Greatest Hits-From the Beginning - Tritt, Travis (CD 1995)

Travis Tritt, has a very large variety of country style songs, from honky tonk, two steppin tunes, to romantic slow dancin tunes. Over the years, he has become much more popular in the country world. I know many people who aren't really country music fans, but enjoy his music. This particular album is a great example of his many musical talents and shows how his music style varies. This album is a mix of some of his great songs from different albums.

He is a great vocalist, but we all know that the music helps make the band. The instrumentals on this album are provided by the following: Larry Byrom, Gregg Brown, Terry Crisp, Jimmy Joe Ruggiere, Reggie Young, Billy Joe Walker Jr., Bernie Leadon, just to mention a few. They play a variety of instruments, including but not limited to the electric guitar, harmonica, fiddle, steel guitar, and many others. During one song, The Whiskey Ain t Workin , Travis is accompanied with the vocals by Marty Stuart (another country great), who not only sings, but also plays the electric guitar. Below, I have listed the tracks on this album, along with lyrics (some with all the lyrics, so you can get the true meaning of the song, and others with just a verse or two).

HERE S A QUARTER(From his album It's all about to change)

This is a great song to dance the two step to. Kind of a depressing song, but yet shows strength. How many of us have been hurt and left hanging by someone who we loved and thought they had loved us? How many of us wished that we had the courage of this man when the woman who left him came crawling back, because she had a change of heart? I know that I wish I did. He sings:

You say you were wrong, to ever leave me alone
And now you re sorry, you re lonesome and scared
And you say you d be happy, if you could just come back home
Well here s a quarter, call someone who cares

Chorus

Call someone who will listen, and might give a damn
Maybe one of your assorted affairs
But don t you come around here handin me none of your lies
Here s a quarter, call someone who cares

Well I thought what we had, could never turn bad
So your leavin caught me unaware
But the fact is you ve run,
Girl that can t be undone
Here s a quarter, call someone who cares

Chorus

Yeah, here s a quarter, call someone who cares

2) ANYMORE (It's all about to change)

This song is a beautiful melodic piece. My heart goes out to this man, because so many times I have felt this very way. It is hard to love someone, but yet have to pretend that you don t. He sings her this song in desperation, pleading for one more chance, but if he doesn t get it, at least he tried and can move on with his life. He sings:

I can t hide the way I feel, about you anymore
I can t hold the hurt inside, keep the pain out of my eyes anymore
My tears no longer waiting, my resistance ain t that strong
My mind keeps recreating, a life with you alone
And I m tired of pretending, I don t love you anymore

Let me make one last appeal,
To show you how I feel , about you
Cause there s no one else I swear
Holds a candle anywhere next to you
My heart can t take the beating, not having you to hold
A small voice keeps repeating, deep inside my soul,
It says, I can t keep pretending I don t love you anymore

I ve got to take the chance or let it pass by
If I expect to get on with my life

My tears no longer waiting, oh my resistance ain t that strong
Oh my mind keeps recreating, a life with you alone
And I m tired of pretending I don t love you anymore
Anymore,,,,,,,,,Anymore>
3)PUT SOME DRIVE IN YOUR COUNTRY (From his album, Country Club)

This is a great song, where a man sings of putting some drive into country. He mentions some of the old time country greats, who were his inspiration. I too was raise on country classics and enjoy listening to the music of George Jones, Waylon and the others he mentions. He sings:

Well I was raised on country classics
Like Roy Acuff and George Jones
Lord I love to hear em
Sing all them old time country songs
But I really got excited, bout the time I turned 15
That s the first time I heard Waylon and old Bocephus sing
They put some drive in their country that really turned me on

Yeah put some drive in your country, keep country drivin on
When the music gets you movin , you know that can t be wrong
Every time I hear that outlaw stuff on my car radio
It makes me want to drive it, just as fast as it can go
Put some drive in your country, let s keep country drivin on

4) FOOLISH PRIDE (From his album, Ten Feet Tall and Bulletproof)

This is a great song, but a sad scenario. I would like to think that real life love doesn t get lost like this, but I am sure that it does. I believe that if a love is strong enough, that it can conquer anything, even foolish pride. If this song is based on a real life situation, I hope that it turned out in the end. A man sings of a fight that he had with the love of his life. They were both too stubborn to make the first move to apologize, bringing an end to their love. He sings:

She stayed up all night, and cried into her pillow
And fought off the urge to just break down and call
Last night to find the fault, seemed so darned easy
But now who s to blame, don t matter much at all
She thinks if she calls him, it just shows weakness
So the hurt goes on with every tear she s cried
And it s sad to see a good love fall to pieces
Chalk anther heartbreak up to foolish pride

Chorus

Turn out the lights, the competitions over
The stubborn souls are the losers here tonight
And while the bridges burn, another hard, hard lessons learned
As in the ashes, passion slowly dies
And this romance goes down to foolish pride

He relives every word they spoke in anger
He walks the floor and punches out the wall
To apologize to her, would be so simple
But instead he cries, I ll be damned it I ll crawl
If he loses her, he s lost his best friend
And more than just a lover can provide
So he listens with emotions that defeat him
Chalk another love lost up to foolish pride

Chorus

5) THE WHISKEY AIN T WORKIN ANYMORE (From, It's all about to change)

This is one of those honky tonk songs I spoke of. A great song to line dance to, with its steppin beat. How sad though, to have to turn to whiskey to drown your sorrows. This would only make things worse in my opinion. If I turned to alcohol every time that I were depressed or down about something, I would certainly be a lush. A man sings of drinking his cares away to drown out the heartache a lost love caused him. Though now it is no longer working and he needs a woman instead. He sings:

There was a time, I could drink my cares away
To drown out all of the heartaches, that hurt me night and day
When the thought of you came crashing through, I d have one more
But now the whiskey ain t workin anymore

I need one good honky tonk angel, to turn my life around
That is reason enough, for me to let this old bottle down
A woman warm and willing, that s what I m lookin for
Cause the whiskey, ain t workin anymore

6)HELP ME HOLD ON (From Country Club)

This is yet another song of hard lessons learned. A man sings to the woman he loves, to give him a chance to make what went wrong with their relationship right. He asks her to help him hold on to what they had, because he knows that their love can be strong like it once was. There have been times in my life when I wish that I had the chance to make things right between me and a loved one. This man sings:

Baby close that suitcase you ve been packin
Just sit down and talk to me a while
I know you tried to tell me what was lacking
But I guess I must have missed it by a mile
Well this time girl, I swear to you I ll listen
Help me understand where I went wrong
It s hard to find myself in this position
Scared that I ll go crazy, once you are gone

Help me hold on, to what we had
Once our love was strong, it can be again
You said it takes two, to make love last
You were right all along, so help me hold on

7)I M GONNA BE SOMEBODY (From Country Club)

This is a great self esteem song. When one of my children are feeling a little down about something they think they can t accomplish, I play this song and have them sing along. It really helps to bring up their spirits. I let them know that they can do anything and be anything if they put their mind to it. The man that is sung about in this song, had a life long dream of playing music and he wasn t about to let others put me downs stand in his way. He was going to be somebody someday, no matter what it took. The song goes like this:

Bobbie played his guitar on the harder side of town
Where it s hard for a poor boy to find the money
He had dedication, he had the heart and soul
Somehow knew he was born to play
People said, Get a real job , support your family
Cause there s no future in the road you re taking
He never said a word, the dreaming just kept on
Late at night you could hear him say

He said, I m gonna be somebody.
One of these days, I m gonna break these chains
I m gonna be somebody someday
You can bet your hard earned dollar I will

The song goes on to tell how this boy, after a long crawl to the top made it in the music business, and fulfilled his dream.

8) ONLY YOU AND YOU ALONE

I am not too crazy about this particular song. The lyrics are great, but it sounds like it is being sung in slow motion. It sounds kind of like some of Elvis Presley's earlier music. I am going to write some of the lyrics in a way that might show you what I mean. It goes like this:

Oonnly youooooo can make this world seem right
Oonnly youooooo can make this darkness bright
Only you and you alo one, can thrillll me like you dooo
And fill my heart with love for only youoooooooo

9) T-R-O-U-B-L-E (Title song for his album, T-R-O-U-B-L-E)

This is a fast upbeat song, great for dancing and letting your hair down. I love this song, but not nearly as much as my son. When I play this song, he gets up and dances and sings along and really gets into it. When it is over, he begs me to play it again, sometimes wearing the song out. A man sings about playing his guitar at a dance hall and watching what is going on around him. He sees a woman walk in the door who is very attractive. He tells her he smells trouble with her, that then men will love her, but the women will hate her. Because she will remind them of everything they will never be. He sings:

I play an old guitar, from 9 till half past 1
I m just tryin to make a livin ,
Watching everybody else havin fun
Well I don t miss much
If it happens on the dance hall floor
Mercy, look what just walked through that door

Well hello T-R-O-U-B-L-E
Tell me what in the world are you doin A-L-O-N-E
Well I said, hello good L double O-K-I-N-G
Well I smell T-R-O-U-B-L-E

He goes on to say that his mother tried to raise him right, but she never told him nothing about women like this one. He says that he bets her mother was good looking to.

TELL ME I WAS DREAMING (From Ten Feet Tall and Bulletproof)

This is a beautiful melodic song, for slow dancing. Kind of a depressing reminder of a time in my life when I wished that I had been dreaming when I woke up and found out that the man in my life was gone and didn t love me anymore. I probably shouldn t listen to songs like this, but I just can t help myself. Every time I hear this song, I relive words similar to the lyrics of this song, in my memory. Though I don t really think of this as a bad thing, because we all need memories. With memories such as these, it helps me learn from my mistakes and try and correct the errors of my way.

In this song a man sings of waking up and realizing that the woman that he loves is gone and no longer loves him. He pleads to her, wherever she may be, to tell him that he was dreaming, that she didn t really say good-bye. He sings:

When I woke up this morning
And wiped the sleep from my eyes
I found a new day dawning
And suddenly I realized .you re gone

Tell me I was dreamin
That you didn t leave me here to cry
You didn t say you don t love me anymore
It was just my imagination telling lies
Tell me that you didn t say good-bye

He goes on to say that he is confused and hopes that things are not how the seem. If this is really happening, he just wants to go back to sleep. Not too long ago, I felt this very way, which is why I can relate well with this song.

11) COUNTRY CLUB (Title song from his album, Country Club)

A true country song, this one is. Kind of twangy, but not too much. A great song to line dance to, something I don t know how to do ( LOL). I just make up my own dance steps when I dance to this one. I love this song, because I too belong to a country club and country music is what I love.

A man sings about seeing a woman on the interstate and following her to a club, where he offers to buy her a drink. She turns him down, because only members are aloud in the club. He proceeds to tell her that she don t have to worry about her reputation, because he belongs to a country club. Maybe not the same kind as she does, but a country club of his own kind. This is what he sings:

I took a double take out on the interstate,
When I saw her making eyes at me
So I followed her down to Club House Drive
Past the pool and the eighteenth green
And in the parking lot, I said,
It s mighty hot, maybe I could buy you a beer.
She said, I m glad you asked, but I ll have to pass.
Cause only members are allowed in here

And I said, I m a member of a country club.
Country music is what I love.
I drive an old Ford pickup truck
I do my drikin from a Dixie cup.
Hey I m a bornified dancin fool.
I shoot a mighty mean game of pool
At any honky tonk roadside pub,
I m a member of a country club.

12) CAN I TRUST YOU WITH MY HEART (From, T-R-O-U-B-L-E)

This song is one of my two favorite songs on this album. This song asks a question that I wish that I would have asked in the past. I know that in the future before giving my heart to someone, I will ask this question. In hopes that when given the answer it will be truth. This is a love song, sung from the heart. A man asks the woman that he is about to give his heart to, if he can trust her with it. He wants to make sure before they go any further. He tells her that if he can trust her with it, that she will be able to count on him. He sings:

When you meet that certain someone, you ve been searching hard to find
It s a new love full of passion, that can sometimes make you blind
I don t mind being swept away, if I know right from the start
So before we go much further girl, can I trust you with my heart?

In the time we ve spent together, I have learned to trust in you
So many things you ve given, before I even asked you to
But reality and romance are sometimes far apart
So what I really need to know is, can I trust you with my heart?

Can I cast my cares upon you, can you stand the heavy load
Can I count on you to walk me, down that long and winding road
If you promise me these simple things,
I can guarantee, you can always count on me

13) SOMETIMES SHE FORGETS

This is a great song, about a woman who has been hurt by love. She has decided that she is through with men and doesn t need a man. When she goes out at night, she claims that it is the lights that bring her out and not her loneliness. Though she has vowed to never allow her heart to be broken again, she sometimes forgets and lets her guard down. This man sings to any men who may want to get close to her, telling them not to give up hope because she does forget. I have vowed this very thing many times, but I too let my guard down and pulled into the circle of hear break again. So my new vow is to not totally give up on love, but to just let it find me. Even though I sometimes wonder if it ever will, I know that there is someone for every one. This man sings:

If you see her out tonight
And that it s just the lights that bring her here
And not her loneliness
That s what she says, but sometimes she forgets
If she tells you she don t need a man
She s had all the comfort she can stand
You best believe every word she says
But don t give up, cause sometimes she forgets

Whoa, sometimes she forgets, that not too long ago she swore
She wasn t gonna let her heart, be broken anymore
So now she keeps it locked away and it grows colder everyday
And it won t be warmed to any mans caress
That s what she says, but sometimes she forgets

14)TEN FEET TALL AND BULLET PROOF (Title song from his album, Ten Feet Tall and Bullet Proof)

What a great honky tonk song. Maybe not a good example to follow as far as what the man in this song does, but still a great song. Definitely made for dancin . Just the music itself is enough to make you want to dance, even without the lyrics.

This man sings about a bad habit of his that always seems to get him into trouble. He is not happy with himself, so to pick up his confidence, he goes to a bar and drinks a few. He begins to feel like superman but starts a fight with someone a little more strong than him. But that is okay, because he is feeling ten feet tall and bullet proof. He sings:

I m a full grown man, that s plain to see
But nowhere near as full grown as I d like to be
But I ll find a bar and I ll have a few
Till I m ten feet tall and bulletproof

I d hit the dance floor each time I had the chance
That is if these two left feet knew how to dance
Bout the only time I m kickin up my shoes
Is when I m ten feet tall and bulletproof

Well I start to feel like Superman, and I pick a fight
Only to find out my opponent s holding cryptinite
You d think I d learn my lesson, but I m still paying dues
Each time I drink and start to think
I m ten feet tall and bulletproof

15) DRIFT OFF TO DREAM (From, Country Club)

This is the other song of my two favorite on this album. If I had to pick an all time favorite, this would have to be it. I guess they saved the best for last. Not only is this song a beautiful love song, but it speaks a kind of truth. There is someone for everyone, though you may not know when, where or how you will meet that someone special, they are out there somewhere. Like the song says, you never know they may just be down the street.

This song holds special meaning to me. This song was dedicated to me by a special man who was once a big part of my life and now a pleasant memory, (God rest his soul). If he were still alive today, I know that we would have built our lives together. I know this because the day that he died in a car accident, he was on his way to me, with a beautiful diamond ring and a dozen red roses. Once everything was settled, his mother came to me and gave to me the ring that was meant for me. I have cherished ever since, wearing it around my neck on a tiny golden chain that he had given me for Christmas. Every year on the anniversary of his death, his mother and I get together to share our cherished memory of her son and the man I loved.

Read the lyrics to this song carefully and you will see why it is so special to me. It goes like this:

As I sit here surrounded by people and lights
Alone with my drink at the bar
You ve been here forever, so clear in my mind
I just don t know where you are
But I know I ll find you, but girl till I do
This is my love song for you

Chorus

Let s hold hands on the porch swing, under the moon
While the wind through the willows, plays us a tune
We can lie on a blanket out back in the yard
And wish for our future on a far away star
And you ll feel the passion as time after time
I press your sweet lips to mine
We can dance to the radio, right up till dawn
Till you drift off to dream in my arms

You might be hundreds or more miles away
Or you might be just down the street
But there ll be a hunger, deep in your eyes
That I ll recognize when we meet
It might take hours or it might take years
But this is the song you will hear

Chorus

Instrumental

And you ll feel the passion, as time after time
I press your sweet lips to mine
We can dance to the radio, right up till dawn
Till you drift off to dream in my arms

Instrumental

This is a must buy album, if you enjoy good country music that is. It can be purchased at any music or department store at approximately$12-$15, a great buy.