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I Got A Truck

“I wrote ‘I Got a Truck’ by myself which is unusual in Nashville. I love co-writing, but it can become very routined - you get in a room and write from 11 to 3, record the demo and then do it all again the next day. I don’t think every song should be written like that. This idea came from a conversation I had with Tim McGraw the first night of our tour when we were both backstage. He started giving me some advice; the superstar to the new kid on the block. He told me about his start in Nashville, that he had good songs and a good following, but was having a hard time finding someone to sign him. There was a man called Brian Williams, he was a banker who was known for giving chances to artists that nobody wanted to take a chance on yet. Tim went to him with his songs and said, “This is what I’ve got. I have a fanbase and I’ve got this terrible truck I can trade you - if you get me to the next step, I’ll repay you.” I’m listening to this story thinking, “Keep talking, this is a song!”

It’s traditional in country music that on the last night of a tour you give presents, but what do you buy Tim McGraw? The dude has an island! So I gave him this song as a thank you for inspiring me, and he started crying! In a perfect world I think I’d want him to record it, but it was a great song for me to put out.”

Not On My Watch

“It’s a track to the devil on your shoulder, that voice that tells you to give up and that you’re not good enough. It’s saying, “just when you think I’m down for the count, I’ll come back stronger”. On the Dark Horse tour, we had such a successful opening but towards the end I was exhausted. Three or four years of touring is great, but I was exhausted. I think ‘Not On My Watch’ was inspired by the thoughts that were there at the end of that cycle. I had this image in my head of a clock or pocket watch, and instead of numbers it would have all the things that I used to say to myself – “Give up”, “Back Down”, “Fall in, fall out”, “Move on” - 12 things to replace the 12 numbers. It’s a double entendre. We planned on recording more than six songs, but with Covid it just wasn’t possible. Some of the songs that were supposed to be on this record might have given ‘Not On My Watch’ a little more context.”