is creating music.
July 8, 2015 @ 6:59 pm
Sitting in front row waiting for JI to take stage as I read this. DeJaVu.
July 8, 2015 @ 7:06 pm
I was going to buy the vinyl of this album and after I obtained a copy of it, my vinyl purchase was cemented. I think this new album has 1 up’d ‘Southeastern’. That album was great but the new one is fantastic. You people are going to love it, just wait.
July 8, 2015 @ 7:06 pm
Nice write-up, Trig. There is a lot of truth in what you say, but the demise of the family farm was not primarily an act of God, or a consequence of technology. Its quite a bit more nefarious than that.
Jason Isbell is a good songwriter.
July 9, 2015 @ 7:50 am
Come on, RD. You might as well elaborate on that a little bit.
July 9, 2015 @ 8:09 am
Clint– So edgy with your anti LBTQ icon. Good to know you hate with the best of them.
July 9, 2015 @ 9:15 am
Just as edgy when the homosexuals from the “occupy” groups and “black lives matter” groups burn the American or Confederate flags…
July 9, 2015 @ 9:58 am
For the love of all things holy, let’s NOT turn this into yet another political discussion, please?
July 8, 2015 @ 7:12 pm
Ditto SRM. Love the angle you took on this, Trigger. Cheers. Your writing, whether straight or creative, makes me jealous. Can’t wait to get Isbell’s new work.
July 8, 2015 @ 7:21 pm
Southeastern was one for the ages. Everything released so far from the new record makes me think this will be just as epic. Watching something special here
July 8, 2015 @ 7:23 pm
Beautiful song, combining a sense of wistfulness and nostalgia for rural life with a recognition of the hard work that the lifestyle entails. Isbell is truly one of the greatest songwriters of our era.
I do disagree somewhat with the comments about the “epicenters of American prosperity” in the review, a matter of personal importance to me as someone living in the Bay Area. The comment about the “adolescent gestation period” is contradicted by the fact that even in large metropolitan areas the overwhelming majority (around 80%) of people in the second half of their 20s pay their own rent, generally either living by themselves, with roommates, or with a significant other. Given the high cost of rent, there is no “excess” for the squeezed working class, and the hardships are very real. Also, it is essential to note that large metropolitan areas feature very high levels of inequality, and the poverty rate is much higher than one would expect by just looking at per-capita income.
As an example, new 1-bedroom/1-bathroom apartments in this part of the Silicon Valley go for over $3000 a month. Significant numbers of people whose jobs require to live close to their workplace have no choice but to live in homeless shelters or in their cars. Recently a few towns in the region decided to add insult to injury by banning people from sleeping in their cars overnight.
This is the type of struggle that regular folks face in the supposed “epicenters of prosperity”. Instead of fragmenting the working-class along urban/rural lines, what we need right now is nationwide working-class solidarity to bring about economic justice.
July 9, 2015 @ 7:24 am
You cant be serious with that drivel… are you ?? But then again, you are someone living in the “Bay Area”. Its very sad that my 15 year old son gets it, and you dont.
“adolescent gestation period” is contradicted by the fact that even in large metropolitan areas the overwhelming majority (around 80%) of people in the second half of their 20s pay their own rent, generally either living by themselves, with roommates, or with a significant other. (are those tear drops i see on the screen ???)
So, you invoke the fact that 27, 28, 29, 30 year old ADULTS pay their own rent, or some part there of, as proof they are not adult babies ??? Lol.. sad. Whats your take on the line about you being neurotic pansys… trying to fabricate some script about how you “struggled through the hardships” that we hear from the adult babies so often ?? It can not be overstated or emphasized enough, what would solve the problems of limp adult babies is the long gone reality of a solid punch to the face and some broken bones. Maybe if you knew what it was like to get your ass kicked as a consequence for you being so self centered things would be different for you in the “Bay Area”…
July 9, 2015 @ 7:55 am
Trust me, Ryder. Eric is DEAD serious. He’s crazier than an outhouse rat.
He’s a nice guy though; so try not to be too hard on him.
July 9, 2015 @ 9:47 am
Maybe if you knew what it was like to get your ass kicked as a consequence for you being so self centered things would be different for you in the “Bay Area””¦
That was uncalled for.
July 9, 2015 @ 2:09 pm
Try reading my comment again and learning something instead of just gnashing your teeth.
The fact that so many people are still willing to pay such high rents in large cities across the country while toiling in low-paying jobs shows that they are the opposite of “adult babies”. If anything, the working-class is not complaining nearly enough about the poor living conditions foisted on them by the investor/executive class.
July 10, 2015 @ 8:34 am
Eric,
On this topic, the only thing that can be learned from you, is what political ideology you adhere to, and that you favor it, over pragmatism or reality. Every time these topics come up, you love to meticulously lay out the tenets of your particular brand of leftism.
Young people who are, “still willing to pay such high rents in large cities across the country while toiling in low-paying jobs”, are usually doing so because they place more value in living in a “hip” place, than in being able to take care of themselves. Image, and cultural identity seem to be the most important things in life, for the group of people we’re talking about.
You used the term “working-class”, but I think you’re using that strictly as a reference to income. I’ve always thought it to be partially used to reference income, but equally used to describe a mentality. I’d say there are people, who make around the same amount I do, but who are part of the whiner-class, or the moocher-class. I’ve held a job since I was 13 years old, full-time since I was 16, and all I’ve ever been, is slightly above the poverty line. It doesn’t take much to make me happy. My only complaint is that the IRS confiscates my income, and redistributes it to people who’d rather smoke than eat. I’d be a lot better off is the government would quit taxing my paycheck, and tax me at the checkout line instead.
July 10, 2015 @ 5:04 pm
I will admit that the people who choose to live in expensive areas are to some extent at fault for their own plight. However, as illustrated by the Jason Isbell song (which is the point of the thread after all), agrarian economies are collapsing and expensive metropolitan areas are increasingly where the jobs are. This is why so many people are willing to try their luck in the cities, where they will most likely suffer due to the combination of high rents and low wages, but at least there is a small chance of connecting with the “right people” and gaining a high-paying job.
It is also important to note that due to the loss of mid-wage jobs, de-unionization, and the drop in the inflation-adjusted minimum wage, more working-class people live in poverty or near-poverty than in decades past. You mentioned that you have always lived near the poverty line, and so you can easily imagine what would happen if you fell below it and could no longer afford food, shelter, or health care. This is why programs like Food Stamps, housing assistance, unemployment benefits, etc. are so important. The people receiving them are not “moochers”; in fact, most Food Stamp recipients have jobs, but do not earn enough from those jobs.
July 9, 2015 @ 2:24 pm
By the way, if you want to talk about “adult babies”, you should focus on:
-the hereditary rich who whine about paying estate taxes on their inherited wealth even though they did not do a thing to earn it.
-the members of the investor/executive class who whine about how they will destroy the economy if they do not get tax cuts and deregulation, and then come crying to the government for bailout money when their irresponsible activities end up wrecking the economy anyway.
July 9, 2015 @ 3:48 pm
…and the guy in the mirror.
(Sorry, it had to be said, and you’re too polite).
July 9, 2015 @ 10:51 pm
Ouch, Lester 😉
Thanks for the compliment about politeness. I guess it might have something to do with the fact that I grew up in the Pacific Northwest…
July 10, 2015 @ 8:40 am
Eric,
I’ve never inherited anything, but I’d complain about those taxes too. Why is it ok for the government to tax the same income, over and over again?
You seem to harbor a genuine hatred for people, simply because they have more money than you. I just don’t understand it; it comes off as so weak-minded.
By the way, don’t take advice from the uncouth jester. Your politeness is the one thing about you that’s made an impression on me.
July 10, 2015 @ 1:18 pm
It’s not an issue of hatred. It’s a matter of economic fairness, and the desire that:
1) The actual producers of wealth (a.k.a. the workers) get to keep more of the fruits of their labor rather than leaving them near-impoverished and funneling the bulk of the profits to the executives and investors who simply control the economy. Keys to this are strong labor bargaining rights and an adequate minimum wage.
2) Everyone can enjoy a basic standard of living (with enough food, housing, and health care).
3) We try to accomplish a full-employment economy, abolishing free-trade agreements, making large-scale government investments in infrastructure and energy, and possibly establishing a public bank so that we do not need to rely on private investors, as major tools for doing so.
In order to accomplish #2 and #3, taxes are necessary so that we do not fall into debt and end up like Greece.
July 10, 2015 @ 6:57 pm
“strong labor bargaining rights and an adequate minimum wage.” Eric, this equates to a pay cut for those who have worked their way to a decent wage. It’s a supply-and-demand economy. I was earning half of what I am today when my son was born 6 years ago. A close friend that I worked with was making the same. He always called me a “company man” cause I showed up on time and cared about how much I got done. He is now unemployed and has been on food stamps for years. He works just enough each year to qualify for the Earned Income Credit. I am a carpenter. I make good money for the state/county I live in but am barely into the lower middle class. In other words I just started paying more in tax than I get back so I’m not bitching about my money going to those who aren’t pulling their weight – just bitching for those who are. I have gotten to where I am through hard work, but also because my boss(es) were ambitious enough to start a business. I don’t begrudge them anything for this. I don’t want burger flippers at McDonalds getting fat raises cause it’ll just make me have to spend more for a gallon of milk. EBT cards already cause this inflation. I believe that union driven health insurance raised the rate of healthcare for those without. Supply-and-demand… Good song though.
July 10, 2015 @ 8:12 pm
ShadeGrown,
Back during the 50s and 60s, the minimum wage was about 80% of the GDP per capita (if that were the case today, it would be at $21/hour!) and unionization rates were at record highs, and yet the inflation rate was very low. The fact is that inflation is far more related to monetary policy than to low-end wages.
On the other hand, low-wage workers will spend almost all of their income by necessity, and therefore raising their wages would help in growing the economy across all sectors.
July 10, 2015 @ 9:44 pm
So the poorest would make more and so would I… So neither of us would be any better off. Wages certainly haven’t kept up with inflation for most of us. But our lifestyles are better in a lot of ways. Even the poorest people today generally have cell phones, cable TV, Internet – which I can’t afford, microwaves, etc…. All things in the 50s and 60s either were unfathomable or held by only the richest families. The poor aren’t struggling like many lead on. The free market should decide who earns what and those who deserve it will get ahead or find a better paying job. And for those who insist on living where the cost of living exceeds their income… Fuck ’em.
July 10, 2015 @ 9:59 pm
The point is that in the 50s and 60s, wages rose much faster than inflation. The idea that wage increases have any significant effect on inflation is not borne out by the historical data. Inflation is overwhelmingly the result of Federal Reserve monetary policy. The key conflict here is between wages and investor/corporate profits. In the last several decades, the percentage of economic growth swallowed up by investor/corporate profits has vastly increased while the percentage going to worker wages has vastly shrunk.
July 11, 2015 @ 5:33 am
The lifestyles of our the poor today is better than the lifestyles of our middle class just 40 years ago. A lot of this is because of corporate competition bringing prices down. A DVD player costs a fraction of what VCR cost in the 80s… Downside of course being many jobs have left for cheaper labor. Free trade has certainly damaged our labor market and I don’t know that this higher standard of living is worth the cost of better paying jobs but if you asked everyone to give up a couple gadgets to change this many wouldn’t be willing. I get that not everyone who is unemployed and living off entitlements wants to stay there but there are far to many who are ok with it. Also, for proof that higher wages directly affects inflation just look to most big cities, the closest to me being Seattle. Wages are much higher there than here in north Idaho. But everything, and I mean everything costs more. No doubt a year or 2 from now when their minimum wage hike to $15 catches up with them it will be even worse. If 20% of the population gets a fat raise the other 80% takes a pay cut. This is a huge part of inflation as is our government continually spending money on entitlements – all money that has been borrowed. I wouldnt be opposed to raising taxes if it were to bring down the debt or actually went to infrastructure but it’s always about giving more to the liberal voting block and trying to get more and more people to join the entitlement class. This is why the left wants amnesty for illegals and unfortunately why the right would be stupid to oppose it. Problem is we are fast moving to where there will be fewer of us contributing taxes than folks milking the system.
July 11, 2015 @ 4:43 pm
This will run a bit long, but let’s take these arguments point by point.
“The lifestyles of our the poor today is better than the lifestyles of our middle class just 40 years ago…A DVD player costs a fraction of what VCR cost in the 80s”
For the poor, basic expenses like food, rent, transportation/energy, and health care are far more important than luxuries like DVD players. When adjusted for the general cost of living, median wages have been stagnant for the last 30 years, and wages at the bottom have declined significantly.
“Free trade has certainly damaged our labor market and I don”™t know that this higher standard of living is worth the cost of better paying jobs but if you asked everyone to give up a couple gadgets to change this many wouldn”™t be willing.”
Even if the companies pass on the entire wage increases to consumers, the price increase will be much smaller since wages are only business expense. Nonetheless, the key here is getting the companies to pay for wage increases out of their profits, executive salaries, and payouts to investors rather than passing it on to consumers. Apple, for example, is the most profitable company in the world, and can absolutely afford to produce their gadgets in America without raising prices by a cent. This is why, in addition to a strong labor movement to keep wages high, we also need a strong consumer movement to keep prices down and thereby squeeze the profiteers from both sides.
“Also, for proof that higher wages directly affects inflation just look to most big cities, the closest to me being Seattle. Wages are much higher there than here in north Idaho. But everything, and I mean everything costs more.”
The important difference between regions is house prices, which are affected by many factors other than wages, such as population density, availability of outlying land, “desirability” (job availability, cultural amenities, presence of universities, school district quality, etc.), and zoning laws.
In general, suburbs have lower house prices per square foot than cities, even though suburbanites generally earn higher wages.
Also, just for fun, I decided to compare the median home prices to the median income for the 27 largest metropolitan areas. I found a very weak correlation between income and house price. Atlanta, for example, is the 7th richest metropolitan area, but its median house price ranks 22nd. Minneapolis is the 5th richest, but ranks 17th in house prices. Detroit is the 11th richest, but its house prices rank 23rd.
On the other hand, San Diego is the 14th richest (around the middle of the list), but its house prices are the 2nd highest. Los Angeles in 17th in income, but 4th highest in house prices. Miami is 25th in income (near the bottom), but 9th highest in house prices.
Also, keep in mind that these are median incomes. House prices tend to be disproportionately affected by the higher strata of wages, and so minimum wage would have an even lower impact on housing prices than median incomes would.
“No doubt a year or 2 from now when their minimum wage hike to $15 catches up with them it will be even worse. If 20% of the population gets a fat raise the other 80% takes a pay cut.”
