Trucker Speed

Purple-The lyrics relate to Mel
Blue-The lyrics relate to Frank
Green-The lyrics relate to them as a pair

First and foremost, let me just say—this playlist is absolutely phenomenal.
I highly, highly recommend you give it a listen!
Especially if you wish you had a better understanding of this character that we
—really—
know almost nothing about.
The fact that it’s full of songs I grew up with makes it hit even harder,
but what really gets me is how accurate it feels to Frank.
Every choice just fits—the tone, the emotion, all of it.
The genres, the background of the music, the vibes… every way a song could relate to someone.
It’s not just surface-level either—it feels intentional, like each song was picked for a different piece of him.
The kind of music, when it came out, what it says, what it doesn’t say—it all adds something.
It builds this really complete picture, not just of how he feels, but who he is underneath everything.
And knowing it came from PBall makes it even better.
It feels like real insight into who Frank is.

Songs Relating to Mel and Frank's Companionship

Peace-Taylor Swift 2020

This song is all about shortcomings in a relationship and hoping that your partner will stay with you in spite of them. It was definitely added with Frank’s marriage in mind and has nothing to do with Mel, but I really love this song and I think it still fits Mel and Frank’s dynamic.
I never had the courage of my convictions
As long as danger is near
And it's just around the corner, darling
'Cause it lives in me
Frank knows his own darkness, his own instability, and how it follows him. It’s not external—it’s in him.
No, I could never give you peace
That’s the core of it. He doesn’t doubt what they share—he doubts what loving him might cost someone like Mel.
But I'm a fire, and I'll keep your brittle heart warm
If your cascade ocean wave blues come
Frank takes care of Mel. He notices everything, shows up in quiet ways, keeps her steady even when she feels like she’s falling apart. He’s warmth—but not safety.
All these people think love's for show
But I would die for you in secret
That’s them. Not loud, not performative. Everything important happens in the quiet—unspoken, hidden, felt more than said. We might even get to a point where they are in a secret relationship. Whether that’s an affair—which Mel doesn’t strike me as the type so I doubt this is where the show will take it—or hiding it from people at work
The devil's in the details, but you got a friend in me
It mirrors their whole dynamic—care disguised as casual, love buried under friendship, everything meaningful tucked into the small moments.
Your integrity makes me seem small
You paint dreamscapes on the wall
Mel is steady, grounded, good in a way that might make Frank seem less than. Like she deserves something cleaner, easier.
I’d give you my sunshine, give you my best
But the rain is always gonna come if you’re standin’ with me
He gives her his best—kindness, care, support—things he doesn’t really give to many people. But there’s always going to be baggage, complications, something heavier that comes with him.
Would it be enough if I could never give you peace?
Can what he gives her—the care, the understanding, the way he shows up for her—ever be enough when being with him might not be simple. Would she still choose him if loving him comes with weight, with complications, with a kind of unrest that doesn’t just go away.

Welcome to Hard Times-Charley Crockett 2020

Take a look in my eyes
Tell me what you see…
…I wonder if you'll notice
Would you even care
If I told you my life just isn't fair?
Under all that cynicism is someone who feels unseen. Frank has been dealing with some heavy shit, but no one’s really looking close enough to care. Nobody has even tried. He was gone for ten months and nobody reached out. But he comes back after all that time and Mel is still there, and she wants to see him. She cares.

Songs Relating to Frank's Marriage

(or lack thereof) 

Bad Love-Dehd 2022

This one is painfully self explanatory. It’s literally a song about being bad at love but trying to redeem yourself.
I was a bad love
Now I can get some
I got a heart full of, I got a heart full of
R-r-r-redemption
Forgive me
Give it to me
Tell me what to do, t-tell me what to do
To-to-to keep it
I need your lovin'
I wanna be your honey
T-tell me what to do, t-tell me what to do
To-to-to keep it going

Songs Relating to Frank's Appalachian Background

With ongoing discussion around Mel potentially being from Virginia
—supported by references like her Colonial Williamsburg school trips—
and the fact that Frank shares Appalachian roots, I wanted to take the
time to discuss some songs on PBall’s playlist that reflect this.

Let’s first talk about Tyler Childers
Who just so happens to be one of my favorite musicians—what can I say PBall has great taste.
Tyler is the only artist that has 4 songs on this playlist, 3 of which specifically reference Appalachia. 

