Toby Keith: An American Icon

He was to today’s generation of soldiers what Bob Hope was to the Vietnam generation

By Mark Strand

Toby Keith, an American icon in the truest sense of the word, died yesterday from stomach cancer.  His music was for everyman, but in particular, he gave voice to America following the 9/11 terrorist attack.  His was the song that helped us transition from grief to righteous anger.  He followed that up by championing the American soldier, visiting troops in the field 11 times for the USO. 

I do not normally write about culture – though perhaps I should.  During Poland’s fight against communism, Pope John Paul II always said culture was what drove politics.  He believed that culture, rooted in ethical and moral values, should guide political decisions and policies. In this sense, he stressed that culture should inform and influence politics, ensuring that political actions align with the principles of human dignity, social justice, and respect for life.

Toby Keith had some rough edges, which most of his fans loved about him.  His anthem, Courtesy of the Red, White, and Blue, was hated by the establishment.  Peter Jennings of ABC News famously canceled Keith’s performance of the song for a Patriotic July 4 event in 2002 because he thought the lyrics were too angry.  The song was labeled the Angry American, a subtitle Keith embraced.

Toby Keith wrote that song immediately following 9/11 and told CNN’s Wolf Blitzer that he was not going to release it, but after singing it at the Pentagon, the Naval Academy, and U.S. troops serving in Bosnia, the response was so powerful that he decided to record it.

The words were powerful:

My daddy served in the army
Where he lost his right eye but he flew a flag out in our yard
Until the day that he died
He wanted my mother, my brother, my sister and me
To grow up and live happy
In the land of the free

Now this nation that I love has fallen under attack
A mighty sucker punch came flyin' in from somewhere in the back
Soon as we could see clearly
Through our big black eye
Man, we lit up your world
Like the fourth of July

Justice will be served and the battle will rage
This big dog will fight when you rattle his cage
And you'll be sorry that you messed with
The U.S. of A.
'Cause we'll put a boot in your ass
It's the American way

Hey Uncle Sam put your name at the top of his list
And the Statue of Liberty started shakin' her fist
And the eagle will fly it's gonna be hell
When you hear mother freedom start ringin' her bell
And it feels like the whole wide world is raining down on you
Brought to you courtesy of the red white and blue

It's worth watching the video of the song.

His song American Soldier spoke to the men and women who fought in Afghanistan and Iraq, particularly after the unity of the country following 9/11 started to fade.  Many Americans started to forget about those soldiers, taking for granted their service.  In many ways, this generation of soldiers was neglected – not like the soldiers following Vietnam – but in the way they faded into the background, suffering from post-traumatic stress syndrome.  The suicide of soldiers has become a crisis.  Since 2001, 125,000 veterans have committed suicide.  Suicide is the second-leading cause of death for post-9/11 veterans, accounting for 22.3% of all deaths.

This generation of soldiers doesn’t gather with other soldiers who shared their experience like the Veterans of WWII, Korea, and Vietnam did.  As a result, they suffer and all too often die alone. 

American Soldier captured the concept of duty, even if Americans did not think of those men and women serving on the frontline.

I don't do it for the money
There's bills that I can't pay
I don't do it for the glory
I just do it anyway
Providing for our future's my responsibility
Yeah, I'm real good under pressure
Being all that I can be

And I can't call in sick on Mondays
When the weekends been too strong
I just work straight through the holidays
And sometimes all night long
You can bet that I stand ready
When the wolf growls at the door
Hey, I'm solid, hey I'm steady
Hey I'm true down to the core

And I will always do my duty
No matter what the price
I've counted up the cost
I know the sacrifice
Oh, and I don't want to die for you
But if dyin's asked of me
I'll bear that cross with honor
'Cause freedom don't come free

I'm an American soldier, an American
Beside my brothers and my sisters
I will proudly take a stand
When liberty's in jeopardy
I will always do what's right
I'm out here on the front lines
Sleep in peace tonight
American soldier, I'm an American soldier

Toby Keith also sang songs for what Hillary Clinton called the deplorables.  Many of them were exceptionally hilarious.  You’re Not Much Fun Since I Quit Drinking, How Do You Like Me Now, This Bar, and I Want To Talk About Me were sure to raise smiles.  His song for us old guys, As Good As I Once Was, appeals to who we hope we still are, with the line, “I ain't as good as I once was, But I'm as good once as I ever was.”

I used to be hell on wheels
Back when I was a younger man.
Now my body says, "You can't do this, boy,"
But my pride says, "Oh, yes you can."

I ain't as good as I once was.
That's just the cold hard truth.
I still throw a few back,
Talk a little smack
When I'm feeling bullet-proof.

So don't double-dog dare me now
'Cause I'd have to call your bluff.
I ain't as good as I once was,
But I'm as good once as I ever was.
May not be good as I once was,
But I'm as good once as I ever was.

Toby Keth’s song about imposing justice on criminals run amuck was sung with Willy Nelson, Beer for My Horses.  The lyrics might be even more powerful today as we watch crime run rampant and ignored by progressive district attorneys who have more sympathy for the criminal than the victim.

We got too many gangsters doing dirty deeds
Too much corruption, and crime in the streets
It's time the long arm of the law put a few more in the ground
Send 'em all to their maker and he'll settle 'em down
You can bet he'll set 'em down

'Cause justice is the one thing you should always find
You got to saddle up your boys, you got to draw a hard line
When the gun smoke settles we'll sing a victory tune
We'll all meet back at the local saloon
And we'll raise up our glasses against evil forces singing
Whiskey for my men, beer for my horses

And finally, he also spoke up for forgotten men who got the raw deal of relationships.  His song Who’s That Man talks about a divorced man shut out of his kids’ lives as his ex-wife moves on.  Wish I Didn't Know Now expressed the feelings of every man (and probably many women) who were cheated on by the person they dearly loved.

I wish I didn't know now what I didn't know then 
I wish I could start this whole thing over again 
I'm not sayin' it's you,
You could never be true 
I just don't want to know how it ends 
You'd still have my heart in the palm of your hands 
I'd still look like a fool in front of your friends 
Yeah, I wish somehow I didn't know now what I didn't know then

But the song that made Toby Keith a country music star was a reminiscing of childhood.  I Should Have Been a Cowboy evoked joyous visions of Gene Autry and Roy Rodgers.  At least when we were younger, all boys thought of themselves as Cowboys in the Wild West.  That is probably politically incorrect today.  A boy and his imaginary six-shooter would probably be expelled by some woke school administrator. But that doesn’t mean a boy can’t dream.

I might of had a sidekick with a funny name
Runnin' wild through the hills chasin' Jesse James
Ending up on the brink of danger
Ridin' shotgun for the Texas Rangers
Go west young man, haven't you been told?
California's full of whiskey, women and gold
Sleepin' out all night beneath the desert stars
With a dream in my eye and a prayer in my heart

I should've been a cowboy
I should've learned to rope and ride
Wearin' my six-shooter, ridin' my pony on a cattle drive
Stealin' the young girls' hearts
Just like Gene and Roy
Singin' those campfire songs
Woah, I should've been a cowboy

So, goodbye to Toby Keith, a great American.  For those of us who enjoyed his music and admired his dedication to the men and women serving in our armed forces, his departure from this life comes too soon.  But it is not hard imagining Toby Keith greeted at the Pearly Gates by an honor guard of the men and women he once sang to who fought and died for our freedom.

Godspeed, Toby Keith.  America will miss you.