Mary Ruth, Susie and counting down 661-627

So, I’m depressed. I believe I’ve talked on here before about how when I put Mary Ruth to bed we have a routine that involves me singing songs to her. Most of these songs include such classics as “Because He Lives”, “Old Rugged Cross”, “The Garden”, “Free Bird”, “Stairway to Heaven” and (if she was crying because she wanted me to sing more, “Let Her Cry”). Anyway, I realized last night that my nights of lying down with Mary Ruth and talking about her day and singing songs to/with her are over. I know what you’re thinking… Greg, you have two other children… just sing to them. It’s not the same. For one thing, while I do have three children, Mary Ruth is the only one who loves me. For another thing, she’s the only one who ever really wanted me… needed me to sing to her at night. I think The Wife realized how much I enjoyed this part of my day which is why she insisted that we get bunk beds and have the girls move into the same room. So now Mary Ruth sleeps on the top bunk. On top of that, Susie goes to bed before MR… so even if I could get up on the top bunk with her, I wouldn’t be able to talk or sing to her without waking Susie up. Now all I can do is hope these memories from the last 5 years will last the rest of my life.

I don’t know if I talk enough about Susie on here, so I thought I’d share a couple of stories/thoughts. The first is that she has two nicknames: Ewok and Teapot… because she’s short and stout. She is also pretty bossy. She has wanted nothing to do with me until Daniel came along… now she sometimes (if there aren’t any other choices) wants to kind of have something to do with me. Anyway, she’s bad. Not really bad-bad… but cute bad. The other day she was eating bread and yelling at the dogs to get away, so The Wife put the dogs outside. Susie then took her bread over to the sliding glass door and ate the bread in front of the dogs. At points, she even held the bread out taunting them. She calls Scooby “doo-doo” (I promise she didn’t get that from me). She calls Maverick “MaMa” (though that has evolved to “Mammy”). She does things just to make MR mad. The other night, I was trying to get her to go to sleep in her big girl bed and she grabbed her bunny rabbit and made the bunny tell me, “Night-night DaDa” and then made the bunny give me a kiss. Another night I was trying to get her to sleep in her big girl bed, I was sitting there singing to her and rubbing her back. I thought she was asleep, but when I stopped she sat up and grabbed her bear and made her bear “clap” for me while going, “Yay, DaDa!” So I guess there is a little sweet hidden underneath all that bad.

By the way, Darius Rucker will honor Pattison's Academy should he win CMT Performance of the year! This is a FAN supported contest. Click here to vote for Darius and you'll be voting for Pattison's!!


Ok, let’s get back to counting down the I’m just sayin… Top 1,081 Songs of All Time

661 - “The Times They Are a-Changin” by Bob Dylan

“Come writers and critics/ Who prophesize with your pen/ And keep your eyes wide/ The chance won't come again/ And don't speak too soon/ For the wheel's still in spin/ And there's no tellin' who/ That it's namin'/ For the loser now/ Will be later to win/ For the times they are a-changin'.”

660 - “Maybellene” by Chuck Berry

“Maybelline, why can't you be true/ Oh Maybelline , why can't you be true/ You done started back doin' the things you used to do”

659 - “Whiskey and You” by Darius Rucker

“Whiskey and you,/ Ain't nothing I can do,/ But come crawling back to,/ Whiskey and you.”

658 - “9 to 5” by Dolly Parton

“9 to 5, for service and devotion/ You would think that I/ Would deserve a fair promotion/ Want to move ahead/ But the boss won't seem to let me/ I swear sometimes that man is out to get me”

657 - “Guys Like Me” by Eric Church

“'Cause guys like me drink too many beers on Friday after work/ Our best blue jeans have skoal rings/ We wear our boots to church/ So rough around the edges/
It's hard to believe / That girls like you/ Love guys like me”

656 - “Whiskey Bent and Hell Bound” by Hank Williams, Jr.

“Play me some songs about a ramblin' man, put old Jim Beam in my hand/ 'Cause you know I still love to get drunk and hear country sounds/ But don't you play 'Your Cheatin' Heart' cause that'll tear me all apart/ I'll get whiskey bent and hell bound”

655 - “You Are So Beautiful” by Joe Cocker

“You are so beautiful to me/ You are so beautiful to me/ Can't you see/ Your everything I hoped for/ Your everything I need/ You are so beautiful to me”

Wow! What a song! The delivery is just great. I love this song.

654 - “Things Goin' On” by Lynyrd Skynyrd

“Have you ever lived down in the ghetto?/ Have you ever felt the cold wind blow?/ If you don't know what I mean,/ Won't you stand up and scream?/ 'Cause there's things goin' on that you don't know.”

653 - “Rock With You” by Michael Jackson

“I wanna rock with you (all night)/ Dance you in the day (sunlight)/ I wanna rock with you (all night)/ We're gonna rock the night away”

652 - “Almost Paradise” by Mike Reno and Ann Wilson

“Almost paradise/ We're knocking on heaven's door/ Almost paradise/ How could we ask for more?/ I swear that I could see forever in your eyes,/ Paradise”

A great duet here.

651 - “Sweet Caroline” by Neil Diamond

“Where it began/ I can't begin to knowin'/ But then I know it's growin' strong./ Was in the spring/ Then spring became the summer./ Who'da believed you'd come along ?/ Hands/ Touchin' hands/ Reachin' out/ Touchin' me/ Touchin' you.”

This is the kind of song where I mumble the words until the chorus, at which point I really belt out the words.

650 - “What's the Frequency, Kenneth?” by R.E.M.

“"What's the frequency, Kenneth?" is your Benzedrine, uh-huh/ I was brain-dead, locked out, numb, not up to speed/ I thought I'd pegged you an idiot's dream/ Tunnel vision from the outsider's screen/ I never understood the frequency, uh-huh/ You wore our expectations like an armored suit, uh-huh”

649 - “Down On The Farm” by Tim McGraw

“Every Friday night there's a steady cloud of dust/ That leads back to a field filled with pickup trucks/ Got old Hank cranking way up loud/ Got coolers in the back/
Tailgates down/ There's a big fire burnin' but don't be alarmed/ It's just country boys and girls gettin' down on the farm”

I remember listening to this song on a farm with Sonny while we (***********************) [Note: This has been edited due to my age at the time and the fact that our parents are still alive and able to read this].

648 - “99 in the Shade” by Bon Jovi

“I feel I'm burning up with fever/ But the fire's feeling really good tonight/ And it's alright/ I'm gonna see Sahara Jack and Suntan Sally/ Somebody tells me even Tommy's coming down tonight/ If Gina says it's alright”

This is such a great summer/party song.

647 - “Why Can't This Be Love” by Van Halen

“I tell myself/ Hey only fools rush in an only time will tell/ If we stand the test of time/ All I know/ You've got to run to win an I'll be damned if/ I'll get hung up on the line”

646 - “Please Stay” by The Drifters

“If I got on my knees and I pleaded with you/ Not to go but to stay in my arms/ Would you walk out the door like you did once before?/ Or would this time be different, would you stay?”

645 - “(What This World Needs Is) A Few More Rednecks” by The Charlie Daniels Band

“What this world needs is a few more rednecks/ Some people ain't afraid to take a stand/ What this world needs is a little more respect/ For the Lord and the law and the workin' man/ We could use a little peace and satisfaction/ Some good people up front to take the lead/ A little less talk and a little more action/ And a few more rednecks is what we need”

Can I get an Amen?

644 - “Please Please Me” by The Beatles

“Last night I said these words to my girl/ I know you never even try, girl/ Come on, come on, come on, come on/ Please, please me, wo yeah, like I please you”

643 - “Little Suzi” by Tesla

“Little Suzi's on the up, looking for a get-away/ Ruby tries to bring her down, she's lookin' for another way/ Little Suzi's on the up, headin' for the spotlight/ Ruby finally gets up, lookin' for some quiet night”

642 - “Having A Party” by Sam Cooke

“We're having a party/ Dancing to the music/ Played by the DJ/ On the radio/ The cokes are in the icebox/ The popcorn's on the table/ Me and my baby, we're out here on the floor”

I dare you to listen to this song and tell me you don’t like it. It’s impossible.

641 - “Escape (The Pina Colada Song)” by Rupert Holmes

“If you like Pina Coladas/ And getting caught in the rain,/ If you're not into yoga/
If you have half a brain,/ If you like making love at midnight/ In the dunes of the Cape,/ Then I'm the love that you've looked for/ Write to me and escape”

640 - “Why Wait” by Rascal Flatts

“Now I love your mama, let's save her some trouble/ And your daddy won't mind if we save him a bundle/ Girl it just so happens, that ring that you wanted/ Well guess what I bought it/ It's in my pocket baby, come on...”

I love the video for this song!

639 - “Another One Bites the Dust” by Queen

“Another one bites the dust/ Another one bites the dust/ And another one gone, and another one gone/ Another one bites the dust/ Hey, I'm gonna get you too/ Another one bites the dust”

If you don’t hear this song at a Wedding reception, then you know the couple has no sense of humor.

638 - “I Just Can't Stop Loving You” by Michael Jackson

“I just can't stop loving you/ I just can't stop loving you/ And if I stop/ Then tell me just what/ Will I do”

637 - “Vogue” by Madonna

“When all else fails and you long to be/ Something better than you are today/ I know a place where you can get away/ It's called a dance floor, and here's what it's for, so”

636 - “Four Walls of Raiford” by Lynyrd Skynyrd

“And I comin' home to see you Jesus/ Well it feels so close this time/ Please take mercy on this soldier/ From the Florida-Georgia line/ When they find me they must kill me/ Oh Jesus save my soul/ I can't go back down to Raiford/ I can't take that anymore”

635 - “Guitars and Tiki Bars” by Kenny Chesney

“To guitars, tiki bars, and a whole lotta love,/ Mangos and Marley you know, fit me like a glove./ Sixth gear with nowhere to steer when enough is enough,/ It's guitars, tiki bars, and a whole lotta love.”