The empirical evidence does not bear this out.
1) Raises in minimum wage have always resulted in wage increases for the middle-class as well. This is because companies want to preserve their hierarchy, and employees just above the bottom level gain the leverage to demand higher wages to stay ahead of those at the bottom level.
2) In the period between the Korean War and the Vietnam War, the minimum wage rose sharply (by 67%), and yet those years featured the lowest inflation rates in modern history (less than 2% per year, often falling below 1%). Fed monetary policy is ultimately far more important than minimum wage when it comes to inflation.
3) Studies of states and localities that raised their minimum wage have shown that a 10% increase results in less than a 1% increase in prices. Even fast-food prices rise only 1.5%, despite the large increase in fast food wages. Given the significant upward impact of wages on the middle-class that I mentioned in point #1, the purchasing power of the middle-class goes up, not down.
So prices do not rise significantly in response to a minimum wage hike. What does increase appreciably, however, is economic growth. This is because consumers have a concept of the inherent value of a product, a measure that remains surprisingly resistant to wage changes. To use a music example, almost anybody can afford to spend $12 to buy an album, but most people choose not to do so even if the music is otherwise unavailable, because they do not see music as worth even that small expense. Even if wages increase, consumers will not be willing to spend measurably more for the same goods in the same amounts. What they instead will do is use the extra money to buy MORE goods, therefore stimulating economic growth and higher employment.
Some of the people who receive wage increases might even be able to save enough money over time to eventually buy a new house, and others might be able to afford the rent for a new apartment (especially in areas with lower housing prices). You, as a carpenter, would certainly benefit from that.
“This is a huge part of inflation as is our government continually spending money on entitlements ”“ all money that has been borrowed.”
This actually brings me to another of the benefits of raising the minimum wage and strengthening unions: reliance on government benefits will decrease and automatically result in lower government spending.
Borrowing money is indeed a major problem, and one of the key reasons for that is the drastic reduction in tax rates for the wealthy since the Reagan presidency. Here’s what I would suggest:
1) New income tax brackets at the top (perhaps 50% over $1 million, 60% over $2 million, etc.)
2) Closing corporate tax loopholes, especially those that encourage outsourcing and the storage of money overseas. That should increase the effective rate significantly from the current 13%.
3) Taxing capital gains as regular income.
4) Increasing the Medicare tax to make the program solvent.
“I wouldnt be opposed to raising taxes if it were to bring down the debt or actually went to infrastructure but it”™s always about giving more to the liberal voting block and trying to get more and more people to join the entitlement class.”
Virtually the entire welfare state was put into place during the period from the FDR presidency through the LBJ presidency. The only benefit program that has been created in the last 45 years is Obamacare, which was a Republican idea to begin with. The Democrats have had plenty of opportunities to expand the welfare state and pay for it with higher taxes in the last 4 decades, but they have largely chosen not to do so. In fact, it was a Democratic president who killed “welfare” itself, the AFDC program.
“Problem is we are fast moving to where there will be fewer of us contributing taxes than folks milking the system.”
The real problem is that we are fast losing the middle-class, and our economy is stratifying into one in which the wealthy investor/executive elite takes almost all of the gains from economic growth, sharing a little with the near-wealthy professional class just to make sure to keep a few allies around, while the bulk of the country toils in low-paying jobs.
Ultimately, this is a question of power. At one time, the working-class was organized enough to both hold significant economic power (through collective bargaining) as well as political power. Sadly, de-unionization has destroyed the power of the working-class, and the political class now only responds to the elite.
July 11, 2015 @ 4:45 pm
wages are only *one* business expense
July 12, 2015 @ 1:03 pm
Eric, you say that basic expenses like food, transportation (I mentioned gas prices), utilities (again I mentioned gas prices…) are more important to the poor than entertainment. My point is that the poor have aren’t going without the entertainment like generations before mine did. My mother is 62 and grew up drinking soda once a year, on the 4th of July. My father grew up without any more than a static filled radio and didn’t even have running water. People once went without to get ahead. They saved. They worked harder than the guy next to them and got somewhere. Kennedy’s famous speech he said ” Ask not what your country can do for you but what you can do for your country.” Problem is nobody votes that way. Today politicians get votes by telling people they have no faults and that the government owes them more. You continue to deny that higher income correlates with higher cost of goods and services. This astounds me. The poorest Americans are better off today than ever before… When is enough enough? Your love of unions? If unions had their way and everyone belonged to a union and everyone had great benefits and over-inflated wages then no one would be doing better because everything would cost more. If workers don’t like what they are paid they should get a job where the boss respects what they offer. If they can’t then obviously the employers believe they are replaceable. If the employer is wrong, start your own business.Oh, wait! The regulation loving left make that kind of difficult…
July 12, 2015 @ 1:16 pm
Also, no one is buying a house on minimum wage. Even a couple who both earn Seattle minimum wages wouldn’t likely get a loan for, and if they did they’d be stupid to buy a house. But my point is that if our government spent less and gave less to the lazy those of us who scrape by might have a few bucks left at the end of each month instead of being completely broke on mortgage week. We might find it easier to get by when we have to get our cars worked on. Saving a buck on milk and eggs is a big deal to a lot of people who aren’t asking for someone else to buy it.
July 12, 2015 @ 2:14 pm
Once again, that is not how demand works. If someone doubles your wages, would you suddenly be willing to pay double for all goods? Of course not, because you already have an idea of how much a product should cost. Any company that hikes prices in such a manner would face hell from consumers and go belly up rather fast.
Instead, workers would demand to use their new income to buy more goods, thereby resulting in economic growth. The historical evidence bears this out.
It is also critical to note that worker wages account for only a fraction of modern corporations”™ net gains. About 40% of gains go to corporate accounts and stockholders. Of the other 60%, a large chunk goes to executive compensation (as an example of the importance of this, the average CEO today earns 400 times what the average worker earns, whereas 50 years ago that ratio was only 30 times). When corporations are forced to raise wages, history shows that they pay for it not by appreciably raising prices or by reducing jobs, but rather by reducing executive pay, profits, and payouts to stockholders, because that is the most profitable path for them. After all, despite their greed, the corporate executives and investors ultimately do not want to destroy their own business.
I will finish this comment with the story of an Idaho company that I have come to love, WinCo. It offers the lowest prices of any major retailer (even less than Walmart), and yet it pays the 2nd highest wages (after Costco) and its employee benefits even beat Costco. How does it accomplish all of these goals? Well, the key is that WinCo is employee-owned and therefore does not need to worry about returns to stockholders or inflated salaries for executives. This is the business model that we need to move toward if regular people are to benefit from our economy.
July 12, 2015 @ 2:18 pm
As for government benefits, they are much more meager than you think. There are no benefits for car repairs. Even Food Stamps pay about $4/day per person. That is pretty much at the threshold of starvation.
July 8, 2015 @ 7:47 pm
I guess he wasn’t blowing smoke about these songs being better than the southeastern batch.
July 8, 2015 @ 8:16 pm
Isbell’s album will go #1 in a genre that he does not try to be in. Country music watch out. Great song writing and singing will trump shitty pop in a few weeks.
July 8, 2015 @ 9:33 pm
Great song and great review! For some reason that I’ve yet to put my finger on, I’ve had trouble getting into Jason Isbell’s music in the past, but I really like this song and I’m looking forward to hearing more from the new album.
July 9, 2015 @ 6:58 am
I’m with you on Isbell. I’ve had a hard time really getting into his music but I do love his song writing and Southeastern is an album that features some great songs.
I like this song, Something More than Free, quite a bit though. Hopefully it will help me delve more into Isbell and appreciate his music as most others do.
July 8, 2015 @ 10:18 pm
Must resist urge to listen..
July 8, 2015 @ 10:20 pm
“I don’t think of why I’m here or where it hurts” takes the song out of character. What I’m saying is this character would never have the mind set to even say this if he didn’t think about it. To be honest, this song is a bit of a laundry list of “working man” lyrics. Compare it to Merle Haggard or even early Steve Earle and it pails. I like Jason but this doesn’t feel very authentic to me. Maybe I’m missing some irony or something but I don’t really believe this. I do like and relate to the line “Sunday morning I’m to tired to go to church.” Also, the tracks and production feel pretty linear and plowed through with little dynamics. I don’t know Jason’s background but I think it’s hard for a songwriter to really become that character if they haven’t experienced it first hand. That “Dress Blues” song he sings feels real to me…
July 8, 2015 @ 11:07 pm
I think the subtleties that Isbell works in is what make this lyric so potent to many listeners. I understand what you’re saying about “I don”™t think of why I”™m here or where it hurts” being out of character. I also agree the production is fairly subdued, but I think it still works.
July 9, 2015 @ 8:24 pm
Actually the character in the song seems bright enough—many blue collar workers are. I took that line as the character giving up something he may have done years ago but realized is pointless. A lot of people these days do the job they do not out of a lifelong dream to be an Office Manager or a Dock Worker or what ever job they are doing. They do the work they do because its the work that is there. Won’t do you any good to think about that too much.
July 9, 2015 @ 6:51 am
I agree that the line is more Isbell thinking about the character rather than the character himself, but I don’t think it is a lack of authenticity or inability to understand the character. I do think it undercuts the song a little, but Isbell comes from a working class background and is writing about his family and perhaps his father in particular, just as he did in Outfit. Family has been a theme in his writing. Can’t get more authentic than that.
July 9, 2015 @ 7:28 am
At least this is a discussion of real lyrics by a real songwriter. Whether he is in the shoes of the character in that moment or whether he steps back for a brief moment as an observer, it is full of substance and meaning. Much like the review, the song conveys a sense of place, being, and loss.
