1. Fool's Gold (3:44) - This moderately slow song opens with a soft 11-second piano solo. The narrator has lost his wife because he took her for granted. He failed to tell her his feelings or to give her the physical affection she needed. Now that he's lost her, the ring on his finger is "fool's gold." I like the use of paradox here: "Starin' at an empty hand full of fool's gold."
2. Somebody's Gonna Love You (3:35) - The tempo is somewhat slower than moderate. The narrator lives in an apartment down the hall from the lady to whom he's singing. He can tell she's been in love before--and been hurt in the process. He encourages her to leave the gloom of her apartment and go where the single men are, perhaps even try a relationship with the narrator himself.
3. It Turns Me Inside Out (3:36) - I like the vibrato in Lee's voice when he sings this slow song. The theme also appeals to me: the mixed feelings about saying goodbye. "In a way I'm glad it's over, in another way it turns me inside out." The narrator's girlfriend has "found new wings" and can best use them by breaking up with him. This sort of goodbye could also apply to a grown child leaving home or the death of a loved one.
4. She's Lying (3:08) - The tempo is slow. Drums don't enter until shortly after the 1-minute mark. The narrator turns on the porch light for his girlfriend late one night as she comes home. She tells him tearfully that circumstances beyond her control kept her from coming home sooner. He knows deep inside that she really was sleeping with another man, but he's afraid to tell her so lest he lose her. If I were in his shoes, I'd tell her, and tell her the relationship is over, for there's really nothing left to lose. But I do like the double meaning of the word "lying," the tale-telling and the infidelity.
5. Dixie Road (3:18) - This fast song features a harmonica. Lee's character loses his girlfriend because his destiny for musical stardom clashes with the life she wants to live. Now that he is famous, he searches every crowd for the lady he lost. Apparently they both used to live in Montgomery, Alabama, before his career took off, and she stayed there. At 2:09 the key changes from A to B.
6. Ain't No Trick (It Takes Magic) (3:23) - Horns are among the instruments in this slow, 12/8 song. Though the second try at love seems sweeter, the narrator has lost many more times than that. Yet every time he loses, he tells himself that there'll always be someone else, that heartbreak is inherent in the game of love. Getting love to stay is indeed tricky, but I think for some people, even attracting it is difficult.
7. Ring On Her Finger, Time On Her Hands (3:40) - This song opens with a 6-second guitar solo; then other instruments, including chimes, enter. The measures count at a pace somewhat faster than moderate. When the woman marries the narrator, she promises she'll never love anyone except him. Then one day he discovers that she has been with another man. But he blames himself instead of her; he neglected her and failed to keep promises of his own. In circumstances like this couple's, a wedding ring loses its meaning.
8. I.O.U. (3:07) - This slow song opens with a 15-second instrumental of piano and orchestral strings. Cymbals play softly during the first verse, then other drums enter at the chorus. The narrator's lady wishes she "had more than just a lifetime" to repay him for the love he's given her. But he believes he still owes her sunlight by day, love from the heart at night; he tells her "it's the sweetest debt I'll ever have to pay."
9. Going, Going, Gone (3:21) - This song is slow, but slightly faster than the previous one. Here's yet another song where the narrator loses his lady after taking her for granted. One day she met another guy, who told her there was more to life than what the narrator offered her. So now he's left to cry, hearing only her farewell words replaying in his mind.
10. God Bless The USA (3:10) - This song has a similar tempo to the previous one; it slows down during the last singing of the chorus as drums roll triumphantly. Every Fourth of July, this song is among the music in the radio program that accompanies the fireworks display in my hometown. Lee sings that if he lost everything except his family, he'd be thankful to live in America, and he keeps in mind that many men paid their lives for America's freedom.
1. I Don't Mind The Thorns (When You're The Rose) (3:22) - The measures count at a pace somewhat faster than moderate. The narrator loves his lady with both her strengths and her weaknesses. Bad times come in all relationships, just like every rose has thorns.
2. Don't Underestimate My Love For You (3:03) - This song has a similar tempo to the previous one. Some things the narrator does (or doesn't do), his sweetheart might take as a sign that his love for her is fading. But he assures her that he still loves her, and urges her to maintain faith in their relationship.
3. Hearts Aren't Made To Break (They're Made To Love) (2:59) - The tempo is moderately fast. The narrator has taken his lady for granted, and now his treatment of her haunts him constantly. He breaks down when he sees her cry. Perhaps by saying the title, he's begging for her forgiveness and a renewal of their love.
4. Didn't We (4:00) - For the first half-minute, Lee sings softly and the only instrument is a piano. The narrator and the woman to whom he's singing are apparently broken up now. Since she was "more than a lover, more than a friend," apparently they were married. They even had a child together. Their relationship was good while it lasted.
5. Mornin' Ride (3:22) - My favorite Lee Greenwood song has a fast tempo. A guitar is the only instrument for the first half-minute; drums enter when the chorus starts. The narrator plans to make love to his girlfriend at dawn's early light; lovemaking is what he means by "mornin' ride," the kind of ride they'd take without leaving home or even their bedroom. The key starts at G, changes to A at the second verse, then rises further to B just before fadeout.
6. Someone (3:08) - The tempo is slow. Lee's character found previous attempts at love not quite satisfying. But in the gal to whom he's singing, he's found a lady who, like him, still has faith in fate, dreams, and love.
7. If There's Any Justice (4:08) - The measures count at a somewhat fast pace. The narrator is constantly haunted by images of the woman he sings to. He realizes she now has another man, yet he's dying to have her. If any justice exists in the world, the narrator and the lady should be together; he begs her to run away and forever stay with him.
8. Touch And Go Crazy (2:52) - This song, somewhat faster than moderate, opens with high-pitched guitar licks. The setting apparently is a dance hall. As the narrator and the girl stare at each other, their hormones start boiling. If they even so much as dance together, their desire for each other will boil out of control.
9. I Still Believe (3:41) - This song has a 3/4 tempo slightly faster than moderate. Like "I Don't Mind The Thorns," this song illustrates the ups and downs of a marriage or other romantic relationship. Sometimes the narrator feels that he and his lady would be better off apart. But then he thinks of all the mornings she gave him "the courage to get up and get out of bed / And face the world one more day." They have conquered many trials together that neither might be able to alone. He promises he'll always stay, for in her, he still believes.
10. You Can't Fall In Love When You're Cryin' (3:51) - This is a good song also, a very close second to "Mornin' Ride." The tempo is somewhat faster than moderate, with drums playing on every first and third beat. The narrator meets a girl who takes a liking to him, and she is "everything [he] ever dreamed of meeting." But since he's still not over the heartache of a previous relationship, starting a new one is the last thing he feels like. So the girl gives him her phone number in case he might want to contact her when he does get over his sorrow.
11. God Bless The USA - I don't know why this song was included on Volume 2 when it was already on Volume 1, but here it is.