Bubba Shot the Jukebox

Funny and Sad. Music sometimes gets us all worked up, don't it?

Artist is Mark Chesnutt, Album “Longnecks & Short Stories” 1992. Writer: Dennis Linde.

We were all down at Margie's bar 
Telling stories if we had one 
Someone fired the old jukebox up 
The song sure was a sad one 

A teardrop rolled down Bubba's nose 
From the pain the song was inflicting 
And all at once he jumped to his feet 
Just like somebody kicked him 

Bubba shot the juke box last night 
Said it played a sad song it made him cry 
Went to his truck and got a forty five 
Bubba shot the juke box last night 

Bubba ain't never been accused of being mentality stable 
So we did not draw an easy breathe 
Until he laid that colt on the table 
He hung his head till the cops showed up 
They dragged him right out of Margie's 
Told him "Don't play dumb with us, son" 
"Know damn well what the charge is." 

Bubba shot the juke box last night 
Said it played a sad song it made him cry 
Went to his truck and got a forty five 
Well he shot the juke box last night 

Well, the sheriff arrived with his bathrobe on 
The confrontation was a tense one 
Shook his head said, "Bubba Boy," 
"You was always a dense one." 
A reckless discharge of a gun 
That's what the officers are claiming 
Bubba hollered, "Reckless! Hell!" 
"I hit just where I was aiming." 

Bubba shot the juke box last night 
Said it played a sad song it made him cry 
Went to his truck and got a forty five 
Well he shot the juke box stopped it with one shot 

Bubba shot the jukebox last night 
Well he could not tell right from wrong 
Through the teardrops in his eyes 
Beyond a shadow of a doubt 
It was justifiable homicide 

Bubba shot the juke box stopped it with one shot 
Bubba shot the jukebox last night 

---

I guess Bubba is evidence of my point that music can affect us - sometimes in weird and humorous ways. But the best humor grows out of pain. It is a way of coping; a survival tool. Learning to laugh at ourselves and the human condition actually provides us with a space between our minds and our problems that often helps us recover and move on.