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* DeadSparks: "Bad Enough."
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* DeadSparks: "Bad Enough."
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* DeadSparks: "Bad Enough."DoubleMeaningTitle: "We Can't Make It Here"--the manufacturing jobs (i.e. making things) have been moved away, and as a result the residents can't make a living anymore.
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* StepfordSmiler: The narrator of "Rachel's Song."
-->''And I'm all alone, it's all right''\\
''It isn't gonna wound my pride''\\
''If anyone can claim they're all right''\\
''So can I''
-->''And I'm all alone, it's all right''\\
''It isn't gonna wound my pride''\\
''If anyone can claim they're all right''\\
''So can I''
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* NiceHat: [=McMurtry=] seems to own fedoras in several different colors. His "don't-give-a-damn" musical persona helps make the look work, avoiding the [[{{Narm}} unfortunate]] connotations that that style has acquired in recent years.
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* SignatureHeadgear: [=McMurtry=] seems to own fedoras in several different colors. His "don't-give-a-damn" musical persona helps make the look work, avoiding the [[{{Narm}} unfortunate]] connotations that that style has acquired in recent years.
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''Their shit don't stink and [[AdultFear their kids won't bleed]]''\\
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''Their shit don't stink and [[AdultFear their kids won't bleed]]''\\bleed''\\
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* NewOldWest: Several of his songs, but particularly "South Dakota" and "Lights of Cheyenne."
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* UsefulNotes/TheWarOnTerror: Referenced in several songs from ''Childish Things'', ''Just Us Kids'', and ''Complicated Game''.
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* DespairEventHorizon: Alice's unnamed sister in "Fireline Road" is well past it. [[AbusiveParents Nobody can blame her]], but the state still took her kids away.
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* ImAManICantHelpIt: "Fireline Road" puts a very, ''[[ParentalIncest very]]'' dark spin on this trope, arguably to the point of deconstructing it.
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* AwfulWeddedLife: ''Definitely'' the case in "Lights of Cheyenne." "Copper Canteen" initially comes across like this, but there are hints that the couple do love each other, in a [[Theatre/FiddlerOnTheRoof Tevye-and-Golde]], "Well I take care of you don't I?" sort of way.
* BearsAreBadNews: The lyrics of "Slew Foot" show some grudging respect for the titular bear, but he's definitely not a creature you'd want to meet in the woods at night.
* BearsAreBadNews: The lyrics of "Slew Foot" show some grudging respect for the titular bear, but he's definitely not a creature you'd want to meet in the woods at night.
* ComfortingTheWidow: Rumored to be the case with the bridge-tender's widow in "Copper Canteen."
-->''She's sure got the run of the men''\\
''Out here where the pickings are thin''\\
''And there's not much to do''
-->''She's sure got the run of the men''\\
''Out here where the pickings are thin''\\
''And there's not much to do''
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--->''Honey don't you be yellin' at me [[ImpliedDeathThreat when I'm cleanin' my gun]]''\\
''I'll wash the blood off the tailgate when deer season's done''
* DeadSparks: "Bad Enough."
''I'll wash the blood off the tailgate when deer season's done''
* DeadSparks: "Bad Enough."
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* SceneryPorn: About half the lyrics of "Lights of Cheyenne."
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* TallTale: Some of the claims made about "Slew Foot" are, shall we say, implausible. A bear who "ain't never been caught, he ain't never been treed" is one thing; being able to run ninety miles an hour[[note]]145 km/hour for you non-Eaglelanders[[/note]] is quite another.
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Capitalization was fixed from Music.James Mcmurtry to Music.James Mc Murtry. Null edit to update page.
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Ghost wick was fixed on Music.James Mc Murtry.
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* RacistGrandma: One of his most controversial lines, in "12 O'Clock Whistle."
-->''We're going through [[UrbanSegregation n----r town]] honey, lock your doors''\\
'''Course that's not what we're supposed to call them anymore''
-->''We're going through [[UrbanSegregation n----r town]] honey, lock your doors''\\
'''Course that's not what we're supposed to call them anymore''
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* StalkerWithACrush: As the title suggests, "How'm I Gonna Find You Now" is sung from this point of view.
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* StalkerWithACrush: As the title suggests, "How'm I Gonna Find You Now" is sung from this point of view.view.
* StrawCharacter: The narrator and his brother in "State of the Union" may be treating each other this way. It's unclear how accurate the brother's portrayal as "a fascist" who'll "tell you it's tough to be white" is, or his dismissal of the narrator as an unmanly, [[FauxHorrific college-educated]] "snowflake," but the point isn't how accurate these descriptions are--it's how divided the family has become.
* WomenAreWiser: Discussed in "State of the Union," where the narrator's sister tries to limit or avoid conflict in an increasingly divided society, but tries to be prepared for when conflict is inevitable.
-->''Sister lit out 'fore the shouting got worse''\\
''Went to Wednesday night prayer at the new Christian church''\\
''With a cross on her neck and a nine in her purse''\\
''She might be the wisest of us''
* StrawCharacter: The narrator and his brother in "State of the Union" may be treating each other this way. It's unclear how accurate the brother's portrayal as "a fascist" who'll "tell you it's tough to be white" is, or his dismissal of the narrator as an unmanly, [[FauxHorrific college-educated]] "snowflake," but the point isn't how accurate these descriptions are--it's how divided the family has become.
* WomenAreWiser: Discussed in "State of the Union," where the narrator's sister tries to limit or avoid conflict in an increasingly divided society, but tries to be prepared for when conflict is inevitable.
-->''Sister lit out 'fore the shouting got worse''\\
''Went to Wednesday night prayer at the new Christian church''\\
''With a cross on her neck and a nine in her purse''\\
''She might be the wisest of us''
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! Tropes associated with James [=McMurtry's=] work include:
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* BigScrewedUpFamily: "Choctaw Bingo" profiles several members of one. Thank God family reunions only come once a year...
** The family in "State of the Union" is much smaller, but no less screwed up. It serves as a microcosm for the divisions in American society overall in TheNewTens.
** The family in "State of the Union" is much smaller, but no less screwed up. It serves as a microcosm for the divisions in American society overall in TheNewTens.
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* GenreBusting: Appears to be [=McMurtry's=] favorite hobby. Overall, ''Complicated Game'' is his most successful album so far, placing on the U.S. charts for folk, rock, ''and'' indie music, but not on the country charts. His next (and most recent) album, ''The Horses and the Hounds'', has reached #29 on the country charts as of this writing.
* HillbillyMoonshiner: Uncle Slaton in "Choctaw Bingo," who "still makes whiskey 'cause he still knows how." He's graduated to cooking meth, though, because there's not enough money to be had selling moonshine.
* KissingCousins: Actively pursued by the narrator of "Choctaw Bingo."
* HillbillyMoonshiner: Uncle Slaton in "Choctaw Bingo," who "still makes whiskey 'cause he still knows how." He's graduated to cooking meth, though, because there's not enough money to be had selling moonshine.
* KissingCousins: Actively pursued by the narrator of "Choctaw Bingo."
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* RefugeInAudacity: "Choctaw Bingo." Naturally, this makes it one of his most popular songs for live performances.
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* RefugeInAudacity: In case you hadn't picked up on it yet, "Choctaw
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James [=McMurtry=] (born 1962) is an AlternativeCountry/"Americana" singer-songwriter from Fort Worth, Texas. His father, Larry, was an author of Western novels; the best-known of these by far is ''Literature/LonesomeDove'', and James acted in a small part when it was adapted into a mini-series.
[=McMurtry's=] songs tend to revolve around the trials of blue-collar life in FlyoverCountry; many of them lean towards [[SlidingScaleOfIdealismVersusCynicism the cynical]], but there are exceptions, and even his darker work often has a streak of humor running through it. Despite some early collaboration with Music/JohnMellencamp and Music/DwightYoakam, his work has never fit well with "mainstream" tastes in the country genre, possibly related to his unromantic portrayal of American society and his unwillingness to excuse its uglier side. However, like a (much) smaller-scale Johnny Cash, he enjoys crossover appeal among music fans who normally "don't go for country," and for some of [[ThreeChordsAndTheTruth the same reasons]].
[=McMurtry=] is currently based in Austin, with his band The Heartless Bastards. His albums include:
* ''Too Long in the Wasteland'' (1989)
* ''Candyland'' (1992)
* ''Where'd You Hide the Body'' (1995)
* ''Saint Mary of the Woods'' (2002)
* ''Childish Things'' (2005)
* ''Just Us Kids'' (2008)
* ''Complicated Game'' (2015)
* ''The Horses and the Hounds'' (2021)
! Tropes associated with James [=McMurtry's=] work include:
* TheAllegedCar: Drives one in "How'm I Gonna Find You Now." Among other issues, it has a rag instead of a gas cap.
* UsefulNotes/TheAmericanDream: Deconstructed, packed up, and shipped overseas in "We Can't Make It Here."
** "Long Island Sound" treats the concept far more positively. Although the song's tone is definitely bittersweet, with the narrator reflecting on an old flame and possibly wondering what could have been if he'd stayed at home and made it work with her, he's still proud of the life he's made and the family he supports.
