Noteworthy for their three guitars lineup, the 'Truckers' are often associated with the Southern rock movement of the 70s and "jam" bands but are too cerebral and irreverent to sit squarely in either genre. Their lyrics often revolve around the working class trying to survive in economically-depressed small towns of the South.
Co-founded by Patterson Hood (son of bassist David Hood of the legendary Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section) and longtime friend and musical partner Mike Cooley in Athens, Georgia, in 1996. The two men had played in various other bands including Adam's House Cat which was chosen as a top ten Best Unsigned Band by a Musician contest in the late 1980s.
Together with a revolving group of musicians, Drive-By Truckers put out their first two albums, Gangstabilly (1998) and Pizza Deliverance (1999). Following their second release, the band embarked on a nationwide tour, resulting in a live album called Alabama Ass Whuppin' (released in 2000 by Second Heaven Records, re-released in 2002 by Terminus Records). They had an entertaining and informational website long before most bands had begun taking advantage of the internet as a promotional tool, and together with constant touring, they quickly developed a large and dedicated fan base both on and off-line.
After three years on the road a tight-knit group of musicians emerged and they began work on 2001's Southern Rock Opera. Southern Rock Opera is a double album executed as a song cycle. The album loosely uses the rise and literal fall of Lynyrd Skynyrd as a metaphor for the culture of the American South.
Self released on their own Soul Dump Records on September 12, 2001, Southern Rock Opera, quickly accumulated praise from fans and critics alike, including a four-star review in Rolling Stone. To take advantage of the positive reception, Southern Rock Opera was re-issued by Mercury and Lost Highway Records in July 2002. Soon after, Drive-By Truckers were named Band of the Year by No Depression.
Before they could record a follow-up to Southern Rock Opera, guitarist Rob Malone left and was replaced guitarist and songwriter, Jason Isbell. Originally from Greenhill, Alabama, during his five years with Drive-By Truckers, Isbell contributed a number of significant songs to the albums he worked on.
Due to changes at Lost Highway, the Truckers were released from their contract and signed with Austin-based record label New West, for the follow-up to Southern Rock Opera, 2003's Decoration Day. Like its predecessor, the album received broad praise from fans and critics alike. Although it isn't a concept album, the songs of Decoration Day explore a common theme of hard decisions in the context of marriage, incest, break-ups, revenge, murder, and suicide are major themes.
After years of producing and playing with Drive-By Truckers, bassist Earl Hicks left the band on December 22, 2003. Hicks was immediately replaced by studio bassist Shonna Tucker, then wife of guitarist Jason Isbell. Tucker had previously guested on Decoration Day playing upright bass on the Cooley-penned track, "Sounds Better in the Song".
In 2004, Drive-By Truckers released The Dirty South. Like Southern Rock Opera, The Dirty South was a concept album. The Dirty South further explored the mythology of the South, with songs focusing on Sam Phillips and the Sun Records crowd, John Henry and his hammer, and a three-song suite about Sheriff Buford Pusser.
After touring throughout 2004 and 2005, Drive-By Truckers found their way to the Fidelitorium Recording Studio in Forsyth County, North Carolina during late 2005. These recording sessions, once again produced by David Barbe, resulted in the band's seventh LP, A Blessing and a Curse.
Released on April 18, 2006, A Blessing and a Curse showcased Drive-By Truckers' ability to branch out into new territory, and can be seen as the band's attempt at shaking labeling by critics, detractors, fans, and followers, particularly the Southern rock label that has haunted the band since Southern Rock Opera. The album sounds less like Skynyrd, and more closely resembles the bare-bones British rock of the early 1970s such as The Rolling Stones and Faces. Tom Petty's influence on the band's sound is more prominent on this album as well.
In 2006, Drive-By Truckers reunited, both on-stage and on-record, with Athens-based pedal steel guitarist, John Neff. Neff first played with the band on their 1998 debut LP, Gangstabilly, and played pedal steel on three subsequent albums, 1999's Pizza Deliverance, and 2003's Decoration Day. Neff was featured heavily on the 2006 release, A Blessing and a Curse. During the next year, Neff began touring with the band as an unofficial sixth member.
