I think just about every American is feeling the effects of surging gas prices across the country right now.
While Shaq recently dished out some advice about how to ease the pain of filling up at the moment (albeit it was very confusing and made my brain hurt), there’s only so much you can do if you’re getting close to empty and need to head to the pump.
And every time I’ve gone to get gas recently, I’ve thought of two different songs when I swipe my card: Eric Church’s “Before She Does” and Riley Green’s “I Wish Grandpa’s Never Died,”, because of their references to high gas prices.
It got me thinking about all the other country songs out there that mention gasoline, and while we’ve experienced paying outrages prices plenty of times before for various reasons in the United States, it seems to be at the forefront of everyone’s minds right now with the tragic situation going on in Ukraine.
Of course, you could argue the politics of how we got here and how to get out of it all day long, but ultimately, there’s nothing any of us average Americans can really do about it at the moment.
So, I’ve put together a list of 10 songs I love that, while you probably can’t drive around on a backroad listening to much right now, might make you feel a little bit better about the current state of affairs.
At the very least, it will hopefully remind you of a country song that you loved during a simpler time, long before we were paying $4 a gallon plus for gas…
1. “I Wish Grandpa’s Never Died” – Riley Green
“I wish the price of gas was low, and cotton was high…”
Don’t we all, Riley:
2. “Before She Does” – Eric Church
“I believe that gas, is too damn high, ain’t nothin’ more American than mama’s apple pie.”
Preach it, Chief.
3. “Automatic” – Miranda Lambert
“If we drove all the way to Dallas just to buy an Easter dress, we’d take along a Rand McNally, stand in line to pay for gas.”
There ain’t gonna be no driving to Dallas, or many other places, for the foreseeable future:
4. “Something To Be Proud Of” – Montgomery Gentry
“I sure do miss that old hot rod, but you sure save gas in them foreign jobs.”
Not even getting into this one…
5. “Up” – Shania Twain
“Even something as simple as forgettin’ to fill up on gas, there ain’t no explanation why, things like that can make you cry.”
Except, I wish I could forget to fill up right now and I will 100% be crying about it on the way home.
6. “Howlin’ At The Moon” – Hank Williams
“I rode my horse to town today and a gas pump we did pass, I pulled ‘im up and I hollered, ‘Whoa!’ and said, ‘Fill him up with gas.'”
I almost looked up horseback riding lessons the other day. Thank God I work from home (and prayers for everyone who commutes right now):
7. “Somebody To Care” – Tanya Tucker
“Cause all he thought he needed was a little bit of cash to roll on, a good set of wheels and some gas to get him there.”
Ladies, if he can afford to fill up right now, MARRY HIM:
8. “The Crude Oil Blues” – Jerry Reed
“Hey I read a sign on the pump at my favorite gas station the other day, it said uh, “He who expecteth nothin’ ain’t gonna be deceived.”
And the Church said AMEN, Jerry.
9. “Little Man” – Alan Jackson
“He pumped your gas and he cleaned your glass, and one cold rainy night he fixed your flat.”
Will he pay for it, too? Where can I find one?
10. “Wrong Side of Memphis” – Trisha Yearwood
“A full tank of gas and a ’69 Tempest, taking me to that Nashville sign.”
This song was released when gas was $1.13 a gallon:
And I don’t think they’re gonna be coming down any time soon…
