Jack Daniels and Jesus

Lately I've been trading A good sermon and some praying For a stranger in my bed And a night that needs explaining I've opened more bottles than I ever have my bible This dirt road communion sure won't lead me to revival

Between the black label and the letters in red I felt what livin' is And what it's like to live dead

[Chorus:] I've taken a ride in the devil's Cadillac I've been so high I thought I wasn't coming back And just when I think I'm too far gone Ringin' in my head's the 23rd psalm I've seen the light I've seen the darkness Only God knows where my heart is I've got my strength And Lord knows, I've got my weakness Oh, I'm lost somewhere between Jack Daniels and Jesus

It's my fault that I ain't called My momma in a month of Sundays She'll smell the whiskey through that phone I can't stand to hear her heartbreak Next week, I see my brother Casey for the first time Since it all went down And I blacked his eye the night after our daddy died

[Chorus]

I ain't afraid to admit I've hit rock bottom You wanna see a lifetime full of sins Just look at me I've got 'em

Jack Daniels: In this song, Jack Daniels represents sinful actions of the narrator’s life. One way Rice interprets this is by saying “I’ve opened more bottle than I ever have my bible.” This could’ve been a start to what led him down this path that he’s been living. Another way he shows this is when he says “Next week, I see my brother Casey for the first time, Since it all went down, And I blacked his eye the night after our daddy died.” That’s pretty deep considering that that was his brother and he gave his brother a black eye the night after their dad died. Rice also admits that “You wanna see a life time full of sins, Just look at me, I’ve got ‘em.” By saying this, he’s not afraid to admit that he’s lived a lifetime full of sins.

• “I’ve opened more bottles than I ever have my bible”
• “Next week, I see my brother Casey for the first time, Since it all went down, And I blacked his eye the night after our daddy died”
• “You wanna see a life time full of sins, Just look at me, I’ve got ‘em”

Living the high/low life: One of the main parts in this song is that the narrator talks about how he’s “Seen the light, I’ve seen the darkness”. This being another way he’s trying to tell the audience that he’s seen the good and he’s seen the bad. His lived the high life and how he’s hit rock bottom. Another way he shows this is that he says “I’ve felt what livin’ is, And what it’s like to live dead.” Rice is showing that he’s seen the good things in life, but has also seen all of the bad. We’ve all have had a point in our lives where we’ve known what living is and how it’s like to live dead. Rice also showcases this when he says “I’m lost somewhere between, Jack Daniels and Jesus.” Jack Daniels symbolizing the deep and depressing parts of his life and Jesus symbolizing the good.

• “I felt what livin’ is, And what it’s like to live dead”
• “I’ve seen the light, I’ve seen the darkness”
• “I’m lost somewhere between, Jack Daniels and Jesus”

23rd Psalm: In the song, Rice references the 23rd psalm. The 23rd psalm is a chapter in the bible that says “the Lord is my shepherd” and that “even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you’re with me”. This chapter fits perfectly with the song, for it mentions how he’s lived a life time full of sins and that he’s walked through the valley of the shadow of death. This part fits for when he says “Just when I think I’m too far gone, Ringin’ in my head is the 23rd psalm.” This is a reminder that God is still with him every step of the way, even through all of his sinful actions. Another way he shows this is by saying “I ain’t afraid to admit I’ve hit rock bottom.” When he mentions “rock bottom” it references to him walking through the valley of death. Lastly, the way his reference to the 23rd psalm is so important is by when he says “Only God knows where my heart is.” Being know as our shepherd, he is our leader. Even though his plan might not make sense, a leader always has a plan. God will be with us through every step of the way.

• “I ain’t afraid to admit I’ve hit rock bottom”
• “Just when I think I’m too far gone, Ringin’ in my head is the 23rd psalm”
• “Only God knows where my heart is”

This is about a boy becoming a man. He is struggling with the sins of the world because of the hardships he has gone through. He feels like he has let his mother down because he is in the sin of the world and doesn't feel like he is able to face her. But he knows that even when he feels like he is ready to give up, God shows him that there's hope and shows him that it's okay that he has made mistakes. But he is somewhere in the middle of a boy and a man , and he is still trying to figure out wether to live by the world or by God.