Corb Lund – “A Game In Town Like This”
Posted on | November 9, 2009 | 1 Comment
1. When I covered Corb Lund earlier this year, I mentioned that his music might be better described as rural rather than country. His latest single “A Game In Town Like This”, from his new record Losin’ Lately Gambler takes a different approach to that homemade genre, exploring the intricacies of small town life. Like Adam Carroll, Lund has a way with creating characters of incredible depth, often by describing their situation rather than their person. His subtle plot details the song’s breezy rhythm contribute to its immediate appeal.
2. Lund finds himself deep in a game of “crazy pot size” against Asian dealers who, “with all that tax free money/ have deeper pockets than I do”. Though unable to keep up with the action, Lund finds himself naively amused to be playing at all. Later, finding himself in traffic, he reminisces to when his lover would wake upon his early morning return, asking how he came out. Noting that he would “sometimes just say nothing”, he then alludes that he is “livin’ with what [he's] done, leaving the door open for interpretation as to whether that extends beyond his poker losses. He explains, as his “up-all-nighted eyes” mistake a diamond for a heart, and he goes belly up for the last time.
3. He reveals that he left town after that game, but stopped back through to “donate a couple thousand”, noting that he now “knows the cost”. His lovable loser tale fits well with his friend and frequent touring partner Hayes Carll (who he recommended in his 5 Records With interview), who learned the art of the simpleton character from John Prine. Lund’s keeps it simple with the music, and his frank Canadian drawl make this song as easy to like as the character he conjures.
Corb Lund – A Game In Town Like This
Comments
One Response to “Corb Lund – “A Game In Town Like This””
Leave a Reply
November 9th, 2009 @ 11:33 pm
It’s such a great song. It’s actually the one that made me go back and buy some of his earlier stuff.