Story Behind The Song
This song has had "two lives." Bob and Kim tried to "make a go" of the song at an earlier time, and things didn't end up working out. So, it was shelved. Bob and Dennis took it off the shelf in late 2002 and decided to re-work most of the melody; however some of the original melody and the title have remained unchanged. As to the story behind the lyrics, it is a partially based on some of those pearls of wisdom which we all receive as kids (e.g., "don't judge a book by its cover," etc.); and it is partially an homage to other country tunes which comprise an informal genre of "merit versus money, looks and fame in the sweepstakes of love."
Song Description
In this song, the singer finds herself defending the man in her life. He is not much to look at, and the singer knows it. But the singer's dad was a "looker," and he was also a drunk and a carouser, who mistreated the singer's mother. And the singer's man is not very articulate either; whereas her dad had a way with words . . . he was a four-flusher. And the only thing that glittered in her mother's live was "the glass on the floor." No wonder her mother drummed into her the notion that "only a gambler would judge a man by how he looks," and that she wanted her daughter to dig a little deeper through the looks or the word of potential suitors in order to find a "diamond in the rough."
Song Length |
3:31 |
Genre |
Country - Contemporary, Folk - Country |
Tempo |
Slow (71 - 90) |
Lead Vocal |
Female Vocal |
Mood |
Composed |
Subject |
Regret |
Language |
English |
Era |
1960 - 1969 |
Lyrics
Verse One
My Billie Ain?t Much to Look At
And Mama ain?t Much Surprised;
Cuz? Daddy was a Looker
Who Didn?t Care Where He Took Her
And Didn?t Care to Say Goodbye
Now I Didn?t Do That Well in School
Tho? I Guess I Did Well Enough
But Sure As Hell I Learned Mama?s Rules
About Findin? . . .
That Diamond . . .
In the Rough
Chorus
You Can Judge the Cover
Better?n You Can Judge The Book
But Only a Gambler
Would Judge a Man by How He Looks
God Knows When the North Wind Blows
You?ll Be Glad Enough
That You Dug a Little Deeper
Lookin? for a Keeper
And Got Yourself
A Diamond in the Rough . . .
It?s Enough . . .
To Find a Diamond in the Rough
Verse Two
Now Billie Ain?t Much For Talkin?
At Least While the Race is Run
But Daddy was a Talker
And a Midnight Walker
When that Bottle of Dewars Was Done
And All That Glittered
Was Glass on the Floor
And That?s Not a Girl?s Best Friend
And All That Mattered
My Momma Swore
Was That I Might . . .
Find a Diamond . . .
In the End
Chorus
(Instrumental Solo)
Double Chorus