A Country Boy Can Survive by Jr. Williams (2024)

The preacher man says it's the end of time
And the Mississippi River, she's a going dry
The interest is up and the stock markets down
And you only get mugged if you go downtown

I live back in the woods, you see
My woman and the kids and the dogs and me
I got a shotgun and a rifle and a four wheel drive

And a countryboy can survive, country folks can survive

I can plow a field all day long
I can catch catfish from dusk 'til dawn
Make our own whiskey and our own smoke too
Ain't too many things these boys can't do
We grow good old tomatoes and homemade wine
And countryboy can survive, country folk can survive

Because you can't starve us out and you can't make us run
'Cause we're them ol' boys raised on shotguns
We say grace and we say ma'am
And if you ain't into that, we don't give a damn

We came from the West Virginia coal mines
And the Rocky Mountains and the Western skies
And we can skin a buck, we can run a trot line
And a countryboy can survive, country folks can survive

I had a good friend in New York City
He never called me by my name just hillbilly
My Grandpa taught me how to live off the land
And his taught him to be a business man

He used to send me pictures of the Broadway Nights
And I would send him some homemade wine
But he was killed by a man with a switchblade knife
For forty three dollars, my friend lost his life

I'd love to spit some beechnut in that dudes eyes
And shoot him with my ol' forty-five
'Cause a countryboy can survive
Country folks can survive

'Cause you can't starve us out and you can't make us run
And we're them ol' boys raised on shotgun
We say grace, we say ma'am
If you ain't into that, we don't give a damn

We're from North California and South Alabama
And little towns all around this land
We can skin a buck and run a trot line

And a countryboy can survive, country folks can survive
Countryboy can survive, country folks can survive

The lyrics of "A Country Boy Can Survive" by Jr. Williams describe the resilience and resourcefulness of rural people who live off the land. The song begins with a social commentary on the state of the world - the preacher man warning of the end of times, the Mississippi River drying up, and economic troubles. However, the singer is not worried because he lives back in the woods with his family and has the skills and tools to survive. He brags about being able to plow fields, catch catfish, make whiskey and smoke, grow tomatoes and make homemade wine - all without relying on anyone else.

The chorus of the song emphasizes the theme of self-sufficiency and independence. The singer asserts that "you can't starve us out and you can't make us run" because they are country folks raised on shotguns, who say grace and ma'am, and don't give a damn if you don't like it. The second verse talks about the singer's roots in West Virginia and the Western mountain ranges, where they learned to "skin a buck and run a trot line." The bridge of the song tells a personal story about a friend who was killed in New York City, presumably because he was from the country and didn't fit into the urban environment. The singer vows revenge, saying he'd like to spit tobacco in the killer's eyes and shoot him with his gun. The song ends with a triumphant declaration that country boys can survive and thrive no matter what.

Overall, "A Country Boy Can Survive" celebrates rural life and culture, and encourages self-reliance and toughness in the face of adversity. The song resonates with many people who identify as "rednecks" or "hillbillies" and take pride in their heritage and way of life.

The preacher man says it's the end of time
The religious leader claims it's the apocalypse

And the Mississippi River, she's a going dry
The famous river is drying up

The interest is up and the stock markets down
The cost of borrowing is high while the stock market is low

And you only get mugged if you go downtown
There's high crime rate in the city

I live back in the woods, you see
I reside in the rural area

My woman and the kids and the dogs and me
My family and I live together with our pets

I got a shotgun and a rifle and a four wheel drive
I own a shotgun, a rifle, and a four-wheel drive vehicle

And a countryboy can survive, country folks can survive
People from the countryside can survive any challenge

I can plow a field all day long
I can cultivate the land for hours

I can catch catfish from dusk 'til dawn
I can fish for catfish all through the night

Make our own whiskey and our own smoke too
We produce our own whiskey and smoke

Ain't too many things these boys can't do
There's hardly anything rural dwellers can't accomplish

We grow good old tomatoes and homemade wine
We cultivate high-quality tomatoes and produce wine from home

Because you can't starve us out and you can't make us run
We can survive even under difficult circ*mstances and can't be chased away

'Cause we're them ol' boys raised on shotguns
We were brought up using shotguns

We say grace and we say ma'am
We exhibit good manners such as saying grace and using 'ma'am'

And if you ain't into that, we don't give a damn
We don't care if you don't approve of our manners

We came from the West Virginia coal mines
We originate from West Virginia's coal mines

And the Rocky Mountains and the Western skies
We hail from the Rocky Mountains and the western skies

And we can skin a buck, we can run a trot line
We can hunt and fish effectively

I had a good friend in New York City
I used to have a close friend in New York City

He never called me by my name just hillbilly
He referred to me only as a hillbilly

My Grandpa taught me how to live off the land
My grandpa educated me about how to thrive living off the land

And his taught him to be a business man
My grandpa taught him how to be an entrepreneur

He used to send me pictures of the Broadway Nights
He would send me pictures of Broadway's nightlife

And I would send him some homemade wine
I would return the favor by sending my friend my homemade wine

But he was killed by a man with a switchblade knife
Unfortunately, he was murdered by a switchblade knife-wielding man

For forty three dollars, my friend lost his life
The perpetrator killed my friend for just $43

I'd love to spit some beechnut in that dudes eyes
I would like to spit beechnut juice into the eyes of my friend's killer

And shoot him with my ol' forty-five
I would like to shoot the killer with my .45 caliber handgun

'Cause a countryboy can survive
I am confident that rural dwellers can survive anything

'Cause you can't starve us out and you can't make us run
We are capable of surviving difficult circ*mstances and can't be forced to leave

We're from North California and South Alabama
We come from various parts of the country such as North California and South Alabama

And little towns all around this land
Additionally, we originate from various small towns across the nation

And a countryboy can survive, country folks can survive
People from the countryside can survive and overcome all obstacles