3 Classic Songs That Prove Country Music Has Always Been Funny

Country music makes a habit of being funny. Often, country songs are built around a central play on words or a joke you don’t get until the chorus. It’s a folksy convention of the genre that never gets old. The three classic country songs below prove that this has always been the case. These songs are guaranteed to make you laugh just as much as they can make you sing along.

[RELATED: 3 Country Songs From the 1970s That Still Sound Fresh, Despite Being 50+ Years Old]

“A Boy Named Sue” — Johnny Cash

Shel Silverstein wrote this humorous revenge story, but Johnny Cash made it famous. “Well, my daddy left home when I was three / Didn’t leave very much to my mom and me / Except this old guitar and an empty bottle of booze / Now I don’t blame him ’cause he run and hid / But the meanest thing that my daddy ever did / Was before he left, he went and named me Sue,” the lyrics to this country music staple read.

It’s a playful look at betrayal. By the end of the song, the boy named Sue forgives his father for giving him that name. As it turns out, he did it as a favor. “And I knew you’d have to get tough or die / It’s that name that helped to make you strong,” the lyrics continue. It’s funny. It’s a good moral. And it’s a robust song with many angles.

“You’re The Reason Our Kids Are Ugly” — Conway Twitty and Loretta Lynn

Country music is known for playful duets, and this song is one of the best examples. “And you’re the reason our kids are ugly, little darling / Ah, but looks ain’t everything / And money ain’t everything / But I love you just the same,” the lyrics read.

Conway Twitty and Loretta Lynn go back and forth, blaming the other for their misfortunes in life. In the end, they work it out and let love conquer all. It’s a song that brings a smile to your face no matter how many times you’ve heard it.

“All My Ex’s Live In Texas” — George Strait

“All my exes live in Texas / And Texas is a place I’d dearly love to be / But all my exes live in Texas / And that’s why I hang my hat in Tennessee,” the lyrics to this classic country song read. It’s a playful look at several breakups, funnier than sad.

George Strait spends the verses singing about different women across the U.S., describing why they didn’t work out. It’s a song that gets a chuckle every time it comes on, perfectly capturing country’s funny bone.

(Photo by Gai Terrell/Redferns)