July 9, 2015 @ 4:57 pm
I don’t think it necessarily pales when compared to Haggard or Earle. Those are two very good songwriters who can tell a story with a vivid economy. Maybe Isbell (with this song) isn’t there yet, but he’s certainly darn close. And you’re comparing him to two guys who are at the top of that small heap of songwriters.
Songs are always some sort of Rorschach Test. Our interpretation comes from our own biases. To me, the song is about the emptiness of modern American working life. It is about a guy who is told he should be thankful he has a job, any job, but he looks around and wonders what it has brought him. And he’s tired. (It is ironic the song comes at a time when a major presidential candidate — a guy who was born a multi-millionaire and has never known anything close to a working-class life — says Americans need to work more hours….) The song’s protagonist is too proud to give up, but he’d like to. He knows that as hard as he works, at best he is treading water and he’s even sinking a little each day.
July 9, 2015 @ 6:44 pm
In the songwriting world there’s a saying “Show me, don’t tell me”. The bitter details and colorful pictures are missing. I think a lot of folks on this site are quick to jump on the bandwagon that something is great when it’s only good. I’m not bagging on Jason. I’m just saying this isn’t stellar and won’t stand the test of time. I do think he has accomplished both in the past. Those that would put this in the same league with Springsteen’s Nebraska, Haggard, or Earle… well I don’t know what to tell them. Just because he’s not writing “bro country” doesn’t make him always perfect. Something more than free? How about just the struggle to survive? There is so much great music out there that I refuse to hold up new/younger artists just because they’re better than what’s on country radio today. This is a B- at best and in my book more like a solid C.
July 8, 2015 @ 10:27 pm
Great review. I’ll probably hear echoes of your words whenever I listen to this song from now on. You’re a talented writer.
July 8, 2015 @ 10:36 pm
First of all- Great review Trigger. Beautifully written and very moving.
I’ve had a bootleg copy for a little over a month (with intentions to buy the album on release day), and I have to say nothing grabs me quite like his last batch of songs. It’s miles better than most of the music being released in the Americana genre these days, but I can’t find many lyrics to tie my life to. As an Isbell disciple, it pains me to say I’ve enjoyed the new albums from John Moreland, Chris Stapleton, and even American Aquarium more than the new Isbell album. It’s still a top 10 album of the year, but I was expecting a lock for best album following “Southeastern”. Either way, enjoy y’all!
July 8, 2015 @ 10:53 pm
I’ve heard 24 Frames, Something More than Free, and Palmetto Rose. Love the first two, can’t stand the arrangement in the third. I already know that Palmetto Rose will put a dark smear on the album for me. Lyrically, it’s fine, but the instrumental arrangement annoys the shit out of me.
This song, however, is a beast. I love it.
July 9, 2015 @ 12:38 am
The album was just put on npr first listen. I personally love the album so far as a lot of the context in it fits more to my life and some things that i have been going through.
July 9, 2015 @ 1:00 am
“Speed Trap Town” is one for the books. Hits you right in the feels.
July 9, 2015 @ 7:53 am
“Speed Trap Town” is my early favorite after a 1st listen of the album. He played it when I saw him with Dwight Yoakam and I couldn’t wait for the album to listen to it again. I took a shot at the lyrics earlier while I was listening to it.
Jason Isbell – Speed Trap Town
She said it’s none of my business
But it breaks my heart
Dropped a dozen cheap roses in my shopping cart
Made it out to the truck without breaking down
Everybody knows you in a speed trap town
Well it’s a Thursday night but there’s a high school game
Sneak a bottle up the bleachers and forget my name
These 5a bastards run a shallow cross
It’s a boy’s last dream and a man’s first loss
And it never did occur to me to leave til tonight
And there’s no one left to ask if I’m alright
Sleep until I’m straight enough to drive, then decide
If there’s anything that can’t be left behind
The doctor said daddy wouldn’t make it a year
But the holidays are over and he’s still here
How long can they keep you in the ICU
Veins through the skin like a faded tattoo
Was a tough state trooper til a decade back
When that girl who was a momma caused his heart attack
He didn’t care about us when he was walking around
Just pulling women over in a speed trap town
But it never did occur to me to leave til tonight
When I realized he’ll never be alright
Sign my name and say my last goodbyes, then decide
If there’s nothing here that can’t be left behind
Road got blurry when the sun came up
So I slept a couple hours in the pickup truck
Drank a cup of coffee by an Indian mound
A thousand miles away from that speed trap town
A thousand miles away from that speed trap town
July 9, 2015 @ 5:20 am
Holy crap. That’s one of the 1st Isbell songs I’ve really liked (there was 1 other I can’t remember that someone here recommended and it was awesome). Not sure what it is, but I’ve just never been able to get into his music. At all.
I’ve always realizd he writes great songs, but there’s just something about his sound/style/voice (not sure what, exactly) that doesn’t quite click for me-but not on this one. This one’s great!
July 9, 2015 @ 6:44 am
Your second paragraph sums up my feelings about Jason Isbell as well (prior to this song).
