Achilles' Choice

The title refers to the movie Troy, which was both a bastardization but also a surprisingly breathtaking rendition of the Iliad. I do not recall that Achilles actually had a choice between long life or great glory presented to him in the actual Greek, and I believe this was an intentional change by the director. After all, being doomed is one kind of sad, but we all know that tragic is all about suffering from your own choices. Othello comes to mind as the perfect tragic hero; he singlehandedly destroys his own life.

Musicians, but country artists in particular, are the last real tragic heroes of our world. Consider the fate of Hank Williams, loving and losing, drunk and high, dying alone in the back of a Cadillac. The Old Guard of Country were given the choice. And they chose glory.

The Weary Kind
-Ryan Bingham

Your heart's on the loose
You rolled them sevens with nothing to lose
And this ain't no place for the weary kind.

You called all your shots
Shooting 8 ball at the corner truck stop
Somehow this don't feel like home anymore.

And this ain't no place for the weary kind
And this ain't no place to lose your mind
And this ain't no place to fall behind
Pick up your crazy heart and give it one more try.

Your body aches
Playing your guitar and sweating out the hate
The days and nights all feel the same.

Whiskey has been a thorn in your side
And it doesn't forget
The highway that calls for your heart inside.

And this ain't no place for the weary kind
And this ain't no place to lose your mind
And this ain't no place to fall behind
Pick up your crazy heart and give it one more try.

Your lovers won't kiss
Its too damn far from your fingertips
You are the man that ruined her world.

Your heart's on the loose
You rolled them sevens with nothing to lose
And this ain't no place for the weary kind.

But now our world is different; this is NOT Sparta. This is a land of no-smoking signs, AA and Taylor Swift singing about prom night. This ain't no place for the Hank Williams of the world.