Top Ten Steve Goodman Songs: Between the Lines (#5)

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The Big Sandy & His Fly-Rite Boys show was pretty long last night, so I didn't get a chance to visit Steve Goodman and John Prine. As the country music conference starts next week I won't be starting any more lists (and I have three top 20 lists ready to go!) until after Memorial Day. Anyway, here's my next Goodman song. #5: Between the Lines Every now and then I'll hear a song and think, "Dang, I'll bet (insert someone's name here) could do a great cover of this." I'm rarely right (I was excited when I read R.E.M. was covering my favorite Richard Thompson song, "Wall of Death," for the Beat the Retreat tribute to Thompson, and it turned out to be a huge disappointment), but I really think George Strait could do a good version of this song. Or the Quebe Sisters. Some neo-western swing act needs to, because this is right up that alley. This song makes use of the multiple meanings of phrases. Most of the time when we say "read between the lines" we mean there's a hidden meaning. There's more to that in this song. He begins with the reference to the "line" that is between our birth dates and death dates on our headstones: "the story of your life is written but you must read in between the lines." The "lines" are also pick-up lines: "when someone tells you they love you and no one has ever loved you more, it is wise to stop and consider how many times they might have said that before." All of this philosophy is delivered behind a terrific rhythm that, as I said, would fit right at home on a George Strait or Asleep at the Wheel album. This is a real gem. Between the Lines Written by Steve Goodman and Steve Burgh From Words We Can Dance To, 1976