July 9, 2015 @ 3:56 pm
Try Live in Alabama. I really think that the versions of Dress Blues, Alabama Pines and Razor Town, in particular, vastly outshine the studio cuts.
July 9, 2015 @ 5:37 am
Feels a little Springsteeny to me (in a great way) without going all the way to becoming a full-on “story song” — it’s a natural next step for Isbell after the super-personal, relationship-driven Southeastern seems to me….I can’t understand the idea expressed above that this character wouldn’t wonder (or avoid thinking about) “why I’m here”, that existential question hits a simple man hardest many times, and takes the most courage to consider…
July 9, 2015 @ 5:40 am
It reminds a bit of some earlier John Mellencamp or even Springsteen pieces (think The River or Nebraska).
And your review, Trig, was eloquent all by itself.
g
July 9, 2015 @ 6:51 am
I have yet to be turned on by this guy’s music. I want to like him, but something about him leaves a lot to be desired. I do like this song though. So, I plan on giving new Album a chance.
July 9, 2015 @ 8:50 am
In my opinion, Jason Isbell is the best songwriter there is right now. The lyrics in his songs are incredible, cannot wait for the new album.
July 9, 2015 @ 9:12 am
this guy is ALL hype, the lyrics are cheesy and say nothing we haven’t heard before.boring song.
July 9, 2015 @ 9:22 am
are you kidding me?? you’re on a “saving country music site” and think he’s all hype and his lyrics are cheesy? Go listen to Luke Bryan or FGL, maybe they’ll have some deeper songs for you….
July 9, 2015 @ 10:00 am
Luke Georgia Aldean are the absolute worst of all time but that doesn’t mean I have to listen to a boring song about the working class by a guy who has never worked a hard day in his life
July 9, 2015 @ 10:12 am
Wow….so by your logic people have to have lived everything they write? That makes no sense to me, I’m sorry.
So because Alan Jackson is a multi-millionaire, “Little Man” is automatically trash? Johnny Cash never killed his wife while high on cocaine, but “Cocaine Blues” is awesome.
That’s fine if you don’t like Isbell, I admit I am a huge fan, but using the whole “he cant write about the working class when he isnt one” is a weak argument. Music and entertainment as a whole are filled with people of varying backgrounds writing and singing music, books, movies, TV, etc. What matters above all else is talent and the ability to write and sing and make the stuff you are singing about believable and real.
July 10, 2015 @ 6:11 am
The fact is, he is working class in terms of background., even if he got out and went to college. This song is really about his father and his family. But the idea of authenticity as living a hard life is overblown. For every Haggard, there is a Kris Kristofferson, Townes van Zandt, Guy Clark or Robert Earl Keen. Those are just a few songwriters I could name who are/were college educated and from relatively well off families, but who are never questioned on their “authenticity.” Hell, Kristofferson was a Rhodes Scholar and was set to teach English at West Point, until he resigned his commission.
You are entitled to your opinion of Isbell’s music, but the authenticity argument doesn’t fly.
July 9, 2015 @ 11:39 am
I guess all the years he spent busting his ass on the road before he started to get some acclaim don’t count as work.
Then again, if someone thinks Isbell’s lyrics are “cheesy” I probably wouldn’t put much weight in their opinion.
July 9, 2015 @ 2:59 pm
Furthermore, Isbell is still–at best–a mid-level artist. You dont see Isbell doing stadium shows. The guy may have graduated from the bar band scene, but this isnt someone like Kenny Chesney writing/cutting this song.
July 9, 2015 @ 10:01 am
Hey, everyone has their right to an opinion. “Boring” I could understand, I guess. “Cheesy” seems a little far fetched. But hey, not every song appeals to everyone.
July 9, 2015 @ 9:15 am
It”™s a world where it was once undignified to ask another man for work, and even more undignified to have no work at all.
==============================================================================
Now, we have a world where it is not considered undignified to live off the fruits of another man’s labors.
July 9, 2015 @ 3:57 pm
Hahahaha, ooooookay.
July 10, 2015 @ 7:33 pm
So it is ok for someone to mooch off another person? Why should a hard worker pay for a couch potato?
July 11, 2015 @ 6:19 pm
Oh, I’m not laughing because I think it’s okay to mooch. I’m laughing because you apparently believe that the issue is about people mooching, and hard workers paying for couch potatoes.
These “moochers” want to pull themselves up by their own bootstraps just as much as any “hard worker” does.
They’re just asking for a pair of boots.
July 9, 2015 @ 6:18 pm
Unfortunately. Not a fair trade.
July 11, 2015 @ 6:30 pm
Food Stamps provide only $5/day per person. Public housing has become dilapidated and often dangerous. In many states, most people under the poverty line do not even have access to Medicaid.
Do you really think that any large number of people would rather live under such conditions than get a job in which they can at least pay for decent-quality basic needs and have a chance at higher wages over time?
The problem is that there just are not enough jobs being created by the private sector, and even the ones that are being created pay so little that the employees need to often rely on additional benefits from the government just to cover basic expenses.
