(Evidently there's not an official video for this? Weird.)
Written by Stan Lynch, Stephony Smith, and Jeff Stevens and recorded by Tim McGraw, this song waxes nostalgic for a nicer, sweeter, more innocent time. What's bothered me, though, is that I can't quite figure out what time it is he wants back. Tim sings:
Peanuts in a bottle
At ten, two and four
A fried bologna sandwich
With mayo and tomato
Sittin' round the table
Don't happen much anymore
We got too complicated
It's all way over-rated
I like the old and out-dated
Way of life
Back when a hoe was a hoe
Coke was a coke
And crack's what you were doing
When you were cracking jokes
Back when a screw was a screw
The wind was all that blew
And when you said I'm down with that
Well it meant you had the flu
I miss back when
I miss back when
I miss back when
I love my records
Black, shiny vinyl
Clicks and pops
And white noise
Man they sounded fine
I had my favorite stations
The ones that played them all
Country, soul and rock-and-roll
What happened to those times?
I've seen people put peanuts in Pepsi as recently as 2007, but I haven't been looking recently. I'm pretty sure my grandfather still eats fried bologna sandwiches most days. And maybe we're a crazy family, but when I go home to see my parents, we still eat dinner together around the table. I guess Tim hasn't hung out in East Nashville too much, because if he's looking for records, he just needs to find the hipsters (or audiophiles, which, again, is East Nashville).
But Tim (or the writers, rather) uses a list of slang words to refer to a time that he prefers. So let's see when that time was:
When was a "ho" a "hoe"? Some time before 1999 (http://www.etymonline.com).
When was coke a Coke? Sometime before 1908. (Although "Coke" wasn't trademarked by Coca-Cola until 1944, according to Wiki.)
Crack was crack cocaine by 1986.
Screw meaning DOING IT dates to 1926.
Blow has referred to fellatio since 1933.
"Down with that" dates to the 1990s.
I don't know. Maybe Tim is nostalgic for 1907? I don't know that I would be. Some terrible things happened that year. I don't think it was all that better than 2010, to be honest.
Look, I get the whole nostalgia thing. I do. I often think that college was better in the 70s. Cooler hair, lots of disco, fun rock music, no cell phones. But in 20 years, people will be saying the same thing about the early 2000s. It's pointless. But if you're going to be all sentimental about times gone by, then at least figure out what time period it is you're actually missing. Come on, Tim.
