1. "…I showed up in boots."
   "…The argument was moot."
2. "…I stepped on those newts."
   "…I came looking for loot."

Brooks earned a track and field scholarship to Oklahoma State University. He was a javelin thrower. (Lyrics from Friends in Low Places)

1. "…The romance."
   "…The dance."
2. "…Getting in your pants."
   "…The chance."

"And now, I'm glad I didn't know the way it all would end—the way it all would go. Our lives are better left to chance. I could have missed the pain, but I'd have had to miss the dance." (The Dance)

1. "…Makeup on and lookin’ like a clown."
   "…In her faded flannel gown."
2. "…Ready to beat him down."
   "…Her face a permanent frown."

CMT and TNN banned the 1991 music video for “The Thunder Rolls” because it depicted domestic violence. The Country Music Association still named it video of the year. (Lyrics from Thunder Rolls)

1. "…Old friend’s wedding.. ."
   "…Joe’s Bar and Grill..."
2. "…Fancy restaurant…"
   "…Hometown football game…"

"Just the other night at a hometown football game, my wife and I ran into my old high school flame, and as I introduced them, the past came back to me, and I couldn't help but think of the way things used to be.” (Unanswered Prayers)

1. "…Cowgirls in their cute hats."
   "…Roar of a Sunday crowd."
2. "…Cows chewing their cud."
   "…Floodlights on the arena."

“Well it's bulls and blood. It's dust and mud. It's the roar of a Sunday crowd. It's the white in his knuckles, the gold in the buckle. He'll win the next go 'round. It's boots and chaps. It's cowboy hats. It's spurs and latigo. It's the ropes and the reins and the joy and the pain, and they call the thing rodeo.” (Lyrics from Rodeo)

1. "…His eyes strayed with every girl he could find."
   "…Always getting’ in a bind."
2. "…The jealous kind."
   "…Started losing his mind."

“Mama was a looker, Lord, how she shined. Papa was a good'n but the jealous kind. Papa loved Mama. Mama loved men. Mama's in the graveyard; Papa's in the pen.” (Lyrics from Papa Loved Mama)

1. "…Totally lost..."
   "…Shameless..."
2. "…Tired..."
   "…Losing it..."

Garth Brooks took on an alter ego called Chris Gaines for a 1999 album. He wanted to use the album to promote a potential movie, but it never gained much interest. (Lyrics from Shameless)

1. "…Cinderella man."
   "…Double wide man."
2. "…Seven-eleven man."
   "…Wild card man."

“Yes, she's my lady luck. Hey, I'm her wild card man. Together we're buildin' up a real hot hand. We live out in the country. Hey, she's my little queen of the South. Yea, we're two of a kind workin' on a full house.” (Two of a Kind, Workin’ on a Full House)

1. "…Dry Martinis..."
   "…Long Island Iced Teas..."
2. "… Piña Coladas..."
   "…Margaritas..."

"So bring me two piña coladas—one for each hand. Let's set sail with Captain Morgan, and never leave dry land. Troubles I forgot 'em. I buried 'em in the sand. So bring me two piña coladas. She said good-bye to her good timin' man." (Two Pina Coladas)

1. "…There’s a nightmare in the dark."
   "…You’ll wake from the pain."
2. "…She’ll be there in your dreams."
   "…The night is your enemy."

According to his Billboard chart history, “More Than a Memory” is (so far) the only number one country song Garth Brooks had since 2000. It reached #1 on Hot Country chart September 15, 2007, and made it to #53 on the Top 100. (Lyrics from More Than a Memory)

1. "…Across the water, I will fly."
   "…These waters are my sky."
2. "…I’ll let out a loud cry."
   "…The water gives me such a high."

Garth Brooks states that Queen and KISS were heavy influences in his music and performance. He sang and played with KISS on the track “Hard Luck Woman.” (Lyrics from The River)

1. "…Traffic."
   "…The ocean."
2. "…The outhouse."
   "…The hall."

"They she just went crazy, screamin' out his name. She ran out into the ocean, and to this day they claim that if you go down by the water, you'll see her footprints in the sand 'Cause every night she walks the beaches of Cheyenne." (The Beaches of Cheyenne)

1. "…She hadn’t listened to what I’d told her."
   "…She kept my letters in a folder."
2. "…She had moved to Boulder."
   "…She was lookin’ older."

