When A Former Trailblazer Set The Trailer Ablaze
I love country music and I hope it shows in this homage to the genre. It’s about how leaving a small town to go to a big town (Nashville, in this instance) isn’t always the road to fame, fortune and happiness.
-1-
Once he was the toast of his hometown
Folks all knew that his voice was the best
They said ‘Get that Greyhound to Nashville, son
Your talent will take care of the rest’
And it seems they weren’t whistling Dixie
When he soon scored a big record deal
Where they fixed his teeth, his hair, his tan
The dream was about to get real
-Pre-Chorus-
But pride comes before a fall
One day you find you’re nothing at all
-Chorus-
When a former trailblazer sets the trailer ablaze
You could say he’s having just one of those days
When a former trailblazer sets the trailer ablaze
It must be his pain he’s trying to erase
-2-
Every town has its temptations
Especially one like Music City
And if you can’t resist them there are
folks who don’t know the meaning of pity
Hard drinking, drugs and women
His life was a country song
But he wouldn’t listen to good advice
Friends knew something had to go wrong
-Pre-chorus-
-3-
His last years were spent in a trailer park
And he called himself by a new name
The other folks that were living there
Had no inkling of his former fame
And no one could say for sure
If he meant to torch his home
But the flames at the park lit up the dark
As he died, drunk ,broke and alone
-Pre-Chorus-
-Chorus-
When a former trailblazer sets the trailer ablaze
You could say he’s having just one of those days
When a former trailblazer sets the trailer ablaze
It must be his pain he’s trying to erase
-Ends-
Thanks Phil, that put a smile on my face, which was weird for a song about someone who dies horrendously in a fire
A classic tale. The first line of the chorus is a great one!
Thanks for the kind comments Ian and Mark. This was a fun one to write as the title came to me while driving and I knew it was a keeper (I pulled over and wrote it down!) and the rest kind of followed logically. I love country music because all life is there and and I’m glad you saw the humour in it Ian, beause there is a lot of bathos in country music, of course. I was determined to get maximum bang for my buck, Mark, by using the title in lines one and three of the chorus – subtle I ain’t. Cheers guys.
A cautionary tale of fame-chasing – perfect country fodder. I love that chorus!
Thanks, Kris. I love country music and I hope that shows in this song. Cheers.
Well done, Phil. I like a story song, and this is a really well-told one, right in the country tradition. I like the play on words that the whole song is built around – it’s given the song a good memorable hook.
very country
As mentioned on FB, Phil, when I saw the title, I knew we had a Phil Godsell special on our hands, and I wasn’t disappointed. A tragic tale of epic proportions told in your inimitable style. I’m glad to take this opportunity to listen again . Bravo!! 👏👏
“Toast of his hometown “! I just got it. 😆🤠. I can be a bit slow.
Thanks, Neet, Paul and Suzanne for the kind words. I’m a bit of a country music nut, so this was right up my street. Thanks for mentioning the title, Suzaanne, it came to me when I Was driving, and I pulled over to capture it on my phone! Paul: I love story songs, particularly those from Texas where people seem to be natural story tellers. I guess this is an homage to them. Cheers.
Yee Ha Pardner. Right up your street indeed Phil. Great stuff
Cheers, Huw. I’ve been waiting for country to be the Challenge ever since the Challenges started!
That’s brilliant Phil, I wonder if it says something about me that a song about someone dying in a fire made me smile!!!!
Yes, it is a bit of an odd song. However, the title (which came to me while driving) was too good to ignore, and kind of dictated the narrative. Cheers.