Problems abound in Sassparilla songs.
They are pungent, not subtle. The people who are experiencing them are well aware that they're doing something wrong, but the self-medication takes, more times than not, and they're able to withstand it all. They fall into problems and rarely, if ever, claw their way out of them. It's just one black hole of issues swirling around them, stinking up the place. Kevin Blackwell, the lead singer for the dirty bluegrass band out of Portland, Oregon, encapsulates the general character who calls these songs home, on "Mary Celeste," singing:
"You and I
Burn the same
And we both wear dirty faces
And we fly to close to the ground
It's not enough to live
You've got to burn
My promises do you no good
If they take the place of thinking
We're no strangers
To the world
To its troubles
You're worn out and I'm a mess
You told me
You can't prove its real unless it bleeds
Then you cut me into pieces and saw that I was real
On the grinding wheels of love
I'm going back to that someplace
And I love the way your name feels in my mouth
I'm a liar
You're a thief
We're in trouble
You're fed up and I'm a mess."
All this misery keeps great company. It's the liquor cabinet that takes a hurt.