RIP George Jones

We just lost one of the greats.  You simply cannot imagine country music without thinking of George Jones.

My parents split when I was sixteen, right about the time this song was coming out.  There were some bad years between them after that, but somewhere along the line, they somehow managed to become friends again.  I never quite figured it out and I never really totally understood the relationship, but it was what it was.

They're buried side by side, in fact.  They ended up being better as friends than they ever were married.

Sometime in the early 90's, I'm hanging out with both of them in the NCO club at Fort Knox.  All of a sudden this song comes on. and I look up and my parents are heading to the dance floor.  I sat there kind of flabbergasted, while they danced.  My mom told me later that my dad liked the song and liked to dance to it, so she would oblige him.  But only for that one song.

We almost played it at his funeral.  It was going to be the recession music while everyone filed out.  I had Keith searching the internet for a decent version the night before. I chickened out at the next-to-the last minute and had it pulled.  I got to be really worried about what Mom's reaction would be.  She was an unpredictable sort.

Sometimes, I wish I'd gone through with it.



Truth was, my father never got over my mother.  Anyone that knew him knew that.   While I won't go so far as to say the same for my mother,  I will say that she remained fond of him for a good many years.  Yet, she always went to very great lengths to make sure that everyone knew they were divorced.  She was a complex, complicated, and sometimes downright contradictory and contrary individual.  You have no idea how much I miss that.

In my mind, wherever they are, George is playing this song right now.  And my parents are dancing.