Poems & Prayers

“Further from Hell”

“Further from Hell” offers several allusions as it argues for setting one’s sights high even while acknowledging room for doubt: “[W]hat we know for certain that we’re not sure” (Line 7). First, the speaker equates a clear conscience with financial prudence: A good person can rest easy in the knowledge that their “soul’s account is flush with dough” (Line 10). This connection offers a parallel to the famous dictum of St. Paul in his Epistle to the Romans [6:23] that the wages of sin is death. Second, the line “where tragedy and triumph are both words worth the giggle” (Line 15) is an echo, likely unintended, of the famous lines from Rudyard Kipling’s 1910 poem “If”: “If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster / And treat those two impostors just the same,” then you will have attained maturity as a man. McConaughey’s “giggle” illustrates the point that worldly success or failure should not be taken too seriously.

The balancing see-saw of “tragedy and triumph” is reflected in the poem’s other similar pairs of directional opposites. It is important to believe that “your back is watched” even “while you look ahead” (Line 19), that is, to have a feeling of safety and security in life as you focus on what you want to accomplish. One can also be “excited” (Line 20) about death, because this seemingly ending is actually the beginning of a heavenly afterlife. Every positive thought moves you away “from hell” in two ways: both as the destination of the soul and as the horror of creating a hell on earth. 

“Skinny Cows and Dollar Bills”

The message of the poem is simple. It is not a good idea to display wealth; it is better for people to think you do not have much. The unstated assumption is that there are dishonest people—possibly in your own neighborhood or town—who would help themselves to what you have if given the chance. It is better not to put temptation in their path. 

“Benjies” (Line 4) is short for Benjamins, a slang expression for $100 bills, named after Benjamin Franklin, whose portrait appears on US bank notes. 

“Shades for the Eclipse” 

In his introduction to this section, McConaughey explains that “[d]itties are songs, the written beat poetry of assembled circumstances that naturally convene in real time to make a story, that’s sometimes worth singing” (33). 

This poem is such a ditty. It comprises 13 rhyming couplets; at the end, it rounds back on itself like a song might, with the final couplet repeating the first one. 

The speaker drives into town one Saturday morning to buy glasses that will enable him to observe a solar eclipse from a girl named Nikki. McConaughey’s note explains the line, “And the burrito at the bank’s worth a dollar for my dimes” (Line 14): On the trip, he also bought a “no-tax two-buck burrito” from a woman who had set up a stove in an abandoned bank.  

The poem includes more of McConaughey’s usual pronouncements about the right way to be: “nobody minds, / no need for laws when you’re civil and kind” (Lines 7-8). It also contains a prayer, again typical for the author, asking to be led away from temptation—in this case, the temptation to look at the sun before he gets his glasses, which would endanger his eyes. When God does not grant this prayer, McConaughey looks at the sun and for a while and it interferes with his vision: “Oops, took a quick peek at the sky before I got my glasses, / now I can’t see shit, sure hope this passes” (Lines 17-18). 

“Changing Lanes” 

Like the previous poem, this is also a song-like ditty, which McConaughey notes should be “read to the rhythm of ZZ Top’s ’72 jam ‘Just Got Paid.’” 

The poem uses the metaphor of driving to describe approaching one’s path in life with confidence, especially when taking a new direction: “I just got paid today; I got myself a pocket full of change; / no need to use my blinker now when I am changing lanes” (Lines 1-2). This metaphor promotes self-assuredness: As long as you “practice being good at being you” (Line 44), or reach full authenticity, you do not have to defer to others for their permission by using “a blinker” that warns others about where you plan to go. Instead, you can just do what you want, sure that you are doing the right thing. 

In the poem, McConaughey offers advice designed to elevate and inspire, although the central metaphor of driving a car sometimes falls by the wayside. Readers are told to take in their surroundings rather than rushing through life: “Appreciate the pace but don’t dare be in a hurry / keep your windshield clean so your vision won’t get blurry” (Lines 11-12). 

Other pieces of wisdom use different figurative language. The idea that cheerfulness mitigates challenges relies on a weather metaphor: “[W]hen your mind is wet and humid and your heart is just as gray, / whistle in the breeze to hold the storm at bay” (Lines 27-28). To explain that flexibility may be needed, the analogy is about schools and tests: “When the mark’s not met to the plans you made, / reschedule your dream until the bill gets paid” (Lines 25-26). Likewise, it’s better to shoot for an A, even if you end up getting a B, than aim low, for a C, and likely get an F. 

In contrast, when gratitude for successes is encouraged, the poem alludes to the biblical story of Eden: “When certainty is clear, and your sight is just as valid, / thank the garden of knowledge for the greens in your salad” (Line 37-38). The “garden of knowledge” here conflates the Garden of Eden and the Tree of Knowledge, biting the fruit of which led to Adam and Eve’s expulsion from Eden.

Like the previous poem, this one rounds back on itself: The last line echoes the second line of the first couplet. 

“Deuces”

This poem tells a humorous anecdote that rests on the double meaning of several words. The poem serves as a moment of lightheartedness in the section, squeezed in between weightier topics.

Driving on the highway at six o’clock in the morning, in the middle of nowhere in Texas, McConaughey is in desperate need of a restroom. The title describes this predicament in two ways: First, it references an expression of frustration or dismay, and second, it alludes to a slang term for a bowel movement. The second bit of wordplay in the poem comes from the word “relief”: Once he finds a place to stop, McConaughey is relieved to see the janitor because then he knows that the toilet has been freshly cleaned; he is also excited to experience the “relief” of his biological needs. 

