Written by Buck Moore and Gary Duffy, "Paint Me A Birmingham" was released by two artists within one week of each other, but only one singer would turn it into a hit on the country charts.
The lyrics are perfect for country music, telling the story of the narrator meeting an artist on the beach who is painting ocean scenes. He then asks the artist to paint the plans he had with his lost love. Two different country singers perfectly captured the song's message of undying love.
Ken Mellons
Ken Mellons, who had a top 10 hit with the song "Jukebox Junkie" in 1994, released his version of the song as part of his album Sweet in 2004. While this lesser-known version of the song peaked at 54 on the charts, Mellons does a great job of connecting with the story and conveying emotion through the lyrics.
Tracy Lawrence
Tracy Lawrence's version of the song was the more successful of the two, peaking at number 4 on the Hot Country Songs Billboard chart. It was Lawrence's first hit since "Lessons Learned" four years prior. The song was featured on Lawrence's album Strong.
Parody
The song even got its own parody cover, "Bake Me A Country Ham," recorded by Cledus T. Judd on his 2005 album, Bipolar and Proud, which charted at 58.
"Paint Me A Birmingham" Lyrics:
He was sitting there, his brush in hand
Paining waves as they danced upon the sand
With every stroke he brought to life
The deep blue of the ocean against the morning sky
I asked him if he only painted ocean scenes
He said for twenty dollars, I'll paint you anything
Could you paint me a Birmingham?
Make it look just the way I planned
A little house on the edge of town
Porch going all the way around
Put her there on the front yard swing
Cotton dress make it early spring
For a while she'll be mine again
If you could paint me a Birmingham
He looked at me with knowing eyes
And took a canvas from the bag there by his side
Picked up a brush and said to me
"Son, just where in this picture would you like to be?"
I said, "If there's any way you can,
Could you paint me back into her arms again?"
Could you paint me a Birmingham?
Make it look just the way I plan
A little house on the edge of town
Porch going all the way around
Put her there on the front yard swing
Cotton dress make it early spring
For a while she'll be mine again
If you could paint me a Birmingham
Paint me a Birmingham
Make it look just the way I plan
A little house on the edge of town
Porch going all the way around
Put her there on the front yard swing
Cotton dress make it early spring
For a while she'll be mine again
If you could paint me a Birmingham
Oh, paint me a Birmingham
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