COUNTRY MUSIC: Episode 8: Don’t Get Above Your Raisin’
There’s a better home a-waiting in this powerful country-music story.
Should You Watch It?
This is the strongest and most powerful episode of Ken Burns’ eight-part COUNTRY MUSIC documentary series. Covering 1984 through 1996, it tells how neotraditional country music revived the genre, follows Garth Brooks’ extraordinary success, and traces Johnny Cash’s late-career renaissance.
The episode is also frequently poignant and heartbreaking. Its final hour discusses the deaths and struggles of major country artists, but gospel music gives those stories a redemptive center. The episode celebrates faith, humility, family reconciliation, American roots, and the entrepreneurial spirit.
There is brief, light foul language, along with references to alcohol abuse and drug abuse. Older children and adults can find much to appreciate, while parents may want to use discernment with younger children. WORTH WATCHING — OLDER CHILDREN AND ADULTS.
The Story
NO SPOILERS — WE KEEP THE SURPRISESNarrated by Peter Coyote, this episode follows country music from 1984 through 1996, when the genre faced declining record sales before finding new life through neotraditional artists and blockbuster stars.
The documentary profiles performers including Ricky Skaggs, George Strait, Reba McIntyre, the Judds, Vince Gill, Garth Brooks, and Johnny Cash. Along the way, it explores country music’s rural and small-town roots, its ties to gospel music, and the meaning behind the warning: “Don’t get above your raisin’.”
Is It Any Good?
Four stars means this episode is an outstanding piece of documentary filmmaking. It is beautiful, insightful, informative, frequently poignant, and sometimes heartbreaking.
Great interviews and fascinating biographies are interspersed with excerpts from the songs under discussion. The stories behind songs such as “Where’ve You Been” and “Go Rest High on That Mountain” are especially moving. The episode ends on a powerful, redemptive note with Johnny Cash leading “Will the Circle Be Unbroken.”
The Worldview
This episode strongly celebrates Christian faith and the comfort it brings. Gospel songs, references to God, Jesus Christ, the Father, Heaven, faith, and Scripture appear throughout. The episode also praises humility, family reconciliation, love, and the way faith can overcome sin.
It presents a very strong Pro-American outlook by celebrating the diverse American roots of country music, including gospel music and the small-town and rural communities from which many artists came. It also celebrates the free-market entrepreneurial spirit that helped country music flourish.
The episode does not ignore sin and brokenness. It discusses substance abuse, troubled marriages, divorce, estranged families, and the deaths of several artists. Yet it does not celebrate these troubles. Instead, its central message points toward humility, faith, togetherness, and redemption.
The warning not to “get above your raisin’” echoes Scripture’s teaching: “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble” (James 4:6).
The Content Guide
The specifics — spoilers included by nature — so you can judge for your own family.
Dominant Worldview and Other Worldview Content/Elements
Very strong Christian worldview extols Christian faith and the comfort it brings and includes snippets of gospel music lyrics, expressions of love for the Father and the Son with strong moral elements and biblical references including family reconciliation, Johnny Cash’s daughter says she read from the Psalms to her father while he was dying, Psalm 19:14 and 103:1 are mentioned, plus very strong Pro-American sentiments celebrating the American people, including and the free market entrepreneurial spirit that spawned the great popular music featured in this TV episode, even when corporate businessmen in the recording industry failed to recognize the new talent that came knocking on their doors, plus there are warnings about becoming too prideful (one interviewee says, “Be humble. God doesn’t exalt pride. He exalts humility”) and moments celebrating togetherness within the country music community
Foul Language
One “d” obscenity, one “h” obscenity, one light “Lord knows” profanity and one light OMG profanity
Violence
No actual violence but there’s a discussion of Johnny Cash recording the “murder ballad” titled “Delia’s Gone” in 1994, discussion of a plane crash that killed band members working with Reba McIntyre, and discussion of country music star Keith Whitley’s death from alcohol poisoning
Sex
No sex
Nudity
No nudity
Alcohol Use
Brief alcohol use in the background of photos from honky tonks and cafes featuring country music, and some talk about the alcoholism and alcohol poisoning that sometimes plagued some singer and songwriters
Smoking and/or Drug Use and Abuse
Brief smoking and brief discussion of drug abuse that plagued a few music artists;
Miscellaneous Immorality
Brief discussion of estranged families, troubled marriages and divorce, but episode doesn’t focus on these subjects (it ignores a couple notorious divorces of several artists), because the main object is to celebrate America, country music, talented country music artists, and even faith.
Talk About It
Questions for the drive home, the dinner table, or the youth group.
The episode warns people not to “get above their raisin’.” Why is humility important, and what helps you remain thankful for where you came from?
James 4:6 · Philippians 2:3–4Gospel music appears throughout these artists’ stories. How can music strengthen faith during grief or hardship?
Psalm 96:1–2 · Colossians 3:16The episode presents family reconciliation as a source of hope. What can make reconciliation difficult, and how does Scripture guide us toward it?
Ephesians 4:31–32 · Romans 12:18Several stories discuss the damage caused by alcohol or drugs. How can we respond to people trapped in destructive habits with both truth and compassion?
Galatians 6:1–2 · Ephesians 5:18The Final Word
This beautiful, powerful episode celebrates country music’s American roots while giving its grief a redemptive center through faith and gospel music. Its brief language and mature discussions call for family discernment, but older children and adults have much to gain. WORTH WATCHING — OLDER CHILDREN AND ADULTS.
