Country music is full of teachable moments.
Sure, a good beat and a catchy hook are great, but when a new album comes out, I always like to dive into the lyrics and see what we can learn from it. What is the artist really trying to say?
Whether you want to believe it or not, music has always shaped our culture, so with the release of Luke Combs’ killer sophomore album, What You See Is What You Get, this past Friday, I think it’s important to find out the little words of wisdom that Luke is trying to share with us.
Track by track, here’s 17 life lessons from Luke Combs’ What You See Is What You Get.
1. A lot of things in life are going to let you down… cold beer isn’t one of them.
“Longneck ice-cold beer never broke my heart, like diamond rings and football teams have torn this boy apart.”
2. Take pictures of everything. You’re going to want to relive all those memories some day, even the small ones.
“As life flies by, it spills onto the side, until it’s covered top to bottom with the best days of your life.”
3. Just because someone isn’t around anymore doesn’t mean they’re not with you. You carry them in your heart wherever you go.
“I won’t be here, but I’ll always be right there, even though I’m leavin’, I ain’t goin’ nowhere. I ain’t goin’ nowhere.”
4. Nothing compares to some good lovin’. Hold out for the real stuff.
“But I’m in love and lovin’ on you, I feel that rush soon as you walk in a room, I can’t get enough of you… I’m in love with lovin’ on you.”
5. Soak in every moment. Sometimes you can’t get ’em back.
“The second I left I was kickin’ myself, ’cause I knew I should’ve stayed, still tequila love drunk, from us wakin’ up… and it’s crazy I know, but I’d give anything to go…”
6. Life is too short to be the “just one beer” guy. Nobody likes that guy.
“There’s no stoppin’ me once I get going, put a can in my hand man, I’m wide ass open, the tick-tock of that clock is like a time bomb.”
7. There are down-to-earth people everywhere you look, and yes, even in big cities.
“Bust our backs, barely getting by, Carolina to California up to Illinois, Yeah, there’s guys like us blue collar boys.”
8. It’s in the difficult times that you learn the most about yourself. When you’re pushed to the limits.
“I’m learnin’ somethin’ new every day all about goodbyes, about overs, all about hang-ups and hangovers, things I never knew about me.”
9. You never know what people are going through, and you might not understand why they do what they do, but they have their reasons. And so do you. Remember that before you pass judgment.
“I guess it’s all a part of a bigger plan, but some of them I’ll never understand, but they got their reasons, just like you… I got my reasons.”
10. Little victories. Getting over someone is like a marathon. Just keep taking steps in the right direction, one foot in front of the other.
“Oh, ’cause every little bit helps, might not get me all the way over you. But every little bit gets me a little bit closer to, walkin’ right out of your valley of the shadow of death.”
11. Be present. Remember to always live in the moment.
“‘Cause even as you read this, boy, that clock is tickin’ down, and remember every second I got’s borrowed. So I hope you think of me today, sincerely, tomorrow.”
12. Be yourself, even if you’re a little rough around the edges.
“At least I’m honest, I don’t spin it like a record, and I ain’t acting like I’m better, than you know I really am.”
13. You don’t have to be famous or accomplished to be important. Even if they seem insignificant, all of those special moments throughout your life made you the person you are today. Celebrate them.
“So say I’m a middle of the road, not much to show, underachieving, average Joe… and that might not mean much to you, but it does to me.”
14. Live life to the fullest, you’ll be alright.
“A little rough around the edges, get a little reckless. Might get a little too loud, but we’ll be fine with our angels workin’ overtime.”
15. Don’t fall into that “on again, off again” cycle. It’s not good for anybody.
“And I’ll leave it up to you, to turn “I love you, into “Boy, where you been?”And just like that, just as fast as we began, we’re all over again.”
16. Find the person that you always want to come home to.
“In all these nothing towns, you in this whole world around, you’re the only place I wanna get back to.”
17. If they’re not making you a better person, if they don’t push you to be the best version of yourself, they ain’t the one. If they are, put a ring on it.
“And if I’m being honest, your first and my last name, would just sound better together and probably always will, like a cup of coffee and a sunrise, Sunday drives and time to kill… And me, as long as you’re right here.”
