When picking the best song from an album such as Leather with competition from songs like Jesus Loves You, Dirt Cheap stands out as Johnson’s best work from his ninth album. The song describes a man being approached to sell his land for a new subdivision and the owner describing the memories attached to the land, which he can’t sell stating “You can’t buy that kind of dirt cheap”. While not only melodically beautiful, the song’s lyrics invoke a feeling of nostalgia in the listener that can send shivers down your spine. Memories of a little girl swinging and growing up, a good dog, and the memory of proposing to his wife. He then describes how he stayed through all the droughts and floods for all the things he cherishes. The sentimental lyrics and melodic instruments matched with Johnson’s voice help distinguish Dirt Cheap from the other songs making it so good to hear.

Compared to the melodic masterpiece of Dirt Cheap, arguably the worst song on the album seems to be the last track, Make Me a Mop. While not necessarily a poorly made song, it does stand out as the worst when compared to the rest of this album because of how good the other songs are. The lyrics entail a bunch of “make me a” statements asking for guidance and help correcting himself to make him better as a person. The semi-repetitive lyrics often seem to be underwhelming with the slow and unchanging guitar melody the song is backed with. Johnson’s vocals are often the driving force behind this song, which can be good sometimes, but with the almost spoken tone of the song, many will favor the other songs on the album. While the song is far from being bad, it does separate itself from the heavy hitters of the album, which ends up making the song feel more mediocre.