Some songs are so integrated into my psyche that it doesn’t take much to get them to the top of my internal playlist.

One of the New Year’s party options here in Vancouver was an event that the producers billed “Black Betty.” Every time I caught a glimpse of the poster that song was suddenly in my head.

The song, while often attributed to Leadbelly (AKA Huddy Ledbetter), is actually an old folk tune that may actually be about a flint-lock rifle.

The version that plays on my internal stereo is the dance mix created from Ram Jam’s 1977 version. That’s because I first heard it when going to clubs in Calgary in the early ’90s.

This morning, however, the song that found its way into my mind was Steve Earle’s I Ain’t Ever Satisfied, off his sophomore album, Exit 0.

I can’t quite trace the origin of this song in my history with the same authority as I can with Black Betty. All I know is that any time I hear or see the word “satisfied” juxtaposed with either “ever” or “never,” I suddenly hear Steve Earle in my head.

By the way, prompted by Cheryl, I’m in the midst of a full-on Steve Earle retrospective, and can say I’m enjoying it immensely.