Hey Aldean, I was raised in a small town. Let me tell ya' 'bout it . . .

[treestar]

39. the upside of everyone knows everyone else

can be balanced with the downside of everyone knowing everyone else.

My dad grew up in a small town - as kids, they played anywhere, and other parents could speak to them about doing something wrong.

He could run errands for his mom, like going to the post office or store, since they were in walking distance. School was in walking distance. As a teen, he got a part time job with the paper, in walking distance.

But you hear of people leaving small towns to go to college and then not going back, because the opportunities then are in the cities. And people leaving them due to gossip, everyone knowing your business and thinking they have a say.

This song is like the one about how country boys know how to survive - how come the rural and small town types feel like they have to tell us off every once in a while, warning us that we are their inferiors and should recognize that.