On April 5, 2007 Jason Isbell announced that he was no longer a member of the band. The following day, Patterson Hood confirmed the break on the official site. In his letter to the fans, Hood described the parting of ways as "amicable" and expressed the hope that fans would continue to support Drive-By Truckers as well as Jason's solo efforts. In the same letter, Hood announced that John Neff would become a full-time member playing both guitar and pedal steel.
Shortly after Isbell's departure, on April 20, 2007, Patterson Hood announced via the band's website that a longtime friend of The Hood Family, Spooner Oldham, would be joining the band playing keyboard for a string of acoustic performances called The Dirt Underneath Tour.
Drive-By Truckers performed as backup musicians for Bettye LaVette's 2007 album, The Scene of the Crime. The album went to #1 on Billboard's Blues Chart and was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Blues Album. Partly as a result of this collaboration, the Truckers went on to act as the backing band for Booker T Jones for his first recording in more than a decade. The album, Potato Hole, was well received by critics and it resulted in numerous shows together.
On January 22, 2008, the Drive-By Truckers' eighth album, Brighter Than Creation's Dark (named after a line in a Cooley song entitled "Checkout Time in Vegas"), was released in the US and went to #37 on the Billboard 200 album charts. Once again, David Barbe produced the album and artist Wes Freed provided the artwork. The album has nineteen tracks and features the first song contributions from bassist Shonna Tucker.
The band's ninth album "The Big To-Do" was issued on March 26, 2010 on ATO Records, the label founded by Dave Matthews and home to such artists as My Morning Jacket, Radiohead, The Whigs and Brendan Benson.
Gravity's Gone
Drive-By Truckers Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
She woke up sunny side down and I was still thinking I was too proud to flip her over
Between the champagne hand jobs and the kissing ass by everyone involved
Cocaine rich comes quick and that's why the small dicks have it all
So I'll meet you at the bottom if there really is one
They always told me when you hit it you'll know it
But I've been falling so long it's like gravity's gone and I'm just floating
Those little demons ain't the reasons for the bruises on your soul you've been neglecting
You'll never lose you're mind as long as you're heart always reminds you where you left it
And don't ever let them make you feel like saying what you want is unbecoming
If you were supposed to watch you're mouth all the time I doubt you're eyes would be above it
So I'll meet you at the bottom if there really is one
They always told me when you hit it you'll know it
But I've been falling so long it's like gravity's gone and I'm just floating
Between the champagne hand jobs and the kissing ass by everyone involved
What used to be is gone and what ought to be ought not to be so hard
So I'll meet you at the bottom if there really is one
They always told me when you hit it you'll know it
But I've been falling so long it's like gravity's gone and I'm just floating
But I've been falling so long it's like gravity's gone and I'm just floating
But I've been falling so long it's like gravity's gone and I'm just floating
The song "Gravity's Gone" by Drive-By Truckers revolves around the idea of losing control and floating aimlessly through life. The lyrics describe a person who is struggling to make sense of their actions and how they have affected others. The singer is grappling with the consequences of their behavior and trying to find a way to reconcile with their past mistakes.
The first verse begins with the imagery of stumbling through a fog to "find a reason for the things I told her." The singer is trying to justify their actions to someone they have hurt. However, they are still too proud to own up to their mistakes and flip their partner over (both literally and figuratively). The lyrics also reference the superficial nature of the music industry, where people are willing to do anything to get ahead, including participating in "champagne hand jobs" and "kissing ass." The line, "cocaine rich comes quick and that's why the small dicks have it all" is a commentary on the stereotypes and power dynamics prevalent in the industry.
The chorus repeats the phrase, "So I'll meet you at the bottom if there really is one / They always told me when you hit it you'll know it / But I've been falling so long it's like gravity's gone and I'm just floating." This can be interpreted in different ways, but it seems to suggest that the singer is willing to face the consequences of their actions and meet their partner at their lowest point. However, they have been falling for so long that they no longer feel the pull of gravity and are just drifting through life without direction.