“Covet nothing but your superior self”

This untitled poem is a collection of aphorisms, or concise statements that express a truth or a piece of wisdom. The aphorisms are based, as McConaughey states in a note below the poem, on a passage from the Old Testament: “In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes” (Judges 17.6)—lines that point to people’s capacity for self-direction and the importance of doing “right” without the threat of an authoritarian power center.

Short phrases, such as “Individuality over conformity” (Line 3) and “Recognize your inadequacies” (Line 4), act as instructions for a happier life. McConaughey stresses that making individual choices without external guidance “will be harder than you think” (Line 6). 

“Life on the Rise”

This short poem contains instructions for keeping life moving smoothly in the right direction. It emphasizes belief and demands commitment, with a concession to human flaws and weaknesses: “So act like you care even if you don’t” (Line 5)—advice that echoes the popular saying “fake it until you make it.” The poem’s last line emphasizes the importance of moving toward a goal, which may make the difference between success and failure: “And when it’s time, jump before you fall” (Line 6). In other words, you must actively shape life rather than passively going along.

“Canon”

A canon is a general law, rule, or principle. McConaughey’s canons are intended to help readers lead better, more authentic, and useful lives. The canons are grouped under four headings. 

The section titled “CHOOSE” urges readers to choose to be active participants in their lives. The first choice is not to assume that God will take care of everything: “Trust in God but don’t rely on fate” (Line 13). The second choice is about the necessity of self-knowledge: “Look in the mirror, meet your mate” (Line 14), which echoes the famous precept “Know thyself,” inscribed on the Temple of Apollo at Delphi and taken up by the ancient Greek philosopher Socrates. The third choice is making a success of marriage through commitment to the institution rather than the ceremony of the wedding: “Make a movement over a magistrate, / Where getting married’s just one long date” (Lines 15-16).

The section titled “BELIEVE” is about faith, though here too McConaughey promotes self-reliance over submission to a deity. Referencing the biblical passage, “Let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:16), McConaughey urges readers to, “Turn your light on and flick your switch, / Keep faith in the dark, demonstrate, don’t bitch” (Lines 19-20), which echoes the implication that people should accept challenges without “bitching.” It also implies people should demonstrate the strength of their faith to others. 

The section titled “DO” prescribes self-actualization: It is up to readers to create themselves, a continual task that never ends: “Don’t find yourself, be the creation, / The pursuit is all, there’s no destination” (Lines 29-30).   

The section titled “TRUST” emphasizes self-belief: “Getting out of the haze and into the dream” (Line 34) requires a lack of self-doubt and trust in one’s ability to shape life’s beneficent processes. Readers who have reached this level of self-sufficiency can make contributions to their communities: “Your freedom is responsible for us. / Invest in yourself, so we all ride the bus” (Lines 37-38).  

“Birmingham”

The poem is a travelogue describing McConaughey pleasant visit to Birmingham, Alabama, where he experienced the freedom to act without restriction: “I did what I wanted to get what I need” (Line 4). Even the potentially entrapping or financial punitive parts of the city were generous: Losing at the casino was not ruinous, as “I paid half price for the same roll of dice” (Line 1); and traffic cops were lenient, as “I got fewer tickets and drove the same speed” (Line 3). 

McConaughey praises the people’s outward self-presentation and interior makeup: 

Manicured and mannered, 

honored and clean,

rugged and tough

without being mean (Lines 18-21).

The poem’s closing lines become those of a travel brochure that describes Birmingham as an attractive tourist destination: “It’s Aspen in the south / without the snow” (Lines 32-33). 

It is unclear whether McConaughey is purposefully eschewing any discussion of the city’s well-known history as the center of the civil rights movement in the mid-20th century, or whether his references to the city’s police force and its “tough” citizenry are meant as oblique references. In the 1960s, under the leadership of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., the city was the home of massive marches that led to brutal police repression. After being arrested, Dr. King wrote his famous “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” a seminal manifesto against segregation. 

“Capably Able” 

This ditty works best when read aloud in a way that brings out its rhythmic qualities. Its meter can be heard, for example, in two lines that seem to call for being rapped: “[S]it down, listen up, chit chat, and de-bate / hash it out, reach around, get yourself a re-bate” (Lines 29-30).

The ditty highlights the downsides of resilience and resourcefulness by dramatizing the life of someone who has taken self-actualization to its logical extreme. The first-person speaker is not McConaughey, but the voice of an imagined reprobate willing to do whatever it takes to thrive. This character is not above shady or outright lawless behavior, like being creative with tax returns “so you don’t have to pay” (Line 6) or going through “roundabouts, red lights, stop signs” (Line 17). Even when his life of crime eventually catches up with him and he’s been “sent to jail” (Line 12) he is sure that this was only because the justice system was equally underhanded and “the fix was in” (Line 12). 

No punishment transforms the character’s mindset. He remains greedy and willing to steal: “I still want yours, even though I got mine” (Line 22). Material possessions are his marker of success, as he claims “if you got the gold, you be the king” (Line 36). He is committed to the idea that success requires illegality: “[G]otta break the rules if you want a spoon to stir the pot” (Line 26). This scoundrel is proud of the way he lives and always comes out just ahead: “Yes, I woke up this morning a little wobbly and unstable / but I got chickens in the coop and breakfast on the table / good thing I can sing a tune and yarn myself a fable” (Lines 37-39).