Cheaper Than a Shrink

Album: Cold Beer Conversation (2015)
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Songfacts®:

  • This finger-popping, humorous ditty finds Strait explaining why a case of beer is a better solution than a psychiatrist. The song was penned by Jamey Johnson, Bill Anderson, and Buddy Cannon. The same trio also penned George Strait's 2006 single "Give It Away," which won the Country Music Association's Song of the Year award.

    Jamey Johnson also sings backup on the tune.
  • So why is a psychiatrist sometimes called a shrink? The word is a shortening of "head-shrinker" a slang term for a mental health professional, which was used historically to express a distrust of practitioners in the field. It is now not as belittling or trivializing.

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