The sentiment hits home for Green, a family man whose work as a songwriter has notched high positions on four Billboard and Country Aircheck/Mediabase charts. He’s had to dedicate long hours, years at a time to honing his craft, but in the end, he wouldn’t have it any other way.
“I’ve realized over my years of songwriting,” he says, “that it’s not just about luck. For me, it’s about working hard and staying passionate. Sometimes I feel like I really couldn’t live without writing songs.”
Dirty money
Drew Green Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Them dirt boys workin′, skew, uh huh
Down here in the south
Down in the dirty, dirty
Dirt boys workin' them plows
Keepin′ them tillers turnin'
Nickels to dimes, seven a week, yeah
And we ain′t shootin' at that little doe
We huntin′ for that big buck
Sippin' on that homegrown, shippin′ out the good stuff
Big rigs rollin' down the road
Boats floatin′ up the river, call it (cash flow)
From the money growin' out of the ground down in Warren County
Bills comin' out of these stills in all these hills around it
Makin′ money (you know we makin′ money)
Monday through Sunday (makin' dirty money)
Money printin′ out of the plow, gotta get up and get it
Good lord, we out here in it, yeah, we finna make this money
On cash cows, on cash crops, and map dots, they don't stop
Out in the country makin′ dirty money (money, money)
Makin' dirty, dirty, dirty money (money)
Everybody know that same old story, ya know, that one that goes
Oh boy, Dually smokin′
Loaded down with hay but hay ain't all he's totin′ (ha, shh)
Don′t tell Uncle Sam he got a 401k under the barn in rubber bands from the
Money growin' out of the ground down in Warren County
Bills comin′ out of these stills in all these hills around it
Makin' money (you know we makin′ money)
Monday through Sunday (makin' dirty money)
Money printin′ out of the plow, gotta get up and get it
Good lord, we out here in it, yeah, we finna make this money
On cash cows, on cash crops, and map dots, they don't stop
Out in the country makin' dirty money (money, money)
Makin′ dirty, dirty, dirty money (money)
Now we ain′t shootin' at that little doe, nah, yeah, yeah
Yeah, we huntin′ for that big buck
Blue collar down in the hollow, you know they got it from the
Money growin' out of the ground (money, money)
And money printin′ out of the plow
From the money growin' out of the ground down in Warren County
Bills comin′ out of these stills in all these hills around it
Makin' money (you know we makin' money)
Monday through Sunday (makin′ dirty money)
Money printin′ out of the plow, gotta get up and get it
Good lord, we out here in it, yeah, we finna make this money
On cash cows, on cash crops, and map dots, they don't stop
Out in the country makin′ dirty money (money, money)
Dirty money (money)
Makin' dirty, dirty, dirty money (money)
Makin′ dirty money
The song "Dirty Money" by Drew Green is an ode to the hard-working southerners who make a living through farming and moonshining. The lyrics paint a picture of the southern way of life where people make money the old-fashioned way, through hard work and perseverance. The title "Dirty Money" implies that the money is made through less-than-legal means.
The first two lines of the song refer to the work that the "dirt boys" do in the south. They plow the fields, keep the tillers turning, and work hard to make a living. The singer of the song, who is also from the south, explains that he isn't hunting for small game but is after a huge buck. He is living off the "good stuff" that is shipped out from the south. He also alludes to the fact that some of the money made down there from cash crops and moonshining might not be clean or legal.
The catchy chorus of the song talks about how the people in the south are making money and doing it every day of the week. They are not afraid of hard work and aren't afraid to get their hands dirty. They are ingenious in their methods, and the "money printin' out of the plow" is a testament to their resilience and hard work.
Line by Line Meaning
Down here in the dirty
Here in the southern region where life is tough
Them dirt boys workin′, skew, uh huh
The hardworking country folk working in the fields to earn their living
Dirt boys workin' them plows
The farmers are cultivating their land
Keepin′ them tillers turnin'
Maintaining the tillers to keep the soil healthy for better crop growth
Nickels to dimes, seven a week, yeah
Making a modest living doing their hard work with not much to show for it
They make a livin' and there′s boys like me
These farmers make a living but there are people like me who want to make big money
And we ain′t shootin' at that little doe
We're not interested in trivial things, we're focused on the big things
We huntin′ for that big buck
We're chasing for the real money and success
Sippin' on that homegrown, shippin′ out the good stuff
Drinking homemade moonshine and distributing it for profit
Big rigs rollin' down the road
The large trucks are transporting goods and products
Boats floatin′ up the river, call it (cash flow)
The boats carrying products upstream represent the steady flow of profits
Money printin′ out of the plow, gotta get up and get it
We need to work hard and smart to make money from farming
Good lord, we out here in it, yeah, we finna make this money
We're determined to make a lot of money and willing to work hard for it
On cash cows, on cash crops, and map dots, they don't stop
We're earning money through various sources and working constantly
Out in the country makin′ dirty money (money, money)
We're making money through hard work, not necessarily clean methods
Everybody know that same old story, ya know, that one that goes
Everyone knows the classic story of working hard to make money
Oh boy, Dually smokin′
The truck is emitting smoke as it carries goods
Loaded down with hay but hay ain't all he's totin′ (ha, shh)
The farmer's truck may be carrying hay but it may also have a hidden stash of moonshine
Don′t tell Uncle Sam he got a 401k under the barn in rubber bands from the
The farmer has a secret retirement fund hidden on his property
Money growin' out of the ground down in Warren County
The fertile land in Warren County is yielding a lot of crops and profits
Bills comin′ out of these stills in all these hills around it
The moonshine produced around Warren County is generating a lot of cash
Makin' money (you know we makin′ money)
We're earning a lot of money through our hard work and smart tactics
Monday through Sunday (makin' dirty money)
We work tirelessly seven days a week to keep earning money
Dirty money (money)
We're earning money in ways that may not be completely ethical
Makin′ dirty, dirty, dirty money (money)
We're making a lot of money through unconventional means
Writer(s): Lee Starr, Drew Green, Mark Allen Trussell, Russell Phillip Sutton
Contributed by Gabriella N. Suggest a correction in the comments below.