634 - “Lover, Lover” by Jerrod Niemann

“Well the truth/ Well it hurts to say/ I'm gonna pack up my bags/ And I'm gonna go away/ I'm gonna split/ I can't stand it/ I'm gonna give it up and quit/ Ain't never comin back/ Broke up before I get to go and I got to say/ I know you used to love me/ But that was yesterday/ And the truth I won’t fight it/ When the love starts burnin you gots to do what’s right”

633 - “Use Me” by Hootie and the Blowfish

“My brother sits me right down and he talked to me/ He told me that I ought not to let you just walk on me/ And I'm sure he meant well yeah but when our talk was through/ I said brother if you only knew you'd wish that you were in my shoes/ You just keep on using me until you use me up/ Until you use me up”

632 - “Beer Run” by Garth Brooks with George Jones

“Twenty-five minutes past quitting time/ Seven of us crammed into that truck of mine/ Paying no attention to them highway signs/ Doing ninety miles an hour toward the county line/ Quick sack, twelve pack, back again/ It's a B Double E Double R-U-N.”

631 - “Will You Love Me Tomorrow” by Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons

“Tonight you're mine completely/ You give your love so sweetly/ Tonight the light of love is in your eyes/ But will you love me tomorrow?”

630 - “Total Eclipse of the Heart” by Bonnie Tyler

“(Turn around)/ Every now and then/ I get a little bit lonely/ And you're never coming round/ (Turn around)/ Every now and then/ I get a little bit tired/ Of listening to the sound of my tears”

629 - “Like A Rolling Stone” by Bob Dylan

“Once upon a time you dressed so fine/ You threw the bums a dime in your prime, didn't you ?/ People'd call, say, ‘Beware doll, you're bound to fall’/ You thought they were all kiddin' you/ You used to laugh about/ Everybody that was hangin' out/ Now you don't talk so loud/ Now you don't seem so proud/ About having to be scrounging for your next meal.”

628 - “If You're Gonna Play In Texas (You've Got To Have A Fiddle In The Band)” by Alabama

“If you're gonna play in Texas, you gotta have a fiddle in the band/ That lead guitar is hot but not for ‘Louisiana Man’/ So rosin up that bow for ‘Faded Love’ and let's all dance/ If you're gonna play in Texas, you gotta have a fiddle in the band”

I love me some fiddle.

627 - “Rag Doll” by Aerosmith

“Hot tramp Daddy's little cutie/ You're so fine they'll never see ya leavin' by the back door, ma’am/ Hot time get it while it's easy/ Don't mind come on up and see me/ Rag Doll baby won't you do me like you done before”


Know Your Medal of Honor Recipients:

Sergeant John Brosnan (US Army) received his Medal of Honor for his actions on June 17, 1864 at Petersburg, Virginia. His citation reads:

Rescued a wounded comrade who lay exposed to the enemy's fire, receiving a severe wound in the effort.

Private First Class Leonard C. Bostrom (US Army) received his Medal of Honor for his actions on October 28, 1944 near Dagami, Leyte, Philippine Islands. His citation reads:

He was a rifleman with an assault platoon which ran into powerful resistance near Dagami, Leyte, Philippine Islands, on 28 October 1944. From pillboxes, trenches, and spider holes, so well camouflaged that they could be detected at no more than 20 yards, the enemy poured machinegun and rifle fire, causing severe casualties in the platoon. Realizing that a key pillbox in the center of the strong point would have to be knocked out if the company were to advance, Pfc. Bostrom, without orders and completely ignoring his own safety, ran forward to attack the pillbox with grenades. He immediately became the prime target for all the riflemen in the area, as he rushed to the rear of the pillbox and tossed grenades through the entrance. Six enemy soldiers left a trench in a bayonet charge against the heroic American, but he killed 1 and drove the others off with rifle fire. As he threw more grenades from his completely exposed position he was wounded several times in the abdomen and knocked to the ground. Although suffering intense pain and rapidly weakening from loss of blood, he slowly rose to his feet and once more hurled his deadly missiles at the pillbox. As he collapsed, the enemy began fleeing from the fortification and were killed by riflemen of his platoon. Pfc. Brostrom died while being carried from the battlefield, but his intrepidity and unhesitating willingness to sacrifice himself in a l-man attack against overwhelming odds enabled his company to reorganize against attack, and annihilate the entire enemy position.

Charles W. Brouse (US Army) received his Medal of Honor for his actions on November 25, 1863 at Missionary Ridge, Tennessee. His citation reads:

To encourage his men whom he had ordered to lie down while under severe fire, and who were partially protected by slight earthworks, himself refused to lie down, but walked along the top of the works until he fell severely wounded.