Benjamin Atkinson

The Good Life by Corey Smith

"The Good Life" on Youtube

“The Good Life” is a song by country/rock/blues singer and guitarist Corey Smith. It was issued in 2005 as the namesake of his new album at the time, The Good Life. Corey represents the most organic type of musician; he has built his success without a big time label, marketing, or even a publicist. His music is tough to classify because it is so diverse, but this one would have to be considered southern rock. Corey is from Georgia and his music reflects that he likes to have a good time, is easy-going, has a good ole’ boy attitude. This makes him quite popular among young adults who find themselves in limbo between the shackles of the real world and the freedom of the college lifestyle. Although most of his music is about the partying and having fun of being young, this piece is more reflective of some of the important things in life.

I included this song because of the type of message it conveys. He highlights how it is important in life to do the very best with what you have, even if you haven’t been given much. The music is very easy to listen to and invites the listener to stop what they are doing and simply appreciate the song. He sings about three specific things within this message that I connect with and can appreciate. Early in the song he sings about his father and how he does his best to not spoil his kids so that they learn the value of hard work. As Corey says, “we shared in the sweat and the blood and the tears, I guess he knew it would do us some good.” Later he mentions his wife and her commitment to him and their child. She loves him for who he is and for the fact he does his best for her. I can relate to this because I believe this simple quality is what we all truly want/need in a relationship. Finally, he ends the song with this:

I hope ole St. Peter will have me when they throw my coffin in the back
When that hearse rolls away I hope all ya'll will say
He couldn't do it much better than that.

This is the most impactful part of the song for me. If you take everything you’ve done throughout your life and really reflect on it and honestly say you couldn’t have done any better, then that’s as good as it gets.