DAILY DIRT: Mixing Willie, Waylon, Shania and the ole Possum for a quality top 10

If I were a country singer, my name would be Stevie Teardrop. Jus’ sayin’ … Welcome to today’s three thoughts that make up Vol. 444 of The Daily Dirt.

1. We pick up today where we left off Tuesday in paying tribute to some of the most iconic first lines of songs.

We move to country today, and with the same disclaimer we used Tuesday with pop/rock. While these first lines are all borderline awesome, they’re not necessarily cast in stone as the greatest ever. They’re my choices. No more, no less.

• 1. “Maybe I didn’t love you, quite as often as I should have.” — Willie Nelson.  “You Were Always On my Mind” might not only be the greatest country song ever, it may be the best song period. Elvis Presley and Brenda Lee also recorded this chart-topper, but not even The King’s version, which was excellent, compares to what the Red-Headed Stranger provided in this 1982 classic.
• 2. “Let’s go, girls.” — Shania Twain. Seriously, who wasn’t in love with Shania in the late 1990s? “Man! I Feel Like a Woman” was one of the songs that vaulted her to the top of the charts. She also had the best videos, too. This one was the memorable tribute to the late Robert Palmer’s “Addicted to Love.”
• 3. “Busted flat in Baton Rouge, headin’ for a train, feelin’ nearly faded as my jeans.” — Kris Kristofferson.  “Me and Bobby McGee”
• 4. “He said I’ll love you ’til I die .. ” — George Jones. I’ll be honest, I could have easily put the ole Possum at No. 2. This is, without question, the saddest of all country songs.
• 5. “Blame it all on my roots, I showed up in boots.” — Garth Brooks. I think spending an evening with Garth and his “Friends in Low Places” would be quite interesting.
• 6. “The only two things in life that make it worth livin’ is guitars that tune good and firm-feelin’ women.” — Waylon Jennings. Outlaw country at its finest. “Luckenbach, Texas” was the perfect song with this western troubadour.
• 7. “You’ve painted up your lips and rolled and curled your tinted hair.” — Kenny Rogers. Kenny Rogers actually released this in 1969 while still a member of the First Edition. Waylon Jennings had a hit with the same song three years earlier, but it it Rogers who most identify with when it comes to “Ruby.” 
• 8. “Well, I woke up Sunday morning with no way to hold my head that didn’t hurt.” — Johnny Cash. The Man in Black and “Sunday Morning Coming Down” were a perfect match. This is another Kris Kristofferson song, who I’m pretty sure never wrote a bad set of lyrics.
• 9. “I hear the train a comin’, It’s rollin’ ’round the bend and I ain’t seen the sunshine since I don’t know when.” — Johnny Cash. You can never have too much Johnny Cash. “Folsom Prison Blues” proves that.
• 10. “Well, way down yonder on the Chattahoochee, It gets hotter than a hoochie coochie.” — Alan Jackson. Honestly, I’m not really sure how great these lyrics are, I just like to sing them.
  

2. Look what we “Found on Facebook” in recent days:

• “I eat bacon because there are more than enough people to seat stuff like vegetables.”
• “Every time the McRib comes out I try it … Is this good? No. It tastes like earlobe meat.”
• “Education is important, but good ice cream is importanter.”
• “You know you are getting when the clothes you used to wear are now a Halloween costume.”
• “This is my step ladder. I never knew my real ladder.”

3. We’re now getting deep into November, which means college football is getting serious.

After last weekend’s chaos, I came away with one specific thought: Alabama is done, finished. Two losses and a few other struggles will most assuredly keep the Tide out of this year’s playoffs. Second thought: Is this a blip on the radar, or is the tide turning in the SEC? (By the way, no pun intended with that last comment.)

This week’s Daily Dirt rankings.

1. Georgia (9-0): There is no rest for the weary. After last Saturday’s beatdown of Tennessee, the Bulldogs need to be wary of a 6-3 Mississippi State team. Prediction: Georgia 24, Mississippi State 10. This could be a legitimate struggle.

2. Ohio State (9-0): Yes, the Buckeyes were lucky to escape upstart Northwestern with a victory. Hopefully, this Saturday they don’t have to play in a hurricane. Prediction: Ohio State 61, Indiana 6. The Hoosiers, who have lost more NCAA Division I football games than any other program, are a mess.

3. Michigan (9-0): Could the Wolverines and Buckeyes wind up playing in the de facto national championship game Nov. 26? Michigan warms up with games against Nebraska and Illinois before the post-Thanksgiving clash of the titans. Prediction: Michigan 73, Nebraska 10. Indiana’s struggles are historical, but what the heck has happened at Nebraska? How much farther can the once-proud Cornhuskers fall?

4. Oregon (8-1): Folks, this might just be the hottest team in the country. If the Ducks run the regular-season table they might just sneak into the playoffs. Their last three games, however, are against Washington, Utah and Oregon State. Prediction: Oregon 28, Washington 23. Quarterback Bo Nix may have to pull another rabbit out of his hat against rival Washington.

On the outside looking in: TCU (9-0), LSU (7-2), Notre Dame (6-3), Tennessee (8-1), USC (8-1), UCLA (8-1), Ole Miss (8-1).

Gone, and forgotten: Alabama (7-2), Clemson (8-1).

Steve Thought O’ The Day — I’m still trying to figure what earlobe meat is.

Steve Eighinger writes daily for Muddy River News. He has more names than the New York City phone book.