Jackson was born to Joseph Eugene Jackson and Ruth Musick in Newnan, Georgia, and has four older siblings. As a youth, Jackson listened primarily to gospel music. Otherwise he was not a major music fan. However, a friend of his introduced him to the music of Gene Watson, John Anderson and Hank Williams Jr. Jackson attended the local Elm Street Elementary and Newnan High School, starting a band after high school. After a time, he and his wife of six years, Denise Jackson, moved from Newnan to Nashville where Jackson hoped to pursue music full-time.
Jackson sang in church as a child. He, his father, mother, and four sisters lived in a small home. At one point, his bed was in the hallway for lack of room. His mother lives in the home to this day. His first job, at 12, was in a shoe store. He wrote his first song in 1983.
In Tennessee, Jackson got a job in The Nashville Network's mailroom. Denise got him connected to Glen Campbell, who helped him jumpstart his career. Jackson eventually signed with Arista.
His first album, 1989's Here in the Real World, was a major hit, as was his second (1991) album, Don't Rock the Jukebox. His 1992 album, A Lot About Livin' (And a Little 'Bout Love) was a success, spawning five major singles. Also in 1992, Randy Travis charted three singles co-written by Jackson: "Forever Together", "Better Class of Losers", and "I'd Surrender All". Conversely, Travis co-wrote Jackson's single "She's Got the Rhythm (And I Got the Blues)".
In 1994 Jackson left his management company, Ten Ten Management, which had overseen his career up to that point, and switched to Gary Overton.
It was around this time that Jackson began also gaining fame for his song-writing skills. Other country music artists who have charted with songs co-written by Jackson, including Clay Walker ("If I Could Make a Living"), Chely Wright ("Till I Was Loved By You")[5] and Faith Hill ("I Can't Do That Anymore").
His first album, 1990's Here in the Real World, was a major hit, as was his second (1991) album, Don't Rock the Jukebox. His 1992 release, A Lot About Livin' (And a Little 'Bout Love) was a smash success, spawning five major singles with "Chattahoochee" being the most enduring and successful. After a few more hit albums, Jackson again rocketed to fame with "Where Were You (When the World Stopped Turning)," a song about the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, which became a hit single and briefly propelled him into the mainstream spotlight; the song was even the subject of parody on the popular animated series South Park, in the episode A Ladder To Heaven.
The Long Way To Go Songfacts states that on January 20, 2011 Alan Jackson and his record label, Sony, parted ways after over 20 years. Three months later a new joint venture between Capitol's EMI Records Nashville and ACR (Alan's Country Records) was announced. His debut single from the new deal was Long Way To Go, which was shipped to Country radio on June 13, 2011.
Although Jackson has been characterized as a "hat act", his influences go deep into the roots of country music and his songs have been recorded by some of the greats like Charley Pride, who recorded "Here In The Real World". He has sung with George Jones on the award-winning "I Don't Need Your Rockin' Chair". His sense of humor comes through in "Gone Country" with the satirical description of the wannabes who cynically jumped on the country music bandwagon in the 1990s: "Everybody's gone country/Yeah we've gone country/The whole world's gone country."
He has been credited for popularizing a Neotraditional Country sound.
Small Town Southern Man
Alan Jackson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Of a farmer
And a small town
Southern man
Like his daddy's
Daddy before him
Brought up
Workin' on the land
With a small town woman
And they married up
And settled down
Natural way of life
If you're lucky
For a small town
Southern man
First there came
Four pretty daughters
For this small town
Southern man
Then a few years
Later came another
A boy, he wasn't planned
Seven people
Living all together
In a house built
With his own hands
Little words with love
And understanding
From a small town
Southern man
And he bowed
His head to Jesus
And he stood
For Uncle Sam
And he only loved
One woman
He was always proud
Of what he had
He said
His greatest contribution
Is the ones
You leave behind
Raised on the ways
And gentle kindness
Of a small town
Southern man
Raised on the ways
And gentle kindness
Of a small town
Southern man
Callous hands
Told the story
For this small town
Southern man
He gave it all
To keep it all together
And keep his family
On his land
Like his daddy
Years wore out his body
Made it hard
Just to walk
And stand
You can break the back
But you can't break
The spirit
Of a small town
Southern man
And he bowed
His head to Jesus
And he stood
For Uncle Sam
And he only loved
One woman
He was always proud
Of what he had
He said
His greatest contribution
Is the ones
You leave behind
Raised on the ways
And gentle kindness
Of a small town
Southern man
Raised on the ways
And gentle kindness
Of a small town
Southern man
Finally death
Came callin'
For this small town
Southern man
He said it's alright
'Cause I see angels
And they got me
By the hand
Don't you cry
And don't you worry
I'm blessed
And I know I am
'Cause God
Has a place in heaven
For a small town
Southern man
And he bowed
His head to Jesus
And he stood
For Uncle Sam
And he only loved
One woman
He was always proud
Of what he had
He said
His greatest contribution
Is the ones
You leave behind
Raised on the ways
And gentle kindness
Of a small town
Southern man
Raised on the ways
And gentle kindness
Of a small town
Southern man
The song Small Town Southern Man by Alan Jackson is an ode to the simple life and values of a small town in the southern part of the United States. The lyrics depict the life of a man who was brought up in a small town in the South, and his father and grandfather before him also lived on the land. The man grew up working on the farm and fell in love with a woman from the same town, whom he later married.