“Last time I saw her it was turnin' colder, but that was years ago. Last I heard she had moved to Boulder, but where she's now—I don't know.” (What She’s Doing Now)

1. "…Try to figure out where I went wrong."
   "…Think about her."
2. "…Count my blessings."
   "…Watch her sleeping."

Brooks escorted a feisty lady out of a bar one night while working as a bouncer. Brooks was a college student at the time, and once he managed to get her outside, he asked her out because she was so cute. She told him to drop dead, but Sandy Mahl eventually married him in 1986. (Lyrics from If Tomorrow Never Comes)

1. "…It was for your finger that I bought this ring."
   "…It was your voice that gave me wings."
2. "…Its only you that could make me do anything."
   "…It was your kindness that makes me feel like a king."

Garth Brooks has three daughters from his first marriage: Taylor Mayne Pearl (1992), August Anna (1994), and Allie Colleen (1996). The oldest is named after James Taylor. Daughter, Anna, made Brooks a grandfather on July 2013, after the birth of Karalynn and had Gwendolyn in 2016. (Lyrics from It’s Your Song)

1. "Sunday smile."
   "Best smile."
2. "Toothy smile."
   "Upside-down frown."

Trisha Yearwood sang vocals on 100 of Garth Brooks songs. While she was a backup singer, Garth helped her get her own recording contract. (Lyrics from Learning to Live Again)

1. "…Loves a beat."
   "…Loves bass."
2. "…Loves harmony."
   "…Loves a melody..."

“How do I love you? Well, let me see—I love you like a lyric loves a melody, Baby, completely wrapped up in you. How do I need you? Well, can't you tell? I need you like a penny needs a wishing well, baby, completely wrapped up in you.” Wrapped up in You

1. "…Apron on."
   "…High heels on."
2. "…Glasses on."
   "…Nightgown on."

"She was standin' in the kitchen with nothin' but her apron on, and in disbelief he stood, and he stared a while. When their eyes met, they both began to smile." (Somewhere Other Than the Night)

1. "…Take the heat..."
   "…Keep the beat…"
2. "…Plan where to meet..."
   "…Stomp your feet..."

“Sometimes you've got to take the heat if you're gonna walk down on the mean street. Take the heat and you see it through ‘cause sometimes it comes down to do what you gotta do.” (Do What You Gotta Do)

1. "…Acted so cruel."
   "…Danced in and out of love."
2. "…Learned to fight in school."
   "…No scars to show."

Brooks received a Master of Business Administration from Oklahoma State University in 2011. This was a real degree he earned and not an honorary degree. He got his Bachelors in Advertising in 1984. (Lyrics from Standing Outside the Fire)

1. "…Mr. Right..."
   "…Your Prince Charming..."
2. "…Cassanova..."
   "…Romeo..."

Before becoming famous, Brooks sold boots in Nashville. In between customers, he would work out lyrics to his early songs like “Not Counting You.” His first wife also helped him write lyrics while they were married. (Lyrics from It’s Midnight Cinderella)

1. "…A true love."
   "…A place to stay."
2. "…A heartache.”
   "…A girlfriend."

“Not counting you, I've never had a heartache. Not counting you, I never have been blue. There's no exceptions to the rule. I've never been nobody's fool. I've never lost at love not counting you.” (Lyrics fromNot Counting You)

1. "…Four..."
   "…Seven…"
2. "…Twelve…"
   "…Sixteen…"

“He followed her to work this morning. He'd never seen that dress before. She seemed to sail right through those dark clouds forming that he knows he's headed for. After seven years of marriage, he wanted out. Now after seven months of freedom, it's clear that there's no doubt: She's gonna make it.” (Lyrics from She’s Gonna Make It)

1. " …Black-eyed Joe..."
   "…Beautiful woman..."
2. "…Mechanical bull rider...."
   "…Barroom mirror on the wall..."

Steve Wariner and Rick Carnes wrote Longneck Bottle. Garth Brooks sang the vocals and released the song in November of 1997. (Lyrics from Longneck Bottle)

1. "…A bull on steroids."
   "…A wild hog."
2. "…A river."
   "…A thunderstorm."

In 1999, Garth Brooks won Artist of the Decade at the American Country Music Awards. He had won Entertainer of the Year six times throughout the ‘90s and had been nominated twice more. (Lyrics from She’s Every Woman)

1. "…Chris."
   "…Garth."
2. "…Me."
   "…Misty."

Good Ride Cowboy was a tribute to a lesser-known country singer, Chris LeDoux, who also a rodeo rider. LeDoux passed away from liver cancer after a long battle with it. (Lyrics from Good Ride Cowboy)

1. "…All the things that she did."
   "…That she lost his bid."
2. "…That the boy is his kid."
   "…She wants to see the Great Pyramid."

“That ol' wind had once again found its way home. Someday he'll tell her about the money he hid, and someday she'll tell him that the boy is his kid. But for right now, they're both in love. The only thing they're thinkin' of is that they're finally where their hearts have always been.” (Lyrics from That Ol’ Wind)

1. "…The screen door slamming."
   "…The screen door slamming."
2. "…Her daughter screamin’ ‘Good-bye.’"
   "…Boots pounding on the porch outside."

“Six o'clock on Friday evening, Momma doesn't know she's leaving 'til she hears the screen door slamming, rubber squealin', gears a-jamming, local country station just a blaring on the radio. Pick him up at seven, and they're headin' to the rodeo Momma's on the front porch screamin' out her warning, ‘Girl you better get your red head back in bed before the morning.’” (Lyrics from Ain’t Going Down ‘Til the Sun Comes Up)

1. "…The passion."
   "…The thunder."
2. "…The river."
   "…The roar of a rodeo."

Garth Brooks tried to enter into professional baseball and signed with the San Diego Padres in 1999. During spring training, he only managed to hit one of 22 pitches thrown at him. He also signed with the New York Mets in 2000 and the Kansas City Royals in 2004, but nothing developed from his efforts. (Lyrics from That Summer)

1. "…Equipment."
   "…Radio."
2. "…Roads."
   "…Clock."

“If your paycheck depends on the weather and the clock, if your conversation calls for a little more than a coffee pot, if you need to pour your heart out and try to rectify some situation that you're facing, contact your American Honky-Tonk Bar Association.” (American Honky-Tonk Bar Association)

1. "…You’ll realize how wrong you’ve been and what you’ve been missing."
   "…You’ll wake up one day not knowing how you got that wife and kids."
2. "…You’ll hold on to your pride, start building up walls, and never let her get inside."
   "…You’ll wish you’d listened better when I gave you this advice."

"’Cause one day, you’ll meet the girl you swore you’d never find, start feeling things you never felt, and spending all your time trying to figure out how she got this hold on you. And when you start to fall, you’ll hold on to your pride, start building up walls and never let her get inside.” (Ask Me How I Know)

1. "…I’d saddled up and let her down."
   "…Just wanted to get away."
2. "…Put it off for another day."
   "…Made another that I wouldn’t keep."

Colleen Carroll, Garth Brooks’ mother, was a singer for Capitol Records during the 1950s. She also was on Ozark Jubilee, a television show. (Lyrics from Wild Horses)

1. "…With my heart hanging out…"
   "…Staring at the ceiling..."
2. "…Reaching out to you..."
   "…Waiting for a miracle..."

Troyal Garth Brooks was born on February 7, 1962. His parents were Troyal Raymond Brooks, Jr., and Colleen McElroy Carroll—both have passed away. (Lyrics from You Move Me)

1. "Do you think..."
   "Can’t you see..."
2. "In another’s eyes..."
   "My girl loves me because..."

Brooks and Sandy Mahl were divorced in 2001. Brooks married fellow country singer Trisha Yearwood in 2005. (Lyrics from In Another's Eyes)

1. "…The cold hard night."
   "…One day at a time.”
2. "…One night a day.”
   "…The end of the week."

“There's not a lot of things to do I wouldn't rather do with you—guess I'm funny that way. Lately I just sit and stare I talk to people who aren't there to get through one night a day.” (One Night a Day)