Can’t Turn Us Down

Lyrics

[Intro — boot heel pounding; muted acoustic riff; low, gravelly spoken vocal] There’s a nail in the stage. There’s a leak in the roof. We ain’t fixing a damn thing Till we shake something loose. Raven Nation— Let me hear them boots. [Verse 1 — driving acoustic, bass enters] They called us dirty white trash From the clean side of the tracks. We were underneath their Chevys Putting busted engines back. Friday came in work clothes, Payday barely made a round. But we had enough for six strings And a place outside of town. Dawg Box nights till daylight, Whiskey dreams and Southern schemes. Half of us were chasing trouble, Half were chasing seventeen. Backroads and broken laws Got us here the long way ’round. Now the Dirty South is blazing— Hear that screen door rattling down. [Pre-Chorus — guitar chokes; boots keep time] We ain’t here to look like money. We ain’t here to play pretend. If you’ve ever been somebody’s black sheep, Bring your hard-luck ass on in. [Chorus — big, melodic, crowd-ready] They can throw us out, but they can’t turn us down! Boot heel, floorboard—hear that hammer sound. Love like an outlaw, stand by your own, Make a little heaven where the lost get home. Dirty little hallelujah, let that back row sing— Ain’t a soul too broke to be worth something. We’re the ones they thought they’d never hear about— They can throw us out, but they can’t turn us down! [Post-Chorus — lead and crowd] Lead: Can’t turn us— Crowd: DOWN! Lead: Still here, still— Crowd: LOUD! Dirt-road dirty, both feet on the ground— They can throw us out, but they can’t turn us down! [Verse 2 — swaggering pocket; short slide-guitar answers] She came in wearing leather, Little lace beneath the sleeve. Set her keys beside my bottle, Said, “You’re riding home with me.” My ride or die don’t follow— She’ll tell me when I’m wrong. She can stop me with an eyebrow Then raise hell through every song. Call her a demon in denim; She just laughs and takes my hand. Says, “I’ve got a thing about you, baby, But don’t act like you’re the band.” Lord, I love an outlaw woman With her own cash, her own mind. She don’t need a man to save her— Just a man who won’t switch sides. [Pre-Chorus — bass and handclaps] She said, “Go ahead, boy, do your thang. Give ’em something they can feel. They didn’t drive here for perfection. They drove all this way for real.” [Chorus] They can throw us out, but they can’t turn us down! Boot heel, floorboard—hear that hammer sound. Love like an outlaw, stand by your own, Make a little heaven where the lost get home. Dirty little hallelujah, let that back row sing— Ain’t a soul too broke to be worth something. We’re the ones they thought they’d never hear about— They can throw us out, but they can’t turn us down! [Instrumental break — eight bars; acoustic riff against dirty slide; stomps stay relentless] [Bridge — strip to acoustic and one boot heel; sing, don’t shout] There’s a man beside the exit Who still jumps at sudden noise. He came home from a war But he don’t talk about the boys. There’s a woman by the speaker With her husband’s wedding band. When we played their song, she closed her eyes And turned it on her hand. I’ve felt the weight of wasted time. I’ve left good words unsaid. So this one’s for the other side, And the living here instead. We ain’t loud ’cause life’s been easy. We ain’t tough ’cause we don’t break. We’re just tired of being quiet With so much left to say. [Breakdown — boot stomps and group vocals; build every two lines] For the names we still remember— STOMP TWICE! For the ones who got us home— STOMP TWICE! For the backyard outlaws Who won’t let you stand alone— Put your shoulder next to somebody. Let ’em know they ain’t on their own. [Final Chorus — full band; higher harmony, lead stays low and rough] They can throw us out, but they can’t turn us down! Boot heel, floorboard—hear that hammer sound. Love like an outlaw, stand by your own, Make a little heaven where the lost get home. Dirty little hallelujah, let that back row sing— Ain’t a soul too broke to be worth something. Let the whole damn county hear us clear across town— They can throw us out, but they can’t turn us down! [Final tag — repeat twice; second time mostly crowd] We ain’t asking for a crown. We ain’t putting nobody down. We just found our kind of people— And you can’t turn us down. [Outro — band cuts; boots continue] There’s a nail in the stage. There’s a leak in the roof. They can keep the red carpet. We brought the boots... AND WE DAMNED SURE...STAYED OUTLAW!