Funny Messy Life

Are you old enough to have had one of those moments when you try to do something you, as we say in the south, used-ta-could, but suddenly realize y’ain’t-never-no-more? Now, I’ll get back to that question in a few seconds and let you ponder it while I make an aside about the two weird southern phrases you just read/heard. Used-ta-could. Jeff Foxworthy has touched on this one in his standup routine and I usually try not to use other people’s material, but I absolutely refuse to allow him to take sole ownership of that one. Used-ta-could has been in our Deep South vocabulary since Spot was a pup. What I mean by that is I was already using the term naturally, without being taught it, when I was still knee-high to a grasshopper. It’s in our DNA. And if you need a quick explanation about what it means so you can use this gem to add some color to your own conversation, it simply means this: Used - ta (Once upon a time) Could (I was able). And then there’s Y’ain’t-never-no-more. Pretty self explanatory, if you ask