999,838: Don Williams - We've Got a Good Fire Going

Rock ‘n’ roll has long prided itself on danger, energy, and youthful angst. Most rock criticism prides itself on appreciating those qualities, and deriding the lack thereof. It is the rock ‘n’ roll Paradigm. This is largely why rock ‘n’ roll is incapable of writing a love song like country crooner Don Williams’ gentle “We’ve Got a Good Fire Going.” It’s an ode to domestic bliss with the good woman (that’s pronounced “womman”) you’ve settled on, safely tucked away in a house full of love. There are no more battles to be fought, no more hearts to be broken – Don knows he’s got a good one, and he’s not going anywhere. Why would he want to, anyway? There’s a nasty storm outside, pelting their house with rain and wind and metaphor. Perhaps – and I’m only qualified to speculate on this point – this is what it’s like to be a grown-up who’s managed to get their shit together. The storms no longer come from inside you, they’re products of the chaotic outside world, cause you’re settled in. The storm can rage all it wants out there; you’ve got a wonderfully stable, peaceful sanctuary from all that bullshit. Don sure is glad to be right where he is. He’s nourished and cared for – at night he and his womman have a fabulous dinner spread, and he wakes in the morning to the smell of coffee being brewed. This ain’t no cheatin’ song; nothing here is dangerous or wild or angst-ridden. We’re safe, quiet, and secure.

And yet, we’re not bored. Not in the least. Don and his womman might be well past the point of the love story where the struggle has ceased. There are no more goals to be accomplished, no more questing to be undertaken. They’ve ended up together and can live happily ever after. And that’s exactly what they’re doing. Yet an absence of conflict does not in any way diminish the romance of their relationship. In fact, it seems to help things – everybody is comfortable and happy. All the drama can stay out there. In that time-honored metaphor for passion, Don and his womman got a good fire goin’. A mighty good one. The spark hasn’t gone out from boredom or repetition or tranquility; instead, it’s stayed strong just from the simple, everyday gestures of affection and intimacy. The song’s whole aesthetic seems increasingly alien in the midst of a culture as perpetually dissatisfied and youth-obsessed as America, and as emotionally healthy as it is unfashionable. It’s touching not just for those who’ve lived this scenario in real life, but also for those of us who are still trying to figure out how the hell to get there.

We've Got A Good Fire Goin' - ...