Essential Truckers # 4: Used to be a Cop (Hood)

Here, Patterson Hood sings, convincingly, a character sketch of an ex-cop who's family has left him, has been shot, was beat by his daddy, and has a tendency to be violent. You can almost picture Hood's character pacing around the house late at night, mulling it all over, looking through the rain in true southern Gothic style. 

The song it lit by a moving, fluid baseline and streaks of dark guitar. There is the occasional major chord triumph during the bridge, but only briefly, as it serves to celebrate past experiences of the character, not the present, nor future prospects. This is when we learn he used to play football, and that the police academy "was the only thing" he was good at. In contrast, the dark verses are filled with foreboding, twisted tales of a life that's disintegrated. Classic tune from the Truckers, indeed. Almost feels like it could've been featured in the movie "Taxi Driver". Listen below: