Saturday, December 10, 2005

Zip City - DBT Picture Tour

Here is the next installment of the DBT Lyrics Tour. I present to you, Zip City, by Mr. Mike Cooley and the Drive-by Truckers.

I remember being a kid and driving through Zip City with my dad or granddad in my granddad's old beat up truck. We were heading to Tennessee 'cause your could buy beer at the state line. Florence and Lauderdale county were dry at that time and it was illegal to bring booze into the county from Tennessee. My dad and granddad would fill up the bed of the truck and cover it with a tarp and head back to Alabama with their beer supply for the next couple of weeks.

My pops was employed by Reynold's Metal Co. and he did make good money until they sold out to Alcoa who pretty much shuttered the place. Wise is the current owner but it runs the plant at a fraction of what it use to be.

I'm from Lauderdale County and if you ever wanted an easy date you'd head on over and find you one of them fine Colbert County women to go parking with. Cooley had it all ass backwards.

Zip City to Colbert Heights


Your Daddy is a deacon down at the Salem Church of Christ...




And He makes good money as long as Reynolds Wrap keeps everything wrapped up tight...

"Alcoa and Reynolds are competing producers of a rolled aluminum sheet product known as beverage can stock ("can stock"). There are two types of beverage can stock -- body stock, which is used to make the body of a beverage can, and end/tab stock, which is used to make the lid and pull tab of a beverage can. In 1996, U.S. sales of body stock were $3.2 billion; U.S. sales of end/tab stock were $1.4 billion".

"The Reynolds facility in Muscle Shoals will be closed as a result of the transaction. Under its agreement with Alcoa, Reynolds must close down the facility (and pay the associated costs) before transferring ownership to Alcoa. Alcoa has no need for additional can stock production capacity, nor any present intention to use the facility to produce can stock. The transaction will thus result in a significant reduction in capacity to produce can stock".


Maybe it's the twenty-six mile drive from Zip City.....
(according to Mapquest it's a 22.89 mile drive, thus the "maybe")


...to Colbert Heights


View from Colbert Heights


Cause He knows that blood red carpet at the Salem Church of Christ....






Ain't gonna ever see no wedding between me and you....


Zip City it's a good thing that they built a wall around you...


Zip up to Tennessee then zip back down to Alabama....


I got 350 heads on a 305 engine....


I get ten miles to the gallon....

I ain't got no good intentions

14 comments:

Anonymous said...

Great Stuff. I live in Hartselle and made my on pilgrimage to Zip City once as well. I was let down when the 'the wall they build around you' was only a metaphore, I wanted there to be big ass retaining wall for some reason.

AAW said...

That's hilarious, Adam. Damn Cooley and his metaphors! BTW, I spent a good amount of time in Hartselle back in the early 90's. when I dated a girl who was from there. First name was Daphne. Can't remember her last name. Ah, memories.... I wish I could remember them.

Anonymous said...

haha yeah i know what you mean. Theres thousands of memories I cant remember too.

I think Zip City is my favorite of S.R.O. I'm also a songwriter and I cover it at almost every show I do. Which I probably shouldnt do because someone always says "hey man that zip city song you do is my favorite song of yours", despite the fact that I always give credit to Cooley before and after I do it. Drunk people never listen.

You've got a great site, I love this. Keep it up.

AAW said...

Thanks, Adam. I appreciate your support. Keep up the good music and to hell with Cooley and giving him credit! He's an artist and once he unleashes one of his awesome tunes it is no longer his but the world's. (Cooley would probably agree as long as he's getting paid ;-D)

Anonymous said...

Zip City in the LIMELIGHT!!! Who would have thought it...The slogan when my parents grew up was Zip OH 10 - 2 stores and a cotton gin. When I grew up (OF course in Zip City) the slogan had changed to Zip Oh 10 - 2 stores and a burnt down cotton gin. Hasn't changed alot..but alot of great folks with kind hearts reside there..Of course the thrill was to ride over and see what they were doing in IRON City and I hear there is a song in that too! Called the Iron City Blues. I think the backwoods are discovered.

Anonymous said...

Very nice post.

Anonymous said...

I made the trip from Columbia, TN to Zip City this weekend. Damn, that place is hard to find. County Road 8 is confusing! It should've taken a little over an hour and ended up being over two. Then we decided to head on over to Colbert Heights. That took forever, too. It's also confusing driving around Florence and UNA. We headed back, through Zip City again and made a big circle and ended up at the Salem Church of Christ a total of three times. Of course it was also way after midnight and we were tired as hell. Gonna do it again when it gets warmer and during the day. Maybe even attend a service at the Salem CofC.

AAW said...

Hey Jake. Another fan trip to DBT mecca. Very nice. Zip City can be hard to find or easy to miss. You'll 'Zip' right through it.

Now that you've got the lay of the land, 2nd time around should be more enjoyable.

Don't forget to stop over at Wilson Dam.

J.

Anonymous said...

Used to live in Zip City, lotta good people there, wanna move back. Should have never sold my house there.

Balentine said...

I grew up in that little white house across the street from Salem. Alot of memories there and in the Church

Anonymous said...

Thank you very much for the post, Zip City is one of my favourite songs. Amazing work!

Anonymous said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Unknown said...

I'm headed to the Salem c of C this morning from Birmingham. Gonna hear my son speak as one of the Titus Camp goers from Heritage University. I really enjoyed your article, as I was born in Florence.

Anonymous said...

I'm a Hamilton...Which one of the Balentine's are you?