Joshua Judges Ruth

Certain Songs #1056: Lyle Lovett – “She’s Already Made Up Her Mind”

November 28, 2017 by Jim Connelly

Album: Joshua Judges Ruth
Year: 1992

A nearly five-minute look at the despair of inevitability, “She’s Already Made Up Her Mind” could come across as a dirge, just too damn sad for words, but instead, it kinda reminds me of something from Big Star’s Third.

At first, it’s just Lyle telling his story to bass guitar, with a dab of piano here, a tinkle of a cymbal there, maybe an acoustic guitar strum, all of which just contribute to the dark mood he’s creating.

Certain Songs #1055: Lyle Lovett – “Church”

November 27, 2017 by Jim Connelly

Album: Joshua Judges Ruth
Year: 1992

The one thing about the Catholic services that I went to before I had a choice was that they were like a well-oiled machine: we were in and out in about a hour, every single time.

So I can’t fully relate to the dilemma that Lyle Lovett describes in the weird, hilarious honky-tonk gospel song “Church,” but most certainly can appreciate it: a long-winded preacher is essentially holding his entire congregation hostage, with predictable results.