This is one of my favorite songs. https://fnfgo.io
You want to grow up to paint houses like me
A trailer in my yard till you're twenty three
You want to be old after forty two years
Keep dropping the hammer and grinding the gears
Well, I used to go out in a Mustang, a 302 Mach One in green
Me and your Mama made you in the back and I sold it to buy her a ring
And I learned not to say much of nothing so I figured you already know
But in case you don't or maybe forgot, I'll lay it out real nice and slow
Don't call what you're wearing an outfit, don't ever say your car is broke
Don't worry about losing your accent, a southern man tells better jokes
Have fun, stay clear of the needle, call home on your sister's birthday
Don't tell them you're bigger than Jesus, don't give it away
Five years in a St. Florian foundry, they call it Industrial Park
Then hospital maintenance and tech school just to memorize Frigidaire parts
But I got to missing your Mama and I got to missing you too
And I went back to painting for my old man and I guess that's what I'll always do
So don't let 'em take who you are boy, and don't try to be who you ain't
And don't let me catch you in Kendale with a bucket of wealthy man's paint
Don't call what you're wearing an outfit, don't ever say your car is broke
Don't sing with a fake British accent, don't act like your family's a joke
Have fun, but stay clear of the needle, call home on your sister's birthday
Don't tell them you're bigger than Jesus, don't give it away
Don't give it away
A trailer in my yard till you're twenty three
You want to be old after forty two years
Keep dropping the hammer and grinding the gears
Well, I used to go out in a Mustang, a 302 Mach One in green
Me and your Mama made you in the back and I sold it to buy her a ring
And I learned not to say much of nothing so I figured you already know
But in case you don't or maybe forgot, I'll lay it out real nice and slow
Don't call what you're wearing an outfit, don't ever say your car is broke
Don't worry about losing your accent, a southern man tells better jokes
Have fun, stay clear of the needle, call home on your sister's birthday
Don't tell them you're bigger than Jesus, don't give it away
Five years in a St. Florian foundry, they call it Industrial Park
Then hospital maintenance and tech school just to memorize Frigidaire parts
But I got to missing your Mama and I got to missing you too
And I went back to painting for my old man and I guess that's what I'll always do
So don't let 'em take who you are boy, and don't try to be who you ain't
And don't let me catch you in Kendale with a bucket of wealthy man's paint
Don't call what you're wearing an outfit, don't ever say your car is broke
Don't sing with a fake British accent, don't act like your family's a joke
Have fun, but stay clear of the needle, call home on your sister's birthday
Don't tell them you're bigger than Jesus, don't give it away
Don't give it away
Lyrics submitted by discgo, edited by luckygoon, delbertwilkins
Outfit Lyrics as written by Jason Isbell
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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The line I'm not sure I get is:
"Don't tell em you're bigger than Jesus/Don't give it away."
The "don't give it away" part? Give what away?
Btw, this is easily one of my all-time favorite songs. Unreal.
I always thought "Don't give it away" meant, well, of course you're bigger than Jesus, but you don't need to say so. In that way that a father would think his kid's the best thing ever, but also want to teach him humility.
Or...don't give away your talent. (But I've always leaned toward trachcan's interpretation.)
I think he was talking about his Dad telling him don't give away the values and where you came from. Awesome line!
@Rickvee This is a well crafted song. Perhaps I don't fully understand that last line, but it certainly moves me. I think the line is something to do with pride and respect of one's self. Maybe he's saying your a man now and its ok/even right to make people earn your respect rather than just giving it away.
@Rickvee I always took "don't give it away" to be a sarcastic remark from the father to a son who believes he is better than.
@Rickvee My interpretation was same as "trashcanpoet", as in, yes your are bigger than jesus (and make sure you know that), but don't act like it, stay humble.
@Rickvee I think it is a line about self respect and knowing one's own worth. If you have it, the people around you will know without you needing to tell them. And if you have to tell them, you probably aren't as big as you think you are.
@Rickvee - it's a sly bit of double-meaning by Isbell. If you interpret the line in relation to the previous line, it would mean "don't let on that you are actually more important to people than Jesus". If, on the other hand, you interpret the line all by itself it would mean "don't play music for free". The latter makes sense when you consider that young bands are often asked to play for free on the grounds that it will "give them exposure" (or something similar).