KMAG YOYO

Album: KMAG YOYO (& Other American Stories) (2011)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • The title is an archaic military acronym that means "kiss my ass, guys, you're on your own."

    Hayes wrote the song with Scott Davis and John Evans. They found the term when they were looking through an old military dictionary.
  • The song is a chorus-less narrative told from the perspective of a young man who finds himself in the army and goes though a hallucination when he is wounded in battle. The "KMAG YOYO" lyric appears just once in the song, during a passage where the soldier things he is flying into space. In our interview with Hayes Carll, he said, "I thought it was a pretty great title because it just sums up the whole thing."

    Carll adds that the acronym also fit the theme of the album, which is why it was used for the title. He says that for a while, the whole album concept was "somebody just checking out from society and moving out to the desert and saying, 'F--k it, I'm going on my own on this."
  • Hayes was never in the military, but his father served in the Navy. The song doesn't glamorize the military experience, but instead shows how easy it can be to find yourself in uniform and wondering how you got there. Carll has made it clear that he has great respect for military personnel - t concerts, he has dedicated the song to those who have served.

Comments: 1

  • David Lloyd-jones from Toronto, CanadaKMAG-YOYO? I feel that way sometimes, but I've managed to pull myself together every time so far.
    Pessimism and self-pity are cheap luxuries -- but they don't feel any better in the morning.
    Here's your political thought for the day, from a Canadian friend:
    Was great? Well, best yet, anyway.
    Is great? Not too damn bad.
    Going to be great? Gonna take work. A fat guy with an $85,000 hair-do seems like more talk than work.
see more comments

Editor's Picks

Emmylou Harris

Emmylou HarrisSongwriter Interviews

She thinks of herself as a "song interpreter," but back in the '80s another country star convinced Emmylou to take a crack at songwriting.

Frankie Valli

Frankie ValliSong Writing

An interview with Frankie Valli, who talks about why his songs - both solo and with The Four Seasons - have endured, and reflects on his time as Rusty Millio on The Sopranos.

Charles Fox

Charles FoxSongwriter Interviews

After studying in Paris with a famous composition teacher, Charles became the most successful writer of TV theme songs.

Gary Louris of The Jayhawks

Gary Louris of The JayhawksSongwriter Interviews

The Jayhawks' song "Big Star" has special meaning to Gary, who explains how longevity and inspiration have trumped adulation.

Concert Disasters

Concert DisastersFact or Fiction

Ozzy biting a dove? Alice Cooper causing mayhem with a chicken? Creed so bad they were sued? See if you can spot the real concert mishaps.

Francesca Battistelli

Francesca BattistelliSongwriter Interviews

The 2011 Artist of the Year at the Dove Awards isn't your typical gospel diva, and she thinks that's a good thing.