About The Song
“Goodbye Earl”, written by Dennis Linde, is a country murder ballad. Initially recorded by the band Sons of the Desert for an unreleased album in the late 1990s, the song gained fame when it was recorded by Dixie Chicks on their fifth studio album, Fly. After charting from unsolicited airplay in late 1999, the song was released as that album’s third single in 2000, peaking at #13 on Billboard’s Hot Country Singles & Tracks (now Hot Country Songs) charts. The CD single includes a ‘B-Side’ cover of “Stand By Your Man” by Tammy Wynette. In 2021, it was listed at No. 469 on Rolling Stone’s “Top 500 Best Songs of All Time”.
“Goodbye Earl” was written by songwriter Dennis Linde. He plays acoustic guitar on the song, while producers Blake Chancey and Paul Worley, along with Charlie Robison, provide backing vocals. It is composed in the key of C major with a vocal range of G3-C5 and a main chord pattern of C-F/C-C-Gsus4.
Using black comedy, the song tells the story of two best friends from high school, and what became of them after graduation. Mary Ann leaves the town where they were raised (probably to pursue her fortune), while Wanda settles on marrying a man named “Earl,” who physically abuses her repeatedly. Wanda files for divorce based on the domestic violence, but “Earl walked right through that restraining order and put her in intensive care.” Mary Ann flies in from Atlanta, Georgia, and after a discussion, the women decide “that Earl had to die,” and they kill him, by poisoning or drugging his black-eyed peas. The song plot has been described as a cross between the films Fried Green Tomatoes and Thelma and Louise. The character of Earl previously appeared in Linde’s composition “Queen of My Double Wide Trailer”, recorded by Sammy Kershaw.
The violent themes of the song caused some radio stations to approach playing the song with caution. According to an April 2000 Los Angeles Times article, at the time of publication, 20 of the 149 country radio stations tracked by Radio & Records were not playing the track due to hesitation from programmers. KRTY in San Jose, California attracted local media attention for banning the song and holding an on-air discussion on March 13, 2000 about the decision.
The debate also centered, however, around creating awareness of domestic violence issues. Rita Smith, executive director of Denver-based National Coalition Against Domestic Violence argued it fomented necessary public dialogue around a taboo subject. “Many battered women feel trapped and feel that violence is their only option to get away from the abuser,” she told the Los Angeles Times. “We don’t want them feeling that way. We want them to know there are resources available to them. . . . We want stations who play the record to tell their listeners that there is a hotline number they can call if they’ve been a victim of violence.”
Many stations decided to provide phone numbers to domestic violence hotlines whenever they aired the song.[8] KRTY later reversed their decision and donated to a domestic violence shelter for each broadcast of the song. USA Today reported in April 2000 that KEEY “K102” in Minneapolis played a message promoting a domestic violence shelter alongside the song and WKIX in Raleigh, North Carolina, excluded the song from its playlist.
Video
Lyrics
Mary Anne and Wanda were the best of friends
All through their high school days
Both members of the 4H club, both active in the FFA
After graduation
Mary Anne went out lookin’ for a bright new world
Wanda looked all around this town and all she found was Earl
Well, it wasn’t two weeks after she got married that
Wanda started gettin’ abused
She’d put on dark glasses and long sleeved blouses
And makeup to cover a bruise
Well, she finally got the nerve to file for divorce
She let the law take it from there
But Earl walked right through that restraining order
And put her in intensive care
Right away Mary Anne flew in from Atlanta
On a red eye midnight flight
She held Wanda’s hand and they worked out a plan
And it didn’t take ’em long to decide
That Earl had to die
Good bye, Earl
Those black-eyed peas
They tasted alright to me, Earl
You feelin’ weak?
Why don’t you lay down and sleep, Earl
Ain’t it dark wrapped up in that tarp, Earl
The cops came by to bring Earl in
They searched the house high and low
Then they tipped their hats and said, “Thank you ladies
If you hear from him let us know”
Well, the weeks went by and spring turned to summer
And summer faded into fall
And it turns out he was a missing person who nobody missed at all
So the girls bought some land at a roadside stand
Out on highway 109
They sell Tennessee ham and strawberry jam
And they don’t lose any sleep at night
‘Cause Earl had to die
Good bye, Earl
We need a break, let’s go out to the lake, Earl
We’ll pack a lunch, and stuff you in the trunk, Earl
Well, is that alright? Good! Let’s go for a ride, Earl, hey
Ooh hey hey hey
Ah hey hey hey
Well, hey hey hey