Home Sweet Home

“I Ain’t in Checotah Anymore” by Carrie Underwood is a song I like because of the fact that I can relate to it. In this song, Underwood sings about her hometown, Checotah, Oklahoma, and how it is much different from her life now (as a former winner of American Idol, Underwood’s life changed from that of a slow-paced small town girl to a fast-paced starlet). The lyrics of this song are about how Underwood thinks her life now is new and exciting, but that home is home; and she misses it.
“I’d rather be tippin’ cows in Tulsa, than hailing cabs here in New York,” and “My hotel in Manhattan holds more people than my town,” are two of my favorite lines in the song. These two lines are catchy and kind of ironic because many people would want to live in a fancy New York hotel and hail cabs in New York rather than tipping cows in a small town. But different places are home to different people; if you grew up in NYC you probably love activities like hailing cabs, but if you grew up on a farm, you probably enjoy activities like tipping cows. However, I don’t think of “I Ain’t in Checotah Anymore,” as only comparing Checotah and New York. It can relate to anyone who has recently moved away from home, wherever home may be.
This past year, I moved away from home to go to college, and while I love to be in college and move on with my life, I miss home. When Underwood sings about things such as Friday nights with her friends, prom, football games, and her favorite home activities, I think of all of my memories and fun times from home. With the upbeat rhythm of the song, it helps to bring out fun, special memories for whoever is listening. So, whatever your idea of “home” is, “I Ain’t in Checotah Anymore” is a cute song that captures the meaning of a place to call home.

Citation
Carrie Underwood. "I Ain't in Checotah Anymore." Some Hearts. Artista Records, 2005.