Many Texan music fans met Cody Johnson’s honest style through the radio singles from his "Six Strings, One Dream" album: "Nobody to Blame" (#6 on the Texas music charts in 2009); #1"Pray for Rain" (2009 - 2010); and "Texas Kind of Way" (#6, late 2010 – 2011).
At first he opened for other artists, but Cody has also taken the Texas dance-halls by storm. Increasingly, the Cody Johnson Band is the attraction, and an honest-to-goodness one.
Cody’s childhood, though, was different from his rowdy onstage personality. Growing up, home was Sebastopol, a speck on the East Texas piney woods map, the perfect setting for that country boy to roam the woods, hunt, and fish. Home-schooling and family times around the piano provided the kind of life the kind many folks envy. Even Cody's music training started when dad Carl taught him the chords to “I’ll Fly Away,” a southern gospel favorite.
Starting public school as a freshman, Cody expanded beyond playing the guitar and drums at church. When his AG science teacher overheard Cody playing an original song, he convinced Cody to form a band with other FFA (Future Farmers of America) members. A few months later, Cody's band placed runner-up in the highly-competitive Texas State FFA talent contest.
Cody left the contest realizing he was in love for life: in love with the music, the crowd, and the energy of performing onstage. Beginning in small honky-tonks and bars, he tried different musical styles. Discarding many, today Cody's shows still keep a Garth Brooks-level of energy and a Ronnie Van Zant-outlaw dedication to individual style. Like the late Chris LeDoux's musical beginnings, “CoJo” sold his acoustic CDs from the back of his truck during three years of bull-riding. Cody still shows up today as the true cowboy he is.
After graduation, Johnson worked for the Texas Department of Criminal Justice in Huntsville. There, supervising prison inmates, Cody confides, "I developed an even greater appreciation for family and friends. Seeing how easy it was to go to prison set me on the 'straight and narrow.'"
Also in Huntsville, Cody met Nathan Reedy, who became his new drummer. With Carl Johnson playing bass, the trio began traveling as the Cody Johnson Band. Their first CD, "Black & White Label," provided funding for travel and radio promotion—and the assurance that the music dream was real.
Along the way, several popular artists have shared their friendship, fans, and wisdom with Cody. Some gave business advice and warned him of issues musicians face on the road. The common thread is that other professionals respect Cody as a performer, songwriter, and individual. In turn, Cody Johnson earns that respect, giving as much effort to an audience of 30 or 30,000. As he states, “I like the crowd to sing along, yell, or whatever makes them feel part of the show. I love big crowds because of the energy and showmanship I can exhibit. I love acoustic shows because of the intimacy and how candid they are. Acoustic shows are like sittin’ around the living room pickin' and grinnin'."
Winning the Texas’ Regional Music Awards as “New Male Vocalist of the Year 2011” caused Cody to choose whether leave the security of state employment to chase his dreams. He followed his own advice to "Always pray for direction, and know that no matter what... the good Lord has a plan."
The answer to that prayer came when Cody's wife Brandi gave her “thumbs-up.” As Cody puts it, "When the woman I love—and plan to spend the rest of my life with—told me that she 'stands by her man' and believes in me 100%, I believed even more confidently that I could live my dream. Though I've had lots of people believe, contribute, push and pull me along, no one's efforts affected my decision emotionally the way Brandi's faith in me did."
Cody indeed left his "day job" for the more-than-full-time music career. But, that’s where the story really begins.
Expanding his boundaries beyond Texas, he flew to Nashville to record a new CD with Nashville studio musicians hand-picked by his "big brother," Nashville-based fellow Texan, Trent Willmon, producer of the new album, A Different Day (released October 31, 2011).
Though new to Nashville recording ways, Johnson’s musical confidence showed in the Music City recording studio. Together, he and the studio musicians tweaked songs to obtain the exact intended effect. Listening to the Music City veterans, Cody adopted suggestions when they felt right, and would "hang tough" when he felt the music differently.
According to CoJo, "I don't want to be labeled as 'Texas' or 'Nashville.' I am me: Texas, outlaw, cowboy, country, and a God-fearing man using the gift He gave me."
- Billie Willmon Jenkin
Me And My Kind
Cody Johnson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Saw her when she walked in
Her hair's a little longer but she's still lookin' stronger than sin
No, I don't care if you buy her a drink
But she's not the kind of girl you think
Oh, cause back when we were lovin' she thought cowboys were something
Now' they ain't
Cause she's over buckles
She's over spurs
To her you're just a heartache in a pearl snap shirt
Been lassoed and let go for the last time
No, she ain't just over me, she's over me and my kind
I guess I ruined it for the rest of us
When I left her standing in my dust
Oh, and lately she's been hating rodeos and Copenhagen
And trucks, ha-ha
Yeah she's over buckles
She's over spurs
To her you're just a heartache in a pearl snap shirt
Been lassoed and let go for the last time
No she ain't just over me, she's over me and my kind
Yeah she's over buckles
She's over spurs
To her you're just a heartache in a Wrangler pearl snap shirt
Lassoed and let go for the last time
She ain't just over me, she's over me and my kind
She ain't just over me, she's over me and my kind
Cody Johnson's song "Me And My Kind" tells the story of a man who sees his old girlfriend walk into the bar and realizes that she has moved on from him and his lifestyle. The man notes that his ex-girlfriend's appearance has changed slightly, but she still looks as strong and alluring as ever. He tells the other guys at the bar that he doesn't mind if they buy her a drink, but warns them that she's not the kind of girl they think she is, and that she's no longer interested in cowboys.
Throughout the song, the man reflects on his failed relationship with his ex-girlfriend, acknowledging that he may have "ruined it for the rest of us" when he left her standing in his dust. He notes that she has grown tired of the cowboy lifestyle, expressing disdain for rodeos, Copenhagen, and trucks. The chorus of the song repeats the refrain that she is "over buckles" and "over spurs," and that to her, the man is just a "heartache in a pearl snap shirt." The song ends with the sobering reminder that she is not just over him, but over "me and my kind," which serves as a commentary on the limits of the cowboy lifestyle.
Overall, "Me And My Kind" is a poignant exploration of love and loss, one that acknowledges the harsh realities of relationships and the ever-shifting nature of human desires.
Line by Line Meaning
Yeah that's my old girlfriend
I recognize the woman who just walked in as someone I used to date.
Saw her when she walked in
I noticed her as soon as she entered the room.
Her hair's a little longer but she's still lookin' stronger than sin
Although she has changed somewhat, she still looks very attractive to me.
No, I don't care if you buy her a drink
I don't mind if someone else buys her a drink.
But she's not the kind of girl you think
She's not who you expect her to be.
Oh, cause back when we were lovin' she thought cowboys were something
When we were together, she really admired cowboys.
Now they ain't
But she no longer feels the same way about them.
Cause she's over buckles
She's done with men who wear big belt buckles.
She's over spurs
She's tired of the sound of spurs on a cowboy's boots.
To her you're just a heartache in a pearl snap shirt
She sees you as someone who will only cause her pain while wearing a specific type of shirt.
Been lassoed and let go for the last time
She's been tricked and hurt by men like you before and won't tolerate it anymore.
No, she ain't just over me, she's over me and my kind
She's not just tired of me, but she's also tired of the type of men I represent.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: Cody D. Johnson, David Lee, George Edwin Varble
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@katied1964
This is my favorite song he wrote ❤️
@jeremyheartriter2.063
Cody's got one of the best voice and even better, he puts up great songs.
@spudbuilt4308
still country from him
@Tess-fc1ft
Don't know how people can say country sucks when this song exists
@logan3813
HELL YES!!
@Caleb039
Underrated bro.
@Brynn_123
SHE AINT OVER ME SHE OVER ME AND MY KINDDDDD❤❤❤BEEN STUCK IN MY HEAD FOR WEEKS
@ivettesuarez9709
Dying to see a music video for this song!
@KevinBear
Awesome ! my favorite song 👍🤟🔥
@Isaac.Caiden
I saw Cody’s performance in Texas not too long ago and it was great