Nose On The Grindstone
Charleston Girl
Follow You To Virgie
Deadman’s Curve

Tyler Childers was born and raised in Lawrence County, Kentucky, and his music is deeply shaped by Appalachian culture. Through folk, bluegrass, and country influences, he tells stories rooted in the region’s people, struggles, and traditions, keeping his sound and identity closely tied to Appalachia. The culture in his music lines up closely with Frank’s character—especially in its focus on hard work, quiet suffering, and addiction. Childers writes about men who are taught to push through pain and keep going, even when things are falling apart, and that’s exactly what Frank does. He’s capable, respected, and trying to hold it together, but underneath that, he’s struggling in a way that feels very rooted in the same kind of Appalachian storytelling.

Nose On The Grindstone-Tyler Childers 2017

This song is about a son of Eastern Kentucky trying—and failing—to live by the lessons his coal miner father gave him. It’s about the kind of advice that once meant survival, passed down through generations, now colliding with a world where coal is gone, work is scarce, and “the pills” are always within reach.
Daddy worked like a mule minin' Pike County coal
This line anchors the whole song in—Pike County, Kentucky—which is known for its history in coal mining and is deeply rooted in the heart of Appalachia.

Charleston Girl-Tyler Childers 2016

Set in Charleston, the song explores addiction and emotional detachment, reflecting the lived realities of Appalachia—particularly the region’s struggles with substance abuse and isolation.
Charleston girl in a darkened room
The title and the very first line anchors the whole song in—Charleston, West Virginia—a city shaped by the same Appalachian history of industry, isolation, and the opioid crisis that runs through much of the region.
Of them old Steele Brothers in a 'thrashgrass' band
The line references the Steele Brothers, an Appalachian bluegrass group, grounding the song in the region’s musical tradition and cultural roots.
I am leavin' West Virginia for a while
West Virginia sits at the heart of Appalachia—its culture shaped by coal mining, rural communities, and strong musical traditions—making it a central example of both the region’s identity and its struggles.

Follow You To Virgie-Tyler Childers 2014

This song is so phenomenal I highly recommend you give it a listen! It’s a tender song about losing a grandmother in Virgie—a small, unincorporated community in Pike County, Kentucky, located in the Appalachian foothills. It reflects a culture where love endures through memory and shared grief.
So I will follow you to Virgie
Again, like the title, this lyric just anchors the song in Virgie.
And I can see her up in glory
I can see her through the pines
This line is referencing seeing the sunshine through the densely packed pine trees of an Appalachian forest. 

Now we’ll talk about John Prine
John is one of 2 artists with 3 songs featured on this playlist
with only 1 being a specific reference to Appalachia.

Angel From Montgomery

Illegal Smile

Paradise

John Prine was born in Illinois but spent much of his childhood in Kentucky, and his songwriting is deeply connected to Appalachian life. Through simple, story-driven lyrics, he captures the realities of working-class communities—especially the impact of coal mining, economic hardship, and generational change. His music focuses on ordinary people navigating loss, resilience, and quiet disappointment, often with a mix of warmth and honesty. That same perspective lines up with Frank’s character, highlighting a kind of lived-in struggle where doing everything right still doesn’t guarantee things will turn out okay.

Paradise-John Prine 1971

This song is about the destruction of Paradise, Kentucky due to coal mining. John’s father William Prine was born and raised in Paradise. It’s rooted in Appalachia through its focus on coal industry impact, environmental loss, and the way entire communities were shaped—and often devastated—by it.
When I was a child my family would travel
Down to Western Kentucky where my parents were born
A lot of the songs on this playlist are heavy on the coal miner daddy issues of it all so that makes me raise an eyebrow.
And Daddy, won't you take me back to Muhlenberg County?
This line places the heart of this song in Muhlenberg County—the county that Paradise was located before it was demolished in 1967.
Down by the Green River where Paradise lay
The Green River runs through western Kentucky and is closely tied to Appalachian life as a natural resource, a source of livelihood, and a marker of place. It represents both the beauty of the land and what’s been lost to coal mining and industrial damage.
To the abandoned old prison down by Airdrie Hill
This references the abandoned prison near Airdrie—commonly referred to as the Airdrie Prison—a former state prison near the industrial ghost town that became a local landmark after it was abandoned. It grounds the song in that specific Kentucky setting.
Let my soul roll on up to the Rochester Dam
Rochester Dam is a lock and dam located on the Green River near Rochester, Kentucky.

Finally we'll talk about Ralph Stanley

Ralph Stanley was born and raised in the mountains of Virginia, and his music is deeply rooted in traditional Appalachian bluegrass. Through stark, haunting vocals and stripped-down instrumentation, he preserves the sound and spirit of the region, often drawing on themes of faith, hardship, and mortality. His songs feel older than they are—passed down rather than written—carrying a sense of history that reflects generations shaped by the same landscape and struggles. That same weight can be seen in Frank’s character, where there’s a quiet, inherited resilience beneath everything he does, like he’s carrying more than just his own life on his back.