Welcome to Music Friday when we bring you great songs with jewelry, gemstones or precious metals in the title or lyrics. Today, country star Tim McGraw sings about a breakup in his 2015 hit, “Diamond Rings and Old Barstools.” This emotional ballad tells the story of former lovers who agree to go their separate ways after finally conceding that the relationship has no chance of working out.
In the first verse, McGraw sings, “Diamond rings and old barstools / One’s for queens and one’s for fools / One’s the future and one’s the past / One’s forever and one won’t last.”
In the chorus, he continues, “I guess some things just don’t mix like you hoped / Like me and you / And diamond rings and old barstools.”
Written by Jonathan Singleton, Barry Dean and Luke Laird, “Diamond Rings and Old Barstools” was released as the fourth and final single from McGraw’s chart-topping Sundown Heaven Town album. The single peaked at #11 on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Songs list and #10 on the Billboard Canadian Country list. It was also nominated at the 58th Grammy Awards for Best Country Song.
McGraw described how he loves to get lost in the emotion of this song, stating, “The guitar is so filled with regret. It just drips with it.”
The son of New York Mets star pitcher Tug McGraw, Samuel Timothy “Tim” McGraw was born in Delhi, La., in 1967. Tim was brought up by his step-dad, Horace Smith, and didn’t know that the famous athlete was his biological father until he was 11. McGraw learned to play guitar while attending Northeast Louisiana University on a baseball scholarship. He signed his first record deal with Curb Records in 1990 and married country singer Faith Hill in 1996.
McGraw is one of the best-selling music artists of all time with more than 80 million records sold since he first burst onto the country music scene in 1992. Twenty-five of his 65 hit singles have gone to #1 on the Billboard U.S. Hot Country Songs chart, and 10 of his 15 studio albums have topped the Billboard U.S. Top Country Albums chart.
Please check out the video of McGraw’s live performance of “Diamond Rings and Old Barstools.” The lyrics are below if you’d like to sing along…
“Diamond Rings and Old Barstools”
Written by Jonathan Singleton, Barry Dean and Luke Laird. Performed by Tim McGraw.
Diamond rings and old barstools
One’s for queens and one’s for fools
One’s the future and one’s the past
One’s forever and one won’t last
It ain’t like midnight and cigarette smoke
It ain’t like watered down whiskey and Coke
I guess some things just don’t mix like you hoped
Like me and you
Diamond rings and old barstools
The wrongs and rights, the highs and lows
The “I love you’s,” the “I told you so’s”
Past few miles to wherever’s home
Another morning waking up alone
It ain’t like midnight and cigarette smoke
It ain’t like watered down whiskey and Coke
I guess some things just don’t mix like you hoped
Like me and you
Diamond rings and old barstools
It ain’t like midnight and cigarette smoke
Nothing like watered down whiskey and Coke
I guess some things just don’t mix like you hoped
Like me and you
Diamond rings and old barstools
Credit: Screen capture via YouTube.com.