July 9, 2015 @ 9:33 am
Very poignant review, amigo.
The video reminds me a lot of our family farm, which has been in the family ~ 80 or so years.
We still farm it, even though I’m a lawyer and my wife owns and operates a home and garden store.
The demise of the American family farm is very real.
We have industrialization and commercialization in every direction.
Jason Isbell is quite a cerebral guy.
I will certainly pick up this CD when it hits the store tomorrow.
I liked Jason when he was with the DBTs, and I like him now as a very cerebral singer-songwriter.
I got sober about the same time in life that he did, and I certainly view the world through different prism that I did when I was drinking and acting foolish all the time.
It’s interesting to see him grow as someone who is blessed with the opportunity of getting sober.
July 9, 2015 @ 9:35 am
CAH, it comes out next Friday, not tomorrow.
July 9, 2015 @ 11:40 am
Thanks, Jack.
July 9, 2015 @ 9:47 am
NPR is streaming the entire album currently. http://www.npr.org/2015/07/08/420588068/first-listen-jason-isbell-something-more-than-free you’re welcome
July 9, 2015 @ 3:58 pm
I just came here to say that! Woo!
July 9, 2015 @ 10:51 am
That was maybe the best written song review I have ever read. Great song, from an amazing album. It does not disappoint.
July 9, 2015 @ 1:32 pm
I listened to the album last night.That was a nice surprise after work.
It’s amazing. But there was never any doubt.
July 9, 2015 @ 7:48 pm
Honestly, it’s a little too chill for me. The production is more like his first couple of albums than the captivating rawness of Southeastern.
July 9, 2015 @ 8:15 pm
That may be a fair assessment.
Granted, I did listen to it at about 0100hrs, so maybe that had it’s own effect on my listening experience to it.
July 10, 2015 @ 12:03 pm
Yeah, I just get the feeling that I’ll like the eventual live versions of these songs a lot better.
Seriously, Live in Alabama is still my second-favorite thing he’s released.
July 9, 2015 @ 6:17 pm
I don’t usually like Isbell’s stuff mostly cause I don’t care for the sound of his voice in companion with the emotional themes… But this is a really good, very well written and perfectly sung tune.
July 9, 2015 @ 6:35 pm
this is right up there with your best reviews. killed it.
July 9, 2015 @ 6:53 pm
this song rips. sounds like Kenny Rogers more than anything else to me.
July 9, 2015 @ 7:46 pm
Well, any doubts I had about Something More Than Free (the album) are basically gone. A fantastic song.
July 10, 2015 @ 7:39 am
I preordered the album last month. Been uber-excited about it. After listening to the entire album on NPR, I am freakin jacked. “Children of Children” is awesome. There is definitely a Neil Young feel to it. “If It Takes a Lifetime” hits home for me. I understand where he is coming from. After being an outlaw for so long, it takes time and effort to try to be a family man, to try to be the best man you can be. I’m getting married in a few months. Trying to straighten yourself up is tough. Maybe it’s just me, but I really dig the new album.
July 10, 2015 @ 8:50 am
Something More Than Fee is streaming in its entirety on NPR, not sure if this has been brought up anywhere
http://www.npr.org/2015/07/08/420588068/first-listen-jason-isbell-something-more-than-free?utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=storiesfromnpr&utm_medium=twitter&utm_source=twitterfeed
July 10, 2015 @ 1:59 pm
Great thoughtful review,great song… Isbell is a rare breed. Thank you Trigger…from Nigeria
July 10, 2015 @ 6:57 pm
Isbell is a complete stud and badass songwriter
July 10, 2015 @ 7:32 pm
It is guys like Jason that show me country music does not need saving. It exist you are just not going to find it with the mainstream audience. In some ways I like it this way, never feels right when I like what is popular with everyone else. The thing that sucks is those making the best music are not the ones getting paid. Keep it up trigger, you are doing these artist right by giving them the attention they deserve.
July 10, 2015 @ 7:51 pm
Isbell said, “When two musicians are playing at the same time, both have the ability to react. When you’re playing with something that has already been recorded, only one person has the ability to react. It sounds obvious, but really makes a big difference to me, because the pocket winds up being tighter, the groove winds up being better, and you end up with a record that’s a lot more soulful.”
That’s real music no matter what label someone slaps on it.
July 11, 2015 @ 3:30 pm
The anticipation I have for you to review this album is killing me. I know you listened to it several times since its been streaming on npr. I think it’s amazing. I assume you are not posting a review yet so when you do it’s right when the album is being released to help boost his sales? Speed trap town is my favorite so far.
July 11, 2015 @ 3:49 pm
I usually wait until an album is released to post a review, but with the new Friday release date, I may have to re-evaluate that to some extent. I may post some reviews on Thursday night, we’ll see. Friday is just a hard day to focus on because it’s right before the weekend. This is going to be an interesting challenge moving forward, and it could affect independent artists more than mainstream.