You might be a real country boy if you understand all the lyrics to Hardy‘s new song “By God.” The gospel single celebrates living away from the city with an authenticity most would be nervous to reveal.
- “By God” can be found on Hardy’s new Sides EP.
- Zach Abend and Hunter Phelps helped Hardy write the lyrics to “By God.”
- This New Year’s Eve, Hardy will play Nashville’s Big Bash, an end-of-year celebration on CBS.
Related: 22 Redneck Lyrics You’ll Only Understand If You’re Country
We won’t break down every lyric of this new song. The chorus and first verse hold most of the Easter eggs.
“By God” begins with the chorus and the first four lines are fairly straightforward. Hardy is showing gratitude for life on Earth, and he wants you to know he prefers breathing clean outdoor air to “Highrise livin’,” i.e. city life.
“Wouldn’t catch me dead where the concrete lays / My soul ain’t after me climbing no ladder,” he sings. That’s fairly intuitive. This “ladder” is the corporate ladder. Later in the song he says he’s not one to judge but anyone living in a city, climbing that ladder will surely feel judged.
Those folks aren’t likely to understand the chorus.
“Got tomatoes in the garden / Nellybelle parked in the yard / I don’t need no driveway,” he sings.
Nellybelle refers to the stripped down Jeep popularized on the Roy Rogers Show. The vehicle was a one-of-a-kind clunker that Pat Brady sweet-talked in an effort to make it run right. A drive through the far reaches of most American counties will find many broken down vehicles among the weeds. It’s the kind of luxury you can afford when you’re not paying HOA dues.
The next lyric refers to “shell cracker in the grease.” He’s cooking up sunfish! Google if you want an explanation for that nickname.
“Some cracker in a Z goin’ / Down the highway,” he sings midway through the first verse. “Cracker” is a pejorative slur used for white people and a “Z” is an IROC Z, the vehicle often associated with mulletted men of the 1980s. If you couldn’t afford a more elegant sports car, you’d tune up your IROC-Z to roar like a lion down the open road.
The rest of the lyrics (see below) don’t require a translation. “By God” is a celebration of country boy life and that’s something country fans know well. The gospel chorus are what’s new sonically. Immediately this song will stand apart from anything on the radio.
Hardy, “By God” Lyrics:
Chorus:
By God, by God / By God what a rock we get to breathe on / That highrise livin’ ain’t closer to Heaven / Than feet in a river singing promise land songs / Good Lord, good Lord / Wouldn’t catch me dead where the concrete lays / My soul ain’t after me climbing no ladder / This country boy rather live somewhere made / By God.
Got tomatoes in the garden / Nelly bell parked in the yard / I don’t need no driveway / Shell cracker in the grease / Some cracker in a Z goin’ / Down the highway / Who the hell needs a bar / When the sun in the sky and the stars / Are puttin’ up a fight / Condensation on a beer / Sittin’ here feels kinda like I’m sittin’ right.
Repeat Chorus
Only need a couple cops / Everybody keeps their shit unlocked / ‘Cause there ain’t nobody stealin’ / Hell any time of year / Only time you hear / Is when somethin’s in season / And I ain’t one to judge / But a little dirt will make a big difference / ‘Cause the rest of the world, they could all stand a lesson / From the people out here livin’ out the words that were written.
Repeat Chorus
Repeat Chorus
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Gallery Credit: Carena Liptak
