[INTRO – MUSIC: Soft acoustic guitar picking, distant ambient pads, light 808 swell building in] [INTRO – VOCALS: Spoken with calm Deep Southern tone] Yeah... They say you gotta leave dirt roads behind to find something bigger, But sometimes the roots you come from grow the strongest trees. [VERSE 1 – MUSIC: Acoustic guitar with light trap hi-hats entering, deep bass subtle underneath] [VERSE 1 – VOCALS: Conversational Southern rap delivery, personal and reflective] I grew up where the mailbox leaned a little sideways, Sun came up and we got to work the same way, Boots by the back door, dust on the floor, Granddad said, "Life ain't waiting on you anymore." Small-town roads, man, they taught me a lot, How to keep your word and appreciate what you got, Didn't have much but we had enough, Strong hands, strong hearts, and a little bit of tough. [PRE-CHORUS – MUSIC: Add fuller drums, warm guitar chords opening up] [PRE-CHORUS – VOCALS: Melodic with rising energy] Every little mile, every hard-earned scar, Built the person standing where we are. [CHORUS – MUSIC: Full acoustic rhythm guitar, punchy trap drums, deep 808 bass, layered harmonies] [CHORUS – VOCALS: Sung with strong uplifting energy and harmonies] I got roots running deeper than these old pine trees, Got faith riding shotgun right beside me, Sun on my face and a dream in my hands, Thanking God for where I am. Yeah life gets heavy but I still believe, There's a little bit of heaven in these fields I see, I ain't chasing gold, I got all I need, Roots running deeper than these old pine trees. [VERSE 2 – MUSIC: Pull back slightly, guitar and bass lead while trap rhythm continues] [VERSE 2 – VOCALS: Rap delivery with more confidence and momentum] I seen people leave chasing city lights, Some came back after losing a few fights, Ain't saying roads only go one way, Just saying sometimes home got a lot to say. Because these back roads raised me right, Taught me dark days don't last your whole life, Keep moving forward even when it's slow, Plant good seeds and watch good things grow. [BRIDGE – MUSIC: Drums pull back, acoustic guitar and atmospheric pads, bass slowly building] [BRIDGE – VOCALS: Half sung, half spoken with emotional delivery] Ain't about where you're from on a map somewhere, It's the people who showed you somebody cared, And every hard day that made you strong, Every place that kept your heart holding on. [FINAL CHORUS – MUSIC: Biggest section, full drums, stronger 808, layered vocal harmonies] [FINAL CHORUS – VOCALS: Powerful sung delivery with background harmony stack] I got roots running deeper than these old pine trees, Got faith riding shotgun right beside me, Sun on my face and a dream in my hands, Thanking God for where I am. Yeah life gets heavy but I still believe, There's a little bit of heaven in these fields I see, I ain't chasing gold, I got all I need, Roots running deeper than these old pine trees. [OUTRO – MUSIC: Strip back to acoustic guitar and fading bass] [OUTRO – VOCALS: Soft spoken] Yeah... sometimes the strongest things in life start from the ground up.
