Story Behind The Song

Montana Man (Bruce Gerrish, Sharon Carmichael) I'm originally from Minneapolis, Minnesota and I went home for Christmas one year with my wife at that time. My brother was living in Europe but he still had an old Nissan Stanza that he was going to give to me. Being a rather broke musician, I thought this was a hell of deal, a free car! After Christmas, Sharon and I headed out in the dead of winter to drive across the Northern US back to B.C. on I95 on one of the coldest winters on record. I'll never forget pulling out of Fargo/Moorhead at about 10PM heading into the badlands. A cop pulled us over because he was worried about us. He turned out to be a really nice guy who showed us how to stick a piece of cardboard in front of the radiator to keep it warmer inside the car. He also told us to not get out of the car or we might immediately freeze from the wind chill. He told us if we broke down to not get out of the car as highway patrol was always cruising up and down that stretch. As we drove across North Dakota and into Montana, we started to notice billboards along the way advertising the 4 B's restaurants. We eventually talked to a trucker who said the long haulers referred to the highway as the 4 Bs for Bizmark, Billings, Bozeman, Butte. Whether that was true or not, it made for a good story. We got the idea to write a song about a country girl who leaves her home in Missoula for the brighter lights of a bigger city but in the end decides to return to her man, her sweet Montana man. Of course she was driving back on the 4Bs. Ironically, when we finally crossed the Canadian border the customs guy wanted to charge us $2000 for importing the Nissan into Canada. We were devastated. We ultimately had to abandon ship, pile all of our bags out, leave the car at immigration and take a cab home. So much for the free car.

Song Description

A young woman leaves her rural Montana home and boyfriend thinking that she needed to see more of the world. After leaving and living in a bigger city for a while, she realizes that she belongs back where she started and hopes it's not to late to reconcile with her Montana Man.

Lyrics

Montana Man ©2011
Gerrish, Carmichael, SOCAN


Stop Time Bridge

Bismark, Billings Bozeman, Butte Interstate's her only route How could she have been so blind She's just gotta get back to her man in time
She prays it's not too late by the time she's cross that state To get back to that sweet Montana Man

Verse 1
When she left home in Missoula it was springtime
She new that he'd never leave Big Sky So she headed off to Bozeman on a highway that she'd chosen But by Billings she began to wonder why.

Verse 2
Well she took that job in Bismark ' cause she was head strong Tying to make a little something of her life.
She'd sooner run off to Timbuktu instead of just makin' do. And winding up another lonesome cowboy wife.

Chorus
She's driving them 4 B's back to the honey
Back to her sweet Montana Man
She prays it's not too late
By the time she's crossed the State To get back to her sweet Montana Man.

Bridge
Bismark, Billings Bozeman, Butte Interstate's her only route How could she have been so blind She's just gotta get back to her man in time
She prays it's not too late by the time she's cross that state to get back to that sweet Montana Man

Verse 3
Guess you don't know what you got until you go.
Big city life can be colder than the drivin snow
Another hundred miles to Butte, she knows their ain't no substitute
For a sweet Montana Man.

Chorus