Dierks Bentleys My Last Name

It ain’t much, but it means everything

Dierks Bentley’s song, “My Last Name,” develops a turn from an impersonal narration of the significance of his last name, to a personal address in which he offers his last name to a lover. The turn occurs multiple times throughout the song; from an impersonal to a personal address, from the reader to a person, couplets of changes in situation per stanza, and finally changes in form, from couplets to an irregular rhyme in the turn stanza, all of which tie into the diction chosen by Mr. Bentley. The song follows couplet stanzas in chronological order, expressing the significance of Mr. Bentley’s last name by referencing his childhood, history, lineage, and an important promise to his father which leads to a turn wherein Mr. Bentley proposes to a lover.

The first stanza has a rhyme scheme of “AABB.” This couplet “form” continues throughout the fourth stanza. The situation, a childhood reference to a bully “making fun” of Dierks’ last name and so Dierks “had to hit him,” has an impersonal address as if he is speaking to a general audience. This impersonal voice continues throughout the fourth stanza as well.

The second stanza has a rhyme scheme of “CCDD”. The situation, a history of Mr. Bentley’s last name as his “Grandpa took it off to Europe” in WWII, has an impersonal voice.

The third stanza has a rhyme scheme of “EEBB”. The situation is a realistic overview of the lineage of Mr. Bentley’s last name and its future, as decided by Dierks himself.

The fourth stanza has a rhyme scheme of “FFBB”. The situation is a promise from Dierks to his father to maintain the prestige of their last name by saying, “So keep it how you got it, as solid as it came.” This stanza ends the impersonal voice of Mr. Bentley’s description of the significance of his last name to a greater audience. The song is leading into the “turn” where the speaking voice shifts from being impersonal to colloquial.

The fifth stanza is the beginning of the turn. The direct address, “So darling if you’re wonderin,” is the signals the shift in the voice from impersonal to personal. The irregular rhyme scheme also indicates the dramatic change in form, changing from couplets to “GHIB”. These combined, create a new situation wherein the reader must re-evaluate all that Dierks has said as a proposal to a lover. In this stanza, Dierks mentions that “what I’ve got means everything,” alluding to his last name, something he expresses deep pride over. After this, he mentions “It’s my last name,” a phrase that is recited after every stanza. After the turn, the song ends as it began, “I learned how to write it, when I first started school”, tying the turn to the beginning of the song like a circle.

The author’s attitude shifts from formal written English to personal spoken English after the turn. This personal attitude also identifies Mr. Bently’s regional dialect, country, “darling” ,“wonderin”. This change, in that the initial reading may seem Dierks is writing to a general audience, and the turn, causes focus to change as a woman character is revealed and Dierks whole song has been addressed to her. This shift contributes to the meaning of the song, that Dierks , “Ain’t got much to give you, but what I’ve got means everything”, the gradual build on the value of Dierks last name, through childhood ventures, the history of it’s travels, the lineage behind it, and a dear promise to his father are all symbolized by his last name. Although it may not be much he says, because literally it is only a word, it stands for much more and to him it means everything. This is what Dierks is trying to share with a lover, and is truly the ultimate gift he can give.

After the turn, the song ends as it began, “I learned how to write it, when I first started school,” tying the turn to the beginning of the song, like a circle. The author’s attitude shifts from formal English, prior to the turn, to personal English afterwards. This personal attitude also identifies Mr. Bentley’s country dialect when he uses words such as, “darling,”