Intro Yeah Midnight road, no crowd, no flash Just tires hummin’ like the ghosts of the past Windows cracked, cool air, hands on the wheel Funny how the quiet is where the hard truth get real Verse 1 Everybody see the stars, see the ink, see the rise See the pictures, see the name, see the fire in my eyes They don’t see the long nights when the room feel small When the weight of bein’ chosen hit the hardest of all They don’t hear mama prayin’ through a half-closed door Or my own damn thoughts when I can’t outrun ‘em no more They don’t know what it costs when a dream gets close How the shine gets loud, but the soul talk low I came from a city where the bright lights lie Where the weak get swallowed and the strong survive Now I got red dirt callin’ and a whole new load But some pain don’t leave just ‘cause you found your road So I drive when it’s heavy, let the blacktop preach Let the dark say things daylight never could reach And every mile feel like somethin’ I can’t outrun But maybe don’t need to — maybe I just need one Pre-Chorus One honest breath One quiet sign One place in the dark Where I can lay this mind Not lookin’ for easy Not askin’ for gold Just somethin’ that can steady me When this life gets cold Chorus Backroad gospel That’s what I need A little truth in the dark When the pressure don’t sleep No crowd, no cameras No one to impress Just God, them wheels, and the weight on my chest Backroad gospel Soft but strong Like a prayer half-whispered When the road runs long From Sin City scars To that crimson road I still need them quiet miles And that backroad gospel Verse 2 Ashley cross my mind when the night gets deep Like a memory that don’t fade, just moves underneath She ain’t the cure, but she part of the calm Part of why that Oklahoma air still sit in my palms And football still call me like a war drum hymn Still ask for my body, still hard on the skin Still the one damn thing that can light my blood And still the one damn thing that can drown me in mud That’s the truth folks miss when they praise your fight Sometimes the strongest boy still lose sleep at night Sometimes the man with the future still stare at the dash Tryna make peace with the boy from the Vegas flash I got family in my heartbeat, pressure in my frame Got a whole lotta pride and a whole lotta pain Got a name gettin’ bigger and a soul stayin’ raw So I talk to the night ‘cause it tell me what I are Pre-Chorus I don’t need perfection I don’t need applause Just somethin’ in the silence That can hold me through it all Not chasin’ no halo Not beggin’ control Just tryna keep my feet down And my spirit whole Chorus Backroad gospel That’s what I need A little truth in the dark When the pressure don’t sleep No crowd, no cameras No one to impress Just God, them wheels, and the weight on my chest Backroad gospel Soft but strong Like a prayer half-whispered When the road runs long From Sin City scars To that crimson road I still need them quiet miles And that backroad gospel Bridge I ain’t lost I ain’t broke I just carry a lot in this heart and this throat I ain’t doubtin’ the road I ain’t runnin’ away I’m just learnin’ even strong men gotta bend when they pray So if you see me smilin’ Know the story got depth Know the rise got bruises Know the dream got debt And if I keep on drivin’ It ain’t fear, it ain’t hopeless It’s just me tryna hear God Through that backroad gospel Breakdown Yeah Headlights low Skyline gone Just the road and the rhythm and a soul holdin’ on No gold, no flash No crowd, no throttle Just a hard young man And some backroad gospel Final Chorus Backroad gospel That’s what I need A little truth in the dark When the pressure don’t sleep No crowd, no cameras No one to impress Just God, them wheels, and the weight on my chest Backroad gospel Soft but strong Like a prayer half-whispered When the road runs long From Sin City scars To that crimson road I still need them quiet miles And that backroad gospel Outro Yeah Some truths don’t shout They just ride shotgun Through the dark with you Till the hurt comes undone And for all this fire All this name, all this role I still come back home To that backroad gospel
