The real world can be scary.
Once you’re finally out of school, or out of the parents’ house, reality finally starts to set in. Student debt, living expenses, bills…all that shit that just sucks.
Sometimes it can be overwhelming, and you find yourself happy with just getting by.
We’ve seen several country artists write songs about these hardships over the years, and now we have an up-and-comer who paints that picture perfectly: Vincent Neil Emerson.
The East Texas native has a self-titled album slated to be released on June 25, and today he dropped “High on Gettin’ By,” the perfect tribute to the struggles of the workin’ class.
Emerson had this to say about the song, which he wrote at a time when it seemed like nothing was going right:
“This was one of the first songs I wrote for this record, if not the first song. It’s one of those that just kind of came out very free flowing and naturally.
I wrote it at a time in my life where I felt like everything was falling apart. I didn’t know what to do, so I started writing. This song probably means the most to me out of all the songs on the album, because it’s a blessing to be where I am right now.”
The lyrics speak for themselves:
“I got my first child on the way
And the bills are all unpaid
I should have finished high school
Got a job and learned to save
But the words keep on fallin’
And the highway keeps on callin’
To my pen
If I could make myself a deal
Then I might not have to steal
Aww but something’s bound to break
With all the spinnin’ of the wheels
Well I came here for the music
And I can’t afford to lose it after all
Well I been drunk
On the ideas of my future
And I been high
On gettin’ by”
The song was produced by Texas legend Rodney Crowell, who compared Vincent to the Texas folk-singer tradition of guys like Guy Clark, Townes Van Zandt, Ray Wylie Hubbard, and Steve Earle.
And while “High on Gettin’ By” is an honest look at the hardships of everyday life, Emerson says that it’s also a reminder to stand up to everything that’s thrown at you and just keep going:
“I think with any time you’re writing about really sad stuff it’s just human nature to want to find a resolve, find a resolution and find that light at the end of the tunnel, and try to find a way to push back and say like, ‘I’m not giving up.’”