The song talks about the man's family, consisting of his wife and four daughters, and later, a son. The man takes pride in his family and loves them all deeply. He is depicted as a hardworking man, who has dedicated his life to his family and his land, which he built with his own hands. The lyrics also highlight the man's faith and his love for his country, as he bows his head to Jesus and stands for Uncle Sam.
The song ends with the man's death, and he talks about seeing the angels and going to heaven. The lyrics suggest that the man lived his life with a sense of purpose and contentment, as he was raised on the ways of gentle kindness and lived the life of a small town southern man.
Line by Line Meaning
Born the middle son
He was the second son of his father and mother.
Of a farmer
His father was a farmer.
And a small town
He was born to a family living in a small town.
Southern man
He was raised in the Southern region of the United States.
Like his daddy's
Just like his father's
Daddy before him
His grandfather was also a farmer.
Brought up
He was raised
Workin' on the land
Doing farm work.
Fell in love
He began to love someone.
With a small town woman
He fell in love with a woman from the same small town.
And they married up
They got married.
And settled down
They started a family and made a home.
Natural way of life
Living a lifestyle common in their small town.
If you're lucky
If everything goes well.
For a small town
In the context of living in a small town.
Southern man
Being raised in the Southern US.
First there came
Then, he had
Four pretty daughters
He had four daughters.
For this small town
In the context of living in a small town.
Southern man
Being raised in the Southern US.
Then a few years
Afterwards,
Later came another
He had another child.
A boy, he wasn't planned
His son wasn't expected.
Seven people
Himself, the woman he married, their five children.
Living all together
Living together in the same house.
In a house built
It was a house that he constructed himself.
With his own hands
He built it himself, without hired help.
Little words with love
Expressing his love through small gestures and phrases.
And understanding
And empathy.
From a small town
In the context of living in a small town.
Southern man
Being raised in the Southern US.
And he bowed
He showed respect to
His head to Jesus
To god.
And he stood
He was dedicated to
For Uncle Sam
For his country.
And he only loved
He loved only one person.
One woman
One particular female person, his wife.
He was always proud
He was constantly proud.
Of what he had
of his family and property.
He said
He stated
His greatest contribution
His best contribution
Is the ones
Are the members
You leave behind
Who remain after you have passed away.
Raised on the ways
Raised with the values and manners.
And gentle kindness
Teaching compassion and consideration.
Callous hands
Rough hands that have done a lot of manual labor.
Told the story
Represented the story of his hard work.
For this small town
In the context of living in a small town.
Southern man
Being raised in the Southern US.
He gave it all
He gave everything he had.
To keep it all together
To maintain his land and family.
And keep his family
And to take care of his family.
On his land
On the farm he worked.
Years wore out his body
The physical labor of many years took its toll on his body.
Made it hard
It became difficult.
Just to walk
Moving around seemed painful.
And stand
Standing up became hard.
You can break the back
One's body can deteriorate,
But you can't break
But his spirit was unbreakable.
The spirit
The internal strength and resilience.
Of a small town
In the context of living in a small town.
Southern man
Being raised in the Southern US.
Finally death
When he eventually passed away.
Came callin'
It came to him in his final moments.
He said it's alright
He consoled those around him.
'Cause I see angels
Because he saw angels.
And they got me
The angels came to take him
By the hand
They guided him.
Don't you cry
He told his loved ones not to weep.
And don't you worry
And not to have anxiety.
I'm blessed
He was fortunate.
And I know I am
He was aware of his blessings.
'Cause God
Because of God
Has a place in heaven
God has a place for him in heaven.
Raised on the ways
Raised with the values and manners.
And gentle kindness
Teaching compassion and consideration.
Of a small town
In the context of living in a small town.
Southern man
Being raised in the Southern US.
Raised on the ways
Raised with the values and manners.
And gentle kindness
Teaching compassion and consideration.
Of a small town
In the context of living in a small town.
Southern man
Being raised in the Southern US.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: ALAN JACKSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@claudiodacosta5455
This is the real and genuine country song. 0% nudity 0% bad words 100% talent.
@johnathenblanchard9432
The words of perfect sir keep up the good work
@timwaldron9666
Yeap.
@billinlauderdale4825
This song fits both my Dad and my Grandfather perfectly... I am proud of them.
@helloisythainasilvasouza8806
@Johnathen Blanchard um snh😁
@dylanelliott2187
yes sir amen
@BobWadley-gq4hl
As a small town southern man myself, I can truly relate. I served my country over 20 years , went off to war 3 times decorated more than once . A life long cowboy/ rancher ( won my last rodeo at the age of 52 ) ...Thank you Mr. Jackson , this really does touch a lot folks in a very personal way.
@MariaVasquez-ez4by
Cada vez que escucho estas canciones me hace alegre mi día esque son canciones muy pero muy bonitas 🙏👍❤️🌹
@josephmajorbaba3665
Country music at its finest. Vintage Alan Jackson. Nostalgic . Seeping through with something difficult to describe
@trentmontgomery8343
didn't know alan jackson was vintage.