Song Lyric Sunday – Before He Cheats

Break Up Songs is the prompt from Janis of the momshiediaries blog, for this week’s Song Lyric Sunday. I went with Carrie Underwood’s “Before He Cheats”. It is a fair warning song with great lyrics of what she will do if he cheats on her. Better look out man, she means business!

Enjoy the song and video and I hope have a great Sunday.

The Song

This song is about revenge. Underwood sings about going into a parking lot and vandalizing her cheating boyfriend’s 4×4 truck with a baseball bat. She finds solace knowing that the next time he cheats, it won’t be on her.

When Underwood sings about her ex putting on “bathroom Polo,” she’s referring to vending machines found in the men’s rooms of certain US drinking establishments that dispense low-grade cologne. The guys who buy these fragrances often believe it will help them attract a mate in the bar, although many females are actually repelled by the scent.

This song won the trophy for Single Of The Year at the 2007 Country Music Association Awards. In addition, Carrie Underwood also won the award for Female Vocalist Of The Year.

In February 2008 “Before He Cheats” became the first country song to achieve RIAA certification as a Double-Platinum Digital Single, recognizing 2 million purchased downloads.

Underwood performed this at the 2008 Grammy awards with the cast of Stomp, which acted as backup dancers and percussionists. The set was designed to look like cars they were beating up.

Some Hearts became the best selling solo female Country debut in RIAA history. It also was the highest selling Country album in the US in both 2006 and 2007.

The Roman White directed-music video shows Underwood destroying her cheating lover’s truck. Her unfaithful partner is played by Atlanta-based model Tabb Shoup.

Speaking with CMT, Underwood admitted she almost passed on this song out of fear of a fan backlash. “I remember at that time – because that was right after Idol – we [were] on the road, and then I get this song,” she recalled. “I [thought], ‘People are going to hate me for singing this song.’ They’re gonna be like, ‘Oh my gosh, we can’t listen to her album. She’s bad, and I can’t let my children listen to this.’ Finally I was just like, ‘You know what? I like this song. I would turn this song up on the radio, so I’m just gonna go for it.'”

The song holds the record for the longest ascent to the top ten of the Billboard Hot 100. It took 38 weeks to climb to the top tier in 2006-07.

Thanks to this song, Underwood carved out a niche for songs that take down badly behaved boyfriends. Some of her later tunes to incorporate this theme include “Cowboy Casanova,” “Two Black Cadillacs” and “Dirty Laundry.”

Courtesy of Songfacts

The Lyrics

Right now, he's probably slow dancing
With a bleached-blond tramp
And she's probably getting frisky
Right now, he's probably buying
Her some fruity little drink
'Cause she can't shoot whiskey

Right now, he's probably up behind her
With a pool-stick
Showing her how to shoot a combo
And he don't know

I dug my key into the side
Of his pretty little souped-up four-wheel drive
Carved my name into his leather seats
I took a Louisville slugger to both head lights
I slashed a hole in all four tires
Maybe next time he'll think before he cheats

Right now, she's probably up singing some
White-trash version of Shania karaoke
Right now, she's probably saying "I'm drunk"
And he's a-thinking that he's gonna get lucky

Right now, he's probably
Dabbing on three dollars
Worth of that bathroom Polo
Oh, and he don't know

That I dug my key into the side
Of his pretty little souped-up four-wheel drive
Carved my name into his leather seats
I took a Louisville slugger to both head lights
I slashed a hole in all four tires
Maybe next time he'll think before he cheats

I might have saved a little trouble for the next girl
'Cause the next time that he cheats
Oh, you know it won't be on me!
No, not on me

'Cause I dug my key into the side
Of his pretty little souped-up four-wheel drive
Carved my name into his leather seats
I took a Louisville slugger to both head lights
I slashed a hole in all four tires
Maybe next time he'll think before he cheats

Oh, maybe next time he'll think before he cheats
Oh, before he cheats

Oh

Writer/s: Chris Tompkins, Josh Kear 
Publisher: Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Round Hill Music Big Loud Songs
Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind