Best of 2004, #26: Stray Paper by Tift Merritt

Well, Stacy (who despite being a Hickory Wind author still hasn't seen my list) already called it, but here she is folks, the near-Grammy-winning Tift Merritt! This was, without a doubt, the best song on her sophomore effort, Tambourine. It's sultry, sexy, but still country with that great slide Telecaster sound. It weeps almost like a steel guitar.

I have no clue what this song is about. I just go with it. (Of course now I'm listening trying to figure it out. Oh well... gotta be me.) Is she burning cigarette butts? What the hell? Ah, these little bits of stray paper are where she writes down guys' phone numbers? I give up!

Say good-bye to Tift, my friends. She doesn't have any other songs in my Top 30 of 2004. There's always 2005, or more likely, 2006.