Speaking of keys, it’s his dad that Jordan credits as being key to shaping his musical influences. “My dad was a huge Country music fan – Kenny Rogers, Alan Jackson, Travis Tritt, John Michael Montgomery, Tracy Lawrence. All the guys from that ‘90s era have always been big influences for me as well.”
Jordan picked up the guitar at 15, aided by a deal with his father. "If he saw me with the guitar in my hands every day when he came home from work, I didn't have to do any chores that summer. I was like, 'Deal!' Of course, I had no idea how hard it would be to learn. I'm completely self-taught. Watched a few YouTube videos and from there it was simply trial and error. I started writing songs about the same time and they were god-awful." Jordan’s first gig was a county fair where he played four of his favorite covers for a crowd of 50. “When I got offstage I walked up to my mom and said, 'That was fun. I want to do that forever.'"
Easier said than done as a high school student, but Jordan’s competitive drive found a way – with a little help from his family. "Most places you had to be 18 to even get in," Jordan says. "My mom would call to talk the manager into it. She'd walk me in, sit in the front row and walk me out. It was, 'Don't touch anything. Don't talk to anyone. Don't take anything from anyone. Just play and slip out.'"
Barry Williams, Jason Aldean's father, came on board at this time. "We met through a mutual friend from playing county fairs," Jordan says. "He booked shows, set up meetings and got songwriting appointments when I was about 17 or 18. That was my first connection to Nashville.”
In 2013, after years of playing the club scene, frat parties and college bars - while also traveling to Nashville for a week each month to write - Jordan received a call from Jeremy Stover, producer for Justin Moore and Craig Campbell, among others. The #1 charting producer was looking for an acoustic opener for Justin Moore’s Off the Beaten Path Tour and thought Jordan was the perfect fit.
Jumping onto a fast-moving national tour was a prodigious leap. The young artist held his own, playing acoustically between seasoned veterans and #1 hit makers Randy Houser and Moore. It also proved to be an invaluable education. "The biggest thing I learned offstage was how to treat people. Justin and his crew were always patient when stuff didn’t go right. Onstage, I learned how to interact with a crowd. For the first month of that tour, I’d play my set, run all my stuff back to the bus, then sit front-of-house for Justin’s whole show. I would just watch and learn everything I could. What does he do during different songs? How does he talk to the crowd? What does he do if something goes wrong? It was really great to see that at a young age. I learned so much about how to carry yourself on and off stage.”
Rager spent fall of 2013 through the first half of 2014 on the tour. He signed a joint management deal with Barry Williams and Peter Hartung (Justin Moore/ Dustin Lynch) and signed with Broken Bow Records the following September. Shortly after landing his record deal, he went back on tour with Justin Moore – this time with a full band.
On stage, Jordan’s competitive drive, instilled in him at such a young age, immediately shines through. There are moments at the plate where one must stand and deliver – and Jordan, unflinchingly, does. "When I go to a show, I want to be entertained just like everybody else. So when it's me onstage, I try to give the crowd what I would want to see. When the groove is going, the band is rocking and I'm rocking, then the crowd starts giving it back - that's as good as it gets."
Small Town Skyscrapers
Jordan Rager Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The song Small Town Skyscrapers by Jordan Rager is a nostalgic retelling of the artist's experience growing up in a small town and the realization he had when he left to pursue bigger things in the city. The song starts with Rager reminiscing about his younger days as a rebel, someone who was always looking to break the rules rather than follow them. He felt like his small town was too limiting for someone like him, and he was destined for bigger things. This led him to leave his hometown and head for the city, looking for something new and exciting.
But as he explores different places, he starts to miss his small town and all the things that make it unique. The lyrics mention several landmarks and symbols that represent his town, such as the water tower, the old church steeple, and the high school football lights. These small town skyscrapers may not be as impressive as the towering buildings of New York City, but they still hold a special place in his heart and in the hearts of his neighbors.
Line by Line Meaning
I was a rebel, straight outta high school
I had a rebellious nature right after completing my education at high school.
I was born to break, not just bend them rules
I had a natural inclination to break rules rather than being content with just bending them.
Thought this town was too small, to hold a kid like me
I believed that this town was too small to contain a person like me.
I was too cool, ten foot tall, and bulletproof
I had a sense of invincibility, overconfidence and I thought highly of myself.
I was high on a tractor, and hell on wheels
I was incredibly confident and skilled, especially when operating a tractor, and I was reckless with my abilities.
Took off on it one day, through my old man's field
One day, I impulsively and recklessly left on a tractor, crossing my father's land without any thoughts of consequences.
Headin' north, big city, pouring concrete and steel
I aimed to move to a metropolitan area that was more progressive and modernized with skyscrapers built out of concrete and steel.
Now everytime I come home, I realize how much I miss those
Every time I return to my hometown, I realize how much I miss the small town features that I once disregarded.
Skyscrapers, towerin' over the Pondersosa Pines
Although the scale is much smaller compared to large cities, the buildings such as the water tower, church steeple, and high school football lights still stand tall and impressive like skyscrapers.
The water tower, the old church steeple, the high school football lights
These are the small town high points that offer a sense of pride and ownership in one's hometown.
It may not be no New York City, but to me and all my neighbors
While it may not be as famous or progressive as larger cities, the residents and I find our smaller town to be just as valuable and significant.
I been to Seattle, Hollywood and Vine
I have visited many famous cities such as Seattle, Hollywood and Vine.
St. Louis and 'Frisco, as far as the crow flies
I have also traveled to St. Louis, and San Francisco, purely in terms of distance.
Got tired of the red lights, and feelin' fenced in
I grew restless of the urban way of life regulating my every move, and developed a sense of feeling trapped or confined.
I've been a few places i'll never go again
Some of the places I have visited have not left a good impression or fond memories, and I won't be returning to them.
Where you feel like paint, dryin' on a wall
In some places, one feels like they are stagnant like the paint drying on a wall, without any opportunities for growth.
Just a face in the crowd, moving at a crawl
In larger cities, it is easy to feel lost and insignificant among the vast number of people, with activities happening at an extremely slow pace.
From city to city, if there's one thing i've found
Throughout my travels, I have come to realize one important thing.
It's how much I love my town, and all of them Skyscrapers,
The important lesson I learned is how much I cherish my hometown and its small-town features that are just as impressive as skyscrapers.
towerin' over the Pondersosa Pines
Just like how skyscrapers tower over large cities, small town features such as the water tower, church steeple, and high school football lights tower over the Ponderosa Pines.
Skyscrapers, towerin' over the Pondersosa Pines
Repeating the importance of these small town features that offer a sense of pride and ownership in one's hometown.
It may not be no New York City, but to me and all my neighbors
Reiterating that even though it may not be as famous or progressive as larger cities, the people in this small town find it just as valuable and significant.
We still look up to all those small town skyscrapers
No matter where one goes or what one sees, the small town features that tower over the Ponderosa Pines will always be inspiring and meaningful to the people residing in the small town.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: JAYCE HEIN, JORDAN RAGER, KIM TRIBBLE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind