Morgan was born in Kingston Springs, Tennessee and grew up in rural Tennessee. He became an Emergency medical technician at age 18. A few years later, he joined the Army and was stationed in South Korea. He would later see combat as part of Operation Just Cause in Panama in 1989. During his deployment in Korea, Morgan wrote a number of songs and won various military singing and songwriting contests. He is a vocal supporter of the US military, performing for service-personnel in the Middle East and elsewhere.
Upon his return home to Tennessee, he worked various jobs to support his family, including working as a construction worker, a security guard and a sheriff's deputy. He would later land a job in Nashville singing demos for other songwriters and publishing companies.
The demos led to releasing his first album with Atlantic Records, the self-titled Craig Morgan in 2000. In 2003, Morgan signed with Broken Bow Records and released his second album, I Love It. It featured the single "Almost Home", which broke into the Top 10 and earned Morgan a Songwriter Achievement Award from the Nashville Songwriters Association International.
In 2005, Morgan released his third album, My Kind of Livin', which included the smash hit "That's What I Love About Sunday." A four-week number one hit in the early spring of 2005, it was the biggest country music song of that year according to Billboard. The album also included the #2 hit "Redneck Yacht Club". Also included was "I Got You", which Craig had originally penned for Keith Urban, but decided to cut himself instead. "Little Bit Of Life", the lead-off single and title track of his fourth album, is currently climbing the charts.
You Never Know
Craig Morgan Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
On lottery tickets at the corner store
He came in without any milk and bread
Well his wife Heather was madder than ever
Said I can't believe you did that you know we're poor
Them tickets just dig us a little deeper
In the whole
He said, you never known
Old Sawmill Kenny kissed his Jenny
Said I'll see you tonight around supper time
He pulled that old Dodge truck out on the road
Well he went around a curve and Kenny had to swerve
To miss a little girl riding a bike
He gave his life to save her
As his maker said it's time to go
You never know what's around the bend
Could be a new beginning
Or it could be the end
You can dream, plan, scream, wish, pray and hope
But you never know
That Pentecost preacher was a part time teacher
At the Mississippi Missionary Bible School
Oh silver tongue Sara was a holy terror
She took him somewhere he didn't want to go
Said he was a sinner and later that winter it showed
You never know what's around the bend
Could be a new beginning
Or it could be the end
You can dream, plan, scream, wish, pray and hope
But you never know
You never know what's around the bend
Could be a new beginning
Or it could be the end
You can dream, plan, scream, wish, pray and hope
But you never know
That preacher didn't know (you never know)
Kenny didn't know that when he left the house that morning
He wouldn't be home that night
Oh yeah, and Wally Walker
He didn't know he was gonna win
Sixty million dollars last Saturday (you never know)
Craig Morgan's song "You Never Know" is a poignant reminder that life is unpredictable and that we never really know what's around the corner. The three verses share stories of people who each were faced with unexpected turns and twists in life. The first verse describes Wally Walker, who spent his last twenty dollars on a lottery ticket instead of buying milk and bread. His wife, Heather, is mad at him for continuing to spend money on tickets when they're already poor. However, it turns out that Wally wins sixty million dollars a few days later. The second verse tells the story of a man named Kenny who swerves into a little girl on a bike to save her life before dying. Lastly, the third verse tells of a Pentecost preacher who is humiliated by a holy terror named Sara, leading to his eventual moral downfall.
The song's primary theme is uncertainty, and the lyrics beg the listener to be cautious in their assumptions about the future because we never know what could be right around the corner. The chorus drives this point home, repeating "You never know what's around the bend/Could be a new beginning/ Or it could be the end." These lyrics appropriately describe life and its constant fluctuations, telling us that we can plan, dream, and hope all we want, but ultimately we can't predict the future.
Line by Line Meaning
Wally Walker spent his last twenty dollars
Wally Walker had very little money left.
On lottery tickets at the corner store
He used his last $20 to buy lottery tickets.
He came in without any milk and bread
Wally did not bring home any essential groceries that he and his wife need.
Well his wife Heather was madder than ever
Heather was very angry with Wally for using their last $20 on lottery tickets instead of purchasing essential groceries.
Said I can't believe you did that you know we're poor
Heather stated that they are a poor family and she could not believe that Wally used their savings to buy lottery tickets.
Them tickets just dig us a little deeper in the whole
Wally's purchase of lottery ticket dug them deeper into bankruptcy.
He said, you never known
Wally responded by saying that they never know when they might get lucky and hit the jackpot.
Old Sawmill Kenny kissed his Jenny
Kenny kissed his wife goodbye before leaving for work.
Said I'll see you tonight around supper time
He promised his wife that he will be back home in time for dinner.
He pulled that old Dodge truck out on the road
Kenny drove his old Dodge truck to work.
Well he went around a curve and Kenny had to swerve
While driving, Kenny encountered a curve on the road and had to make a sharp turn to avoid an accident.
To miss a little girl riding a bike
Kenny narrowly missed a little girl who was riding her bike.
He gave his life to save her
Kenny died in the process of avoiding the accident and saving the little girl.
As his maker said it's time to go
Kenny died and it was time for him to move on to the afterlife.
That Pentecost preacher was a part time teacher
The preacher was a part-time teacher at a missionary school.
At the Mississippi Missionary Bible School
The school where the preacher worked was located in Mississippi.
Oh silver tongue Sara was a holy terror
Sara was someone with a lot of power or influence and can be very persuasive.
She took him somewhere he didn't want to go
Sara convinced the preacher to do something that he was not interested in doing.
Said he was a sinner and later that winter it showed
Sara told the preacher he was a sinner and his wrongful actions later revealed the truth.
That preacher didn't know (you never know)
The preacher did not know what was ahead of him and what his actions will lead to.
Kenny didn't know that when he left the house that morning
Kenny was not aware that he will encounter an accident and ultimately lose his life.
He wouldn't be home that night
Kenny did not come back home as he died before he could return home that night.
Oh yeah, and Wally Walker
The song returns to the first character, Wally Walker.
He didn't know he was gonna win
Wally was unaware that he was going to strike the jackpot and win 60 million dollars.
Sixty million dollars last Saturday (you never know)
Wally won 60 million dollars and the song stresses the message that one can never know what may happen in their future.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Capitol CMG Publishing, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: BAIN, MORGAN, O'DONNELL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind