Tied to the Whipping Post

King Solomon said it this way.

Proverbs 14:1 The wise woman builds her house
But the foolish pulls it down with her hands.  

Proverbs 21:9 Better to dwell in a corner of a housetop,
Than in a house shared with a contentious woman. 

Proverbs 21:19 Better to dwell in the wilderness
Than with a contentious and angry woman.

Proverbs 27:15 A continual dripping on a very rainy day
And a contentious woman are alike;
16 Whoever restrains her restrains the wind,
And grasps oil with his right hand. 

But, if you want a more modern, more musical take on the theme, you can't go wrong with the Allman Brothers.

I been run down, I been lied to
And I don’t know why I let that mean woman make me a fool
She took all my money, wrecked my new car
Now she’s with one of my good time buddies, they’re drinkin’ in some crosstown bar 

Sometimes I feel, sometimes I feel
Like I been tied to the whippin’ post
Tied to the whippin’ post
Tied to the whippin’ post
Good Lord, I feel like I’m dyin’ 

My friends tell me that I’ve been such a fool
And I have to stand by and take it, baby, all for lovin’ you
Drown myself in sorrow as I look at what you’ve done
But nothin’ seems to change, the bad times stay the same and I can’t run 

Sometimes I feel, sometimes I feel
Like I been tied to the whippin’ post
Tied to the whippin’ post
Tied to the whippin’ post
Good Lord, I feel like I’m dyin’ 

As King Solomon makes clear, being bound to an uncaring woman is a uniquely painful misery, and Gregg Allman's raspy voice perfectly conveys the agony. The driving bass and rhythm guitar feel like the panicked heartbeat of a cornered animal, and the whining guitar solo sounds like an utterly defeated man weeping alone.

I've heard it said that the best art emanates from pain, and - damn! - does this song feel like a man's actual, lived experience, or what?

Fathers, share this song with your sons, and teach them to detect the red flags that can warn a man away from this experience. It might make for great blues, but it also makes for an abysmally miserable life.