I've Always Stood Up For Country Music.

Did You Weep For The Children Who Lost Their Dear Loved Ones And Pray For The Ones Who Don't Know? Did You Rejoice For The People Who Walked From The Rubble, And Sob For The Ones Left Below?

When I Was In High School, I Don't Know That I Really Had Big Dreams.

You Think About People Like Hank Williams, Who Stood On That Spot Of Wood, And Mr. Acuff, And, Of Course, George Jones. And Just About Anybody You Can Think Of Who Has Made Country Music Has Been On That Stage. That's What Makes You So Nervous - To Think About The Historical Part Of The Opry And How It's Played Such A Part In Country Music.

Growing Up In Georgia, I Used To Think People Up North Or Out West Were So Different. They're Really Not. They're Just Regular People Who Live In Small Towns. They Grow Up And Try To Raise Families And Have A Job And Go To Church And Play Softball. It's That Way Everywhere.

"after 17" Is A Song I Wrote When My First Daughter Went To College, So That's Kind Of Where I'm At In That Part Of My Life. If You Listen To That Song And Knew Anything About Me, You'd Say, "oh Yeah, He Wrote That About His Daughter," But I Try Not To Write Them That They Are So Specific That They Wouldn't Apply To Anybody That Has A Child.