Story Behind The Song

Jason Blume once mentioned in passing that "there are no napkins in Nashville," and I instantly recognized a country classic in that single line.

Song Description

A true songwriter has to be ready to catch every line that comes by.

Lyrics

NO NAPKINS IN NASHVILLE

I was sittin? in a diner
In Tennessee,
When the waitress spilled hot coffee
All over me.
She said, ?Sorry! Let me get a
Towel for you.?
I said, ?That?s all right, mama,
Some napkins?ll do.?
She looked down at me like I came
From outer space,
And said, ?You mean you don?t know
What they call this place??
When I couldn?t answer the question
That she hurled,
She yelled, ?It?s the music capital
Of the world!
And, Honey, that?s why ?
There are no napkins in Nashville;
The songwriters grab every one.
There?ll be no napkins in Nashville
Till the very last song is done.?
I looked ?round and saw that what she
Said was true.
Every time someone spoke, the pens
And pencils flew.
No idea expressed was too large
Or too small.
The pens and pencils flew; the napkins
Caught it all.
And that?s why ?
There are no napkins in Nashville;
The songwriters grab every one.
There?ll be no napkins in Nashville
Till the very last song is done.

These lines passed me by, and the napkins caught them all:
I?m gonna miss her until I get
My scope fixed.
I?m shaken, but I?m not stirred;
My feelings are mixed.
I feel like we bonded, and I?m
Coming unglued,
So, play those milk cow blues to put me
In the mood.

Yeah, they wrote down every line, and that?s why ?

There are no napkins in Nashville;
The songwriters grab every one.
There?ll be no napkins in Nashville
Till the very last song is done.

And those lines kept a?comin? on by ?

Vicky Visine® surely was a
Sight for sore eyes;
She was a tailor-made girl I
Tried on for ?sighs.?
I didn?t know if I was coming
Or going;
Got my two-way shoes and a round trip
On Boeing.

The pens and pencils kept on flying, and that?s why ?

There are no napkins in Nashville;
The songwriters grab every one.
There?ll be no napkins in Nashville
Till the very last song is done.

Well, by this time my pants were pretty
Close to dry,
And I thought I might give this songwriting
A try.
I stole a napkin from this guy
Just off the bus,
Who smiled and said, ?Don?t bore us, get to
The chorus.?

So, I wrote down these lines:

There are no napkins in Nashville;
The songwriters grab every one.
There?ll be no napkins in Nashville
Till the very last song is done.

Copyright © 2003 Lex Zaleta