4GBs

This song’s interest lies in the contrast between the traditional, countrifried musical setting and the provocative subject matter. Bob’s an ambiguous fellal; even his name is a palindrome. The tension in the lyrics between straight Bob and gay Bob (“he might kneel but he never bends over”; “Bob ain’t exactly scared of women / he’s just got his own way of livin’”) makes us wonder if Bob is the product of a strict society that wouldn’t stand for alternative lifestyles or if he’s simply too introverted to venture out and meet a woman, get married, etc. (not that the two are equivalent). Perhaps his mom is the problem; we are told that “every week at the beauty shop” she hears of “of another woman made another man disappear.” We feel like she’s been saying these thing to Bob his whole life, and clearly Bob’s father isn’t around.

I dunno… for a 2 minute song, it’s a pretty compelling little character sketch.

Verse/Chorus 1: Bob goes to church every Sunday, Every Sunday that the fish ain’t biting / Bob never has to have dinner with the preacher, cause Bob never bothered getting married / He likes to drink a beer or two every now and again, he always had more dogs than he ever had friends / Bob ain’t light in the loafers, he might kneel but he never bends over

V/C 2: Bob takes care of his mama, she’s the only one he lets call him Robert / She don’t drive anymore so he takes her to the store / and keeps her yard looking just like she wants it / Every week at the beauty shop Bob’s mama hears
of another woman made another man disappear / Robert ain’t exactly scared of women, he’s just got his own way of living

Bridge: Bob’s still got an antenna on a pole two channels come in, two more come and go / He used to watch the news but he don’t anymore, ain’t none of it new it’s the same as before / He figures all any of it’s any good for is keeping every bored till there ain’t nobody like Bob anymore

V/C 3: Bob takes care of his mama / she’s a mess but he feels like he oughta / How big a mess today? Ask Bob he’ll say,
“She’s a big one and she’s gonna be a lotta” / He likes to drink a beer or two every now and again, / he always had more dogs than he ever had friends / Bob ain’t light in the loafers, he might kneel but he never bends over

Album Info: Brigher Than Creation’s Dark (2008)

Live at Cat’s Cradle, Carrboro, NC (where I used to live and saw many shows).