Well, try that in a small town See how far ya make it down the road 'Round here we take care of our own You cross that line, it won't take long For you to find out, I recommend you don't Try that in a small town
The 1950s was a time of great change for the United States, and small towns were not left unaffected. As the economy boomed, many people began moving to the cities and their surrounding suburbs for greater economic opportunities. For some small towns, this meant the beginning of their eventual decline. For others, this resulted in changes that led to continued vitality in new areas.
Songs like Ray Price's "City Lights" and Stonewall Jackson's "Life to Go" (both recorded in 1958) depicted cities as dirty, lonely, violent places. Cities outside the South were a frequent target, as in Bobby Bare's "Detroit City" (1963), Ben Peters's "San Francisco is a Lonely Town" (1969), Buck Owens's "I Wouldn't Live in New York City (If They Gave Me the Whole Damn Town)" (1970) and George Jones and Tammy Wynette's "Southern California" (1977).
I Wouldn't Live in New York City (If They Gave Me the Whole Dang Town) · Buck Owens