Randy Travis – “Dig Two Graves”
Songwriters: Ashley Gorley and Robert Regan
When my grandfather passed away in 1989, my grandmother had her name chiseled into the stone next to his with the date of death left blank and though she went on to live another 17 years and appreciated the time she had with her family, she looked forward to joining him again. After courting for less than a month over 50 years ago, my cousin got married, and they haven’t spent a night apart since. Those are the kind of stories you rarely hear or read about and the kind of love that’s rarely sung about. It’s from those kinds of relationships that I’m able to relate to the sentiment that Randy Travis sings about in his second single, “Dig Two Graves.”
Travis reflects on the day he vowed to spend his life with the woman he loves, noting the change a life together has had on their love and he comes to the realization that they have become one over time. His wife has become his heart and soul and he can’t imagine life without her.
There isn’t anything overly remarkable about the song, nor is there anything noteworthy about the vocal, in fact, “Faith In You” exhibited a marked decline in Travis’ voice–which is apparent in a few instances on the album–but “Dig Two Graves” doesn’t reveal that weakness. The understated vocal is part of the song’s appeal, as it’s not overwrought with emotionalism, but is simply an honest testament of a husband’s love for his wife.
However, the combination of song and Travis’ performance together are an example of what makes country music truly exceptional–it’s ability to take a truth deeper than many of us have experienced or even realized and make it accessible through a song or performance. Both singles from Around The Bend have been love songs from a mature perspective that not many of today’s artists could pull off convincingly. They approach the subject of love in a way that may not be generic enough to have success at radio, but that has no bearing on their quality.
A couple of other songs from Around The Bend might have made for better releases, but other than the occasional anomaly, Travis’ days of radio success are most likely over, despite his ability to still create worthwhile and compelling music.
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Listen: Randy Travis – “Dig Two Graves”
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9 Comments
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July 6, 2008 at 7:55 pm Permalink
As I said on Kevin’s review of this song, it reminds me of Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash. By all accounts, Johnny’s will to live was pretty much gone after June died.
July 6, 2008 at 10:55 pm Permalink
Randy’s whole album is good. Highly recommended.
July 7, 2008 at 6:11 am Permalink
Chris, I’ve heard mixed reports on the new album. MOre people than not claim that his voice is shot. What do you think? It’s an album I’ve been looking forward to, so I’d hate to be disappointed.
July 7, 2008 at 6:26 am Permalink
Leeann, his voice is still distinctive as ever, it’s just aged and he can’t quite hit certain notes, but it also seems like stuff they could have re-recorded, so I don’t know what exactly the deal is. It bugged me the first time I gave it a listen, but after living with it for awhile, it’s just become part of the “character” of his voice and doesn’t necessarily detract from the album.
I think “shot” is a pretty strong word to use, though, it’s not that bad.
July 7, 2008 at 7:37 am Permalink
Well…I can’t have an incomplete Randy Travis collection…so I’m sure I’ll chance it and buy it. It’s interesting because I thought he sounded pretty good on the Opry the last couple of times I caught him.
July 7, 2008 at 8:43 am Permalink
Having just declared in print how good his voice sounds on this record, I do hope my ears aren’t broken.
July 7, 2008 at 9:05 am Permalink
I address this issue in my review of the album, which will be up in the next couple of days. I suspect that once the album comes out there will be a good amount of disagreement about how Randy sounds.
July 8, 2008 at 11:53 am Permalink
I have seen Randy in concert 4 times this year, the last time just this past Thursday. He sounds awesome. His voice is not shot by any means.
September 1, 2008 at 12:08 am Permalink
I just heard this song and it is beautiful my sister-in-law wanted me to hear it because she(we)lost my brother they were married for 35 years he was only 55 she wants this song played at her funeral.
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