Inspirational verse

I was driving up to the store this afternoon when I caught this piece of verse over the radio:

You know, just the other night
These cops pulled me over outside a bar.
They turned on their lights
And they ordered me out of my car.
Man, I was only kidding
When I called them a couple of dicks,
But still they made me do the stupid human tricks,
Now I'm stuck in this jail with a bunch of dumb hicks,
And I still don't know why.

The lyrics are from "Alright Guy", by Todd Snider. This is one of his early songs, going back to 1994. I'm sure I've heard it a few times - don't know how I missed those lyrics until now. YouTube has a nice seven-minute version of "Alright Guy" taken from an Austin City Limits performance.

Todd Snider is one of those artists that falls between the cracks. Not quite rock, not quite country, not quite folk, he's the sort of performer that Nashville attracts like moths are attracted to flame. That's the side of Nashville the tourists don't see. The first thing that comes to mind to most people when you mention Nashville is country music, but there are hundreds of talented musicians here who represent almost all musical styles, but often don't get their due because C&W is the 800-pound gorilla that obscures all else in this town.