To me, this one is the frustrated thoughts of someone who doesn't understand why a certain girl is going for the big, loud, redneck, tough-guy a--hole, when it's obvious he doesn't treat her well. He thinks he can offer her more, but the fact that he can't makes him angry. He sees her being tarnished and degraded by someone not worthy of her. And maybe, she even wants to be treated that way, because it's all she knows. I think it's also about being an outsider in a place where you're outnumbered by people with a more primitive mindset than yours ("I live in a southern town/where all you can do is grit your teeth"). You can't really do anything about it. Elliott grew up in Texas, by the way.
To me, this one is the frustrated thoughts of someone who doesn't understand why a certain girl is going for the big, loud, redneck, tough-guy a--hole, when it's obvious he doesn't treat her well. He thinks he can offer her more, but the fact that he can't makes him angry. He sees her being tarnished and degraded by someone not worthy of her. And maybe, she even wants to be treated that way, because it's all she knows. I think it's also about being an outsider in a place where you're outnumbered by people with a more primitive mindset than yours ("I live in a southern town/where all you can do is grit your teeth"). You can't really do anything about it. Elliott grew up in Texas, by the way.