Line by Line Meaning
I went stumbling through the fog trying to find a reason for the things I told her
I was trying to justify what I said to her while being confused.
She woke up sunny side down and I was still thinking I was too proud to flip her over
She woke up feeling down but I was too stubborn to help her.
Between the champagne hand jobs and the kissing ass by everyone involved
People are pretending to be nice and doing favours because of their own interests.
Cocaine rich comes quick and that's why the small dicks have it all
People with money and status get what they want easily, even if they aren't well endowed.
So I'll meet you at the bottom if there really is one
They always told me when you hit it you'll know it
But I've been falling so long it's like gravity's gone and I'm just floating
I'll meet you at the lowest point, if that even exists. But I've been struggling so long that I feel like I'm in free-fall.
Those little demons ain't the reasons for the bruises on your soul you've been neglecting
Your emotional wounds aren't caused by small things, but by bigger things you have been ignoring.
You'll never lose you're mind as long as you're heart always reminds you where you left it
You won't go crazy as long as you keep your heart and emotions in check.
And don't ever let them make you feel like saying what you want is unbecoming
Never feel ashamed for speaking your mind and expressing what you really feel.
If you were supposed to watch you're mouth all the time I doubt you're eyes would be above it
If you were meant to always hold back, you would not be able to see things clearly.
What used to be is gone and what ought to be ought not to be so hard
Letting go of the past is difficult, but we shouldn't make the future harder than it needs to be.
But I've been falling so long it's like gravity's gone and I'm just floating
I'm still struggling and feel like I'm not in control of where I'm going.
Lyrics © Peermusic Publishing, WORDS & MUSIC A DIV OF BIG DEAL MUSIC LLC
Written by: JOHN MICHAEL COOLEY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
gareth_ vieira
I went stumbling through the fog trying to find a reason for the things I told her
She woke up sunny side down and I was still thinking I was too proud to flip her over
Between the champagne hand jobs and the kissing ass by everyone involved
Cocaine rich comes quick and that's why the small dicks have it all
So I'll meet you at the bottom if there really is one
They always told me when you hit it you'll know it
But I've been falling so long it's like gravity's gone and I'm just floating
Those little demons ain't the reasons for the bruises on your soul you've been neglecting
You'll never lose your mind as long as you're heart always reminds you where you left it
And don't ever let them make you feel like saying what you want is unbecoming
If you were supposed to watch your mouth all the time I doubt your eyes would be above it
So I'll meet you at the bottom if there really is one
They always told me when you hit it you'll know it
But I've been falling so long it's like gravity's gone and I'm just floating
Between the champagne hand jobs and the kissing ass by everyone involved
What used to be is gone and what ought to be ought not to be so hard
So I'll meet you at the bottom if there really is one
They always told me when you hit it you'll know it
But I've been falling so long it's like gravity's gone and I'm just floating
But I've been falling so long it's like gravity's gone and I'm just floating
But I've been falling so long it's like gravity's gone and I'm just floating
Puncheon 50
Every Cooley song has at least one line or verse that is so unique it is quotable as one of the greatest rock n roll lines written. In This song, EVERY line is unique and could stand alone in greatness.
Chris Lowe
And don't ever let them make you feel like saying what you want is unbecoming
If you were supposed to watch your mouth all the time I doubt your eyes would be above it
Paul Jolly
AND every Cooley song has a hook you could set your watch by.
chicagojon1972
This album helped get me through a really tough time in my life and this song especially resonated.
Iain Simpson
One of my favorite lines in any lyric ever is "Don't ever let 'em make you feel like saying what you want is unbecoming." Thank you, Mr. Cooley. You're a poet.
Chad Bauguess
Welllllllllllllll. He'll freaking yea
Samuel Walkingstick
My favorite is, she woke up sunny side down i was thinking i should probably flip her over.
HazeGrey
@Samuel Walkingstick it's "too proud to flip her over."
Chris Chandler
I love it, I just saw your message, right after I posted! Nice
David G. Edwards
People ask me how I'm doing, "... but I've been falling so l long it's like gravity's gone, and just floating." Just floatin'!