People I have underestimated

Part One: Kasey Chambers

I always though that Kasey Chambers’ early solo work was a bit one dimensional. With songs like Cry like a baby, The Captain, Not Pretty Enough, Like a River, and more like that, I thought that there was some decent country music going on but the songs lacked a certain spark.

I have underestimated this woman. I know this now because I have heard the last track from her first solo album. It is cheerfully titled “We’re all going to die some day”

It starts out sounding like a pretty typical country song. The chorus tells us

We’re all going to die some day, Lord/ We’re all going to die some day/
Mama’s on pills, daddy’s over the hill/ We’re all going to die some day

Things pick up quickly as the first verse progresses from “it hurts down here on earth Lord” to “It hurts down here ‘cause we’re running out of beer”

The second verse contains the fabulous line “Janie got stoned ‘cos she couldn’t get boned” which is hard to top, but it’s the last verse that really brings it home. And here it is:

Well they can all kiss my ass, Lord/ They can all kiss my ass/
If they want to kiss my ass/ well they better do it fast/
‘Cos we’re all gonna die some day.

Pure. Country. Gold.

I will never underestimate this woman again.