CARRIE UNDERWOOD - BEFORE HE CHEATS
Right Now, He's Probably Slow Dancing With A Bleach Blonde Tramp
And She's Probably Getting Frisky
Right Now. He's Probably Buying Her Some Fruity Little Drink
'Cause She Can't Shoot A Whiskey
Right Now, He's Probably Up Behind Her With A Pool Stick Showing Her
How To Shoot A Combo, And He Don't Know
I Dug My Key Into The Side
Of His Pretty Little Souped Up 4 Wheel Drive
Carved My Name Into His Leather Seats
I Took A Louisville Slugger To Both Headlights
(Both Headlights) Slashed A Hole In All 4 Tyres
Maybe Next Time He'll Think Before He Cheats
Right Now, She's Probably Up Singing Some
White-Trash Version Of Shania Karaoke
Right Now, She's Probably Saying "I'm Drunk"
And He's Thinking That He's Gonna Get Lucky
Right Now, He's Probably Dabbing On Three Dollars Worth
Of That Bathroom Polo, Oh And He Don't Know, Oh
That I Dug My Key Into The Side
Of His Pretty Little Souped Up 4 Wheel Drive
Carved My Name Into His Leather Seats
I Took A Louisville Slugger To Both Headlights
(Both Headlights) Slashed A Hole In All 4 Tyres
Maybe Next Time He'll Think Before He Cheats
I Might've Saved A Little Trouble For The Next Girl
'Cause The Next Time That He Cheats, Oh
You Know It Won't Be On Me, No-Oh Not On Me
'Cause I Dug My Key Into The Side
Of His Pretty Little Souped Up 4 Wheel Drive
Carved My Name Into His Leather Seats
I Took A Louisville Slugger To Both Headlights
(Both Headlights) Slashed A Hole In All 4 Tyres
Maybe Next Time He'll Think Before He Cheats
Oh Maybe Next Time He'll Think
Before He Cheats (Na-Na, Na-Na Na-Na)
Oh, Before He Cheats (Na-Na, Na-Na Na-Na) Oh-Oh
SONG FACTS
Writer(s): Josh Kear, Chris Tompkins
Producer(s): Mark Bright
This Song Is About Revenge. Underwood Sings About Going Into A Parking Lot And Vandalizing Her Cheating Boyfriends 4x4 Truck With A Baseball Bat. She Finds Solace Knowing That The Next Time He Cheats It Won't Be On Her.
When Underwood Sings About Her Ex Putting On "Bathroom Polo," She's Referring To Vending Machines Found In The Men's Rooms Of Certain Us Drinking Establishments That Dispense Low-Grade Cologne. The Guys Who Buy These Fragrances Often Believe It Will Help Them Attract A Mate In The Bar, Although Many Females Are Actually Repelled By The Scent.
This Song Won The Trophy For Single Of The Year At The 2007 Country Music Association Awards. In Addition, Carrie Underwood Also Won The Award For Female Vocalist Of The Year.
In February 2008 "Before He Cheats" Became The First Country Song To Achieve Riaa Certification As A Double-Platinum Digital Single, Recognizing 2 Million Purchased Downloads.
Underwood Performed This At The 2008 Grammy Awards With The Cast Of Stomp, Which Acted As Backup Dancers And Percussionists. The Set Was Designed To Look Like Cars They Were Beating Up.
The Song Won For Best Country Song And Best Female Country Vocal Performance At The Ceremony In 2008, Which Is Odd Considering It Came Out In 2005. According To Grammy Rules, However, Some Songs Are Still Eligible For Awards If They Were Released In The Preceding Eligibility Year But "Achieved Prominence" In The Current One.
Speaking With CMT, Underwood Admitted She Almost Passed On This Song Out Of Fear Of A Fan Backlash. "I Remember At That Time - Because That Was Right After Idol - We [Were] On The Road, And Then I Get This Song," She Recalled. "I [Thought], 'People Are Going To Hate Me For Singing This Song.' They're Gonna Be Like, 'Oh My Gosh, We Can't Listen To Her Album. She's Bad, And I Can't Let My Children Listen To This.' Finally I Was Just Like, 'You Know What? I Like This Song. I Would Turn This Song Up On The Radio, So I'm Just Gonna Go For It.'"
The Song Held The Record For The Longest Ascent To The Top Ten Of The Billboard Hot 100. It Took 38 Weeks To Climb To The Top Tier In 2006-07. It Was Eventually Surpassed By Glass Animals' "Heat Waves," Which Took 42 Weeks To Reach The Top Ten In 2021.
Thanks To This Song, Underwood Carved Out A Niche For Songs That Take Down Badly Behaved Boyfriends. Some Of Her Later Tunes To Incorporate This Theme Include "Cowboy Casanova," "Two Black Cadillacs" And "Dirty Laundry."
The Roman White Directed-Music Video Shows Underwood Destroying Her Cheating Lover's Truck. Her Unfaithful Partner Is Played By Atlanta-Based Model Tabb Shoup.
The Beginning Of The Video Was Filmed In And Around Printer's Alley In Downtown Nashville. Underwood Is Seen Leaving A Parking Lot Brandishing A Louisville Slugger. According To Vh1'S Pop-Up Video, The Singer Used A Child-Sized Louisville Slugger As Her Small Hands Looked Silly Holding The Full-Sized Version.
The Drunk Guy Who Stumbles Out In Front Of Underwood Was Not An Actor; When A Real-Life Inebriated Man Staggered In Front Of The Country Star She Simply Shoved Him Out Of The Way, And Roman White Incorporated The Footage Into The Video.
The Visual Won Three Categories At The 2007 Cmt Music Awards: Video Of The Year, Female Video Of The Year, And Director Of The Year.
Underwood Performed This On Saturday Night Live On March 24, 2007.