* DirtyOldMan: James himself plays this role in [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4bE3DVMwjfw the video]] for "How'm I Gonna Find You Now," although it's a mild example. He (or "his character") seems content to nurse his beer and [[MaleGaze check out the bartender]] without doing anything untoward. The lyrics themselves, though, suggest a StalkerWithACrush...
* DomesticAbuse: "Lights of Cheyenne." The narrator is definitely on the receiving end of it from her husband, but the strained relationships with their children suggest that he didn't stop there.
** Hinted at in "Copper Canteen," although it may be meant as a joke.
* DyingTown: "We Can't Make It Here" portrays life in one.
* NiceHat: [=McMurtry=] seems to own fedoras in several different colors. His "don't-give-a-damn" musical persona helps make the look work, avoiding the [[{{Narm}} unfortunate]] connotations that that style has acquired in recent years.
* ProtestSong: "We Can't Make It Here" is a scathing critique of the American economic system, and the growing gulf between the haves and have-nots.
-->''I can see 'em all now, they haunt my dreams''\\
''All lily-white and squeaky-clean''\\
''They've never known want, they'll never know need''\\
''Their shit don't stink and [[AdultFear their kids won't bleed]]''\\
''Their kids won't bleed in [[UsefulNotes/TheWarOnTerror their damn little war]]''\\
''And we can't make it here anymore''
* RefugeInAudacity: "Choctaw Bingo." Naturally, this makes it one of his most popular songs for live performances.
* StalkerWithACrush: As the title suggests, "How'm I Gonna Find You Now" is sung from this point of view.
[=McMurtry's=] songs tend to revolve around the trials of blue-collar life in FlyoverCountry; many of them lean towards [[SlidingScaleOfIdealismVersusCynicism the cynical]], but there are exceptions, and even his darker work often has a streak of humor running through it. Despite some early collaboration with Music/JohnMellencamp and Music/DwightYoakam, his work has never fit well with "mainstream" tastes in the country genre, possibly related to his unromantic portrayal of American society and his unwillingness to excuse its uglier side. However, like a (much) smaller-scale Johnny Cash, he enjoys crossover appeal among music fans who normally "don't go for country," and for some of [[ThreeChordsAndTheTruth the same reasons]].
[=McMurtry=] is currently based in Austin, with his band The Heartless Bastards. His albums include:
* ''Too Long in the Wasteland'' (1989)
* ''Candyland'' (1992)
* ''Where'd You Hide the Body'' (1995)
* ''Saint Mary of the Woods'' (2002)
* ''Childish Things'' (2005)
* ''Just Us Kids'' (2008)
* ''Complicated Game'' (2015)
* ''The Horses and the Hounds'' (2021)
! Tropes associated with James [=McMurtry's=] work include:
* TheAllegedCar: Drives one in "How'm I Gonna Find You Now." Among other issues, it has a rag instead of a gas cap.
* UsefulNotes/TheAmericanDream: Deconstructed, packed up, and shipped overseas in "We Can't Make It Here."
** "Long Island Sound" treats the concept far more positively. Although the song's tone is definitely bittersweet, with the narrator reflecting on an old flame and possibly wondering what could have been if he'd stayed at home and made it work with her, he's still proud of the life he's made and the family he supports.
* DirtyOldMan: James himself plays this role in [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4bE3DVMwjfw the video]] for "How'm I Gonna Find You Now," although it's a mild example. He (or "his character") seems content to nurse his beer and [[MaleGaze check out the bartender]] without doing anything untoward. The lyrics themselves, though, suggest a StalkerWithACrush...
* DomesticAbuse: "Lights of Cheyenne." The narrator is definitely on the receiving end of it from her husband, but the strained relationships with their children suggest that he didn't stop there.
** Hinted at in "Copper Canteen," although it may be meant as a joke.
* DyingTown: "We Can't Make It Here" portrays life in one.
* NiceHat: [=McMurtry=] seems to own fedoras in several different colors. His "don't-give-a-damn" musical persona helps make the look work, avoiding the [[{{Narm}} unfortunate]] connotations that that style has acquired in recent years.
* ProtestSong: "We Can't Make It Here" is a scathing critique of the American economic system, and the growing gulf between the haves and have-nots.
-->''I can see 'em all now, they haunt my dreams''\\
''All lily-white and squeaky-clean''\\
''They've never known want, they'll never know need''\\
''Their shit don't stink and [[AdultFear their kids won't bleed]]''\\
''Their kids won't bleed in [[UsefulNotes/TheWarOnTerror their damn little war]]''\\
''And we can't make it here anymore''
* RefugeInAudacity: "Choctaw Bingo." Naturally, this makes it one of his most popular songs for live performances.
* StalkerWithACrush: As the title suggests, "How'm I Gonna Find You Now" is sung from this point of view.
