Uncover the Hidden Message Behind Travis Tritt’s Hit, ‘Here’s a Quarter (Call Someone Who Cares)’

The title of the song itself speaks a multitude of strong, no-holds-barred emotionality. Written and released as one of Travis Tritt’s songs in 1991, the country singer did not realize yet just how much impact his masterpiece would have on the audience. At the time that the song first made waves on the radio, Tritt was still on his way to achieving his dream of becoming a country star. Travis Tritt was still in the midst of juggling his regular day job with grieving over the failure of his second marriage.

One fateful night during one of his concerts, he performed the song, and the rest was history.

According to Tritt, ‘Here’s A Quarter (Call Someone Who Cares)’ was a song that he had been written for years even before he set foot in Nashville. As Travis Tritt penned the words, he was going through the pains and stresses of a divorce. By an unwitty strike of unluckiness, his second divorce in the late ’80s took place just before he was signed to his record contract with Warner Bros.

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The song was written in only 15 minutes. For the hit country singer, it felt as though the lyrics just dawned upon him, following the sad departure of his ex-wife. “I was at home one day. My wife moved out in the middle of the day, while I was at work, and I came home to basically an empty house.” His first speculation was that he had been robbed. The only time he truly realized that his wife was gone was when he got a quick visit from the sheriff’s department to serve him the divorce papers.

Travis shares further that as he sat and began reading through the papers, his then soon-to-be ex-wife called him and said, “You know, maybe I rushed into this too quickly. Maybe we need to think about working it out.” When the call ended, Tritt began thinking hard to himself. He reflected, “Do I really want to consider getting back together at this point? Do I really want to consider a reconciliation at this point?” The singer looked back on the days they were together and finally recounted just how many regrets and past mistakes had taken over their lives—things left behind in time that can never be undone. It was then that the lyrics, “You say you were wrong for leaving me alone/ And you’re lonesome and you’re scared/ You say you’d be happy if you could just come back home/ Well here’s a quarter, call someone who cares” sprang to life in his mind.

Who would’ve thought that from such a bitter and existentially grueling experience, a beautiful and internationally renowned hit song would arise?