Song analysis time!

So, today I’m bringing you all solid proof that songs can tell solid stories. And, in honor of the CMT Awards that showed last night, Two Black Cadillacs by Carrie Underwood is my proof.

Now, the lyrics for this piece are pretty straightforward and… well, they really do tell a story, so I’m actually not going to comment on them at all until after you get a chance to read through them.

Also, if you haven’t hear the song before… I would go on ahead and read the lyrics first, and then check out the link to the music video above to get a visual to go along with them! If you have heard the song before… read the lyrics or watch the video first, I don’t mind which.

But, anyway, here’s the lyrics to read real fast…

Two black Cadillacs driving in a slow parade
Headlights shining bright in the middle of the day
One is for his wife,
The other for the woman who loved him at night
Two black Cadillacs meeting for the first time

And the preacher said he was a good man
And his brother said he was a good friend
But the women in the two black veils didn’t bother to cry
Bye, Bye Bye, Bye
Yeah they took turns laying a rose down
Threw a handful of dirt into the deep ground
He’s not the only one who had a secret to hide
Bye bye, bye bye, bye Bye

Two black Cadillacs, two black Cadillacs

Two months ago his wife called the number on his phone
Turns out he’d been lying to both of them for oh so long
They decided then he’d never get away with doing this to them
Two black Cadillacs waiting for the right time, right time

And the preacher said he was a good man
And his brother said he was a good friend
But the women in the two black veils didn’t bother to cry
Bye bye, Bye bye
Yeah they took turns laying a rose down
Threw a handful of dirt into the deep ground
He’s not the only one who had a secret to hide
Bye bye, bye bye, bye bye
Yeah yeah

It was the first and the last time they saw each other face to face
They shared a crimson smile and just walked away
And left the secret at the grave

And the preacher said he was a good man
And his brother said he was a good friend
But the women in the two black veils they didn’t bother to cry
Bye bye, Bye bye
Yeah they took turns laying a rose down
Threw a handful of dirt into the deep ground
He’s not the only one who had a secret to hide
Bye bye, bye bye, bye bye
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah

So, what is this song/story about?

I’ll admit that for the longest time, I didn’t really know and I didn’t really think much about the lyrics whenever I listened to this song… but, one day I randomly decided to look up the words, and then I finally figured it out.

Two Black Cadillacs “address[es] the story of two women who, when they realize they are both involved with the same guy, set aside their differences and decide to kill him” (Wikipedia). I know… yikes, right?

Either way, though, you have to give kudos to the songwriters for telling just enough of the story in the lyrics for you to understand what’s going on, but also be able put the pieces together on your own as well. And, as Kear (who worked on the song with Carrie) says, “This kind of song is really tricky because you need enough detail to tell the story and keep it interesting without it becoming so graphic that it’s unpleasant to listen to more than once. I think we managed to pull that off.” And I’d defiantly agree that they pulled it off pretty well.

I also feel like this song can serve as inspiration for story writing… not, like, specifically for the certain story it tells… just in general. I mean, the balance it has in the words it uses and the way it does its story telling… I feel like just listening to this song during my writing sessions helps me work more efficiently, just because it kind of puts me in the mood. Maybe that’s just me, though.

All in all, though, I just wanted to have a short discussion over this song today. I mean… it’s some of the best proof I have behind my whole ‘songs always tell stories’ theory, and I wanted to give it the credit where credit’s due.

Let me know what you thought or if this song is one of your favorites, too!

-iKari