Brooks was a phenomenal musical force in the 1990s. He had his chart breakthrough in 1989, having come apparently from nowhere, and was an immediate commercial success. Lacking the tall and lanky physical appearance typical of some male country stars, he successfully integrated pop and rock elements into his recordings and live performances. He soon began to dominate the country singles and country albums charts and quickly crossed over into the mainstream pop arena, selling records like no one else in country music ever had and exposing country music to a larger audience than previously thought possible.
Brooks enjoyed one of the most successful careers in popular music history, with over 70 hit singles and 15 charted albums to his credit and over 115 million albums sold in the US alone, breaking records for both sales and concert attendance throughout the 1990s. Possibly dissatisfied and looking to expand his career boundaries, he then attempted an artistically ambitious (but uncompleted) multimedia project involving a fictitious alter ego.
Troubled by the conflicts between career and family, the year after the decade ended Garth Brooks announced his retirement from recording and performing, thereby disappearing from the music world as suddenly as he had come.
Recently he has announced his return to live performances by agreeing to a 5 year 15 show a year contract in Vegas. His plan is to finish this contract, write some new stuff, and wait for his youngest daughter to go off to school, and then he plans to return to touring with his wife.
Ain't Going Down
Garth Brooks Lyrics
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Momma doesn' t know she's leaving
'Til she hears the screen door slamming
Rubber squealin', gears a-jamming
Local country station just a blaring on the radio
Pick him up at seven and they're headin' to the rodeo
Momma's on the front porch screamin' out her warning
Girl you better get your red head
Nine o'clock the show is ending
But the fun is just beginning
She knows he's anticipating
But she's gonna keep him waiting
Grab a bite to eat
And then they're heading to the honkey tonk
But loud crowds and line dancing
Just ain't what they really want
Drive out to the boondocks and park down by the creek
And where it's George Strait 'til real late
And dancing cheek to cheek
Ain't going down 'til the sun comes up
Ain't givin' in 'til they get enough
Going 'round the world in a pickup truck
Ain't goin' down 'til the sun comes up
Ten 'til twelve is wine and dancing
Midnight starts the hard romancing
One o'clock that truck is rocking
Two is coming, still no stopping
Break to check the clock at three
They're right on where they want to be
Four o'clock get up and going
Five o'clock that rooster's crowing
Ain't going down 'til the sun comes up
Ain't givin' in 'til they get enough
Going 'round the world in a pickup truck
Ain't goin' down 'til the sun comes up
Six o'clock on Saturday
Her folks don't know he's on his way
The stalls are clean, the horses fed
They say she's grounded 'til she's dead
Well here he comes around the bend
Slowing down, she's jumping in
Hey mom, you're daughter's gone
And there they go again
Ain't going down 'til the sun comes up
Ain't givin' in 'til they get enough
Going 'round the world in a pickup truck
Ain't goin' down 'til the sun comes up
The song "Ain't Going Down" by Garth Brooks is a story about a young couple who can't resist their desire to have fun and experience life outside the boundaries set by their parents. The song depicts the journey of this couple on a wild night out that starts with heading to the rodeo and ends up in the boondocks parked by a creek to dance cheek to cheek.
The first verse sets the stage for the story by introducing the couple and their plan for the evening. Momma doesn't know her daughter is leaving but soon finds out when she hears the screen door slam and the car's rubber screeching as she leaves to pick her boyfriend up at 7 pm. Momma does not approve of her daughter's mischievous behavior and warns her to return to bed before the morning. The second verse tells us how the couple heads to the honky-tonk but doesn't find it exciting enough. They then drive to the boondocks and park by the creek to dance to George Strait's music until real late.
The chorus of the song repeats the phrase "Ain't Going Down 'Til the Sun Comes Up" several times, which means the couple is determined to keep going until the morning sun comes up. The following verses describe how the couple's night turns into a wild adventure that includes wine, dancing, and hard romancing until the early hours of the morning.
Overall, the song's story captures the essence of young love that yearns for excitement, independence, and adventure away from their parents' watchful eyes.
Line by Line Meaning
Six o'clock on Friday evening
It's six in the evening and the weekend is starting
Momma doesn't know she's leaving
Her mother is not aware that she's leaving
'Til she hears the screen door slamming
Her mother will only realize she has left after hearing the sound of the door
Rubber squealin', gears a-jamming
The car is moving really fast, making a lot of noise
Local country station just a blaring on the radio
The car's radio is playing a loud country station
Pick him up at seven and they're headin' to the rodeo
She's picking someone up at 7PM and they're going to watch the rodeo
Momma's on the front porch screamin' out her warning
Her mother is yelling a warning from the front porch
Girl you better get your red head
She's being warned to leave immediately
Back in bed before the morning
She should be in bed before the morning
Nine o'clock the show is ending
The rodeo show is ending
But the fun is just beginning
Even though the show is over, the night is still young
She knows he's anticipating
She knows he's expecting something
But she's gonna keep him waiting
But she's not going to give him what he wants just yet
Grab a bite to eat
They're going to stop to eat something
And then they're heading to the honkey tonk
After eating, they're going to a honkey tonk
But loud crowds and line dancing
They don't really enjoy loud crowds and line dancing
Just ain't what they really want
It's not what they're looking for
Drive out to the boondocks and park down by the creek
They're heading out to a secluded area by the creek
And where it's George Strait 'til real late
They're playing George Strait music until late at night
And dancing cheek to cheek
They're dancing very closely
Ain't going down 'til the sun comes up
They're not going to stop until the sun comes up
Ain't givin' in 'til they get enough
They're not going to stop until they're satisfied
Going 'round the world in a pickup truck
They're driving around, enjoying themselves in a pickup truck
Ten 'til twelve is wine and dancing
Between ten and twelve they're drinking wine and dancing
Midnight starts the hard romancing
At midnight, they start to get more intimate
One o'clock that truck is rocking
At one in the morning, the truck is shaking from their intimate activity
Two is coming, still no stopping
It's almost two in the morning and they're still going
Break to check the clock at three
They take a break to check the time and it's three in the morning
They're right on where they want to be
They're doing exactly what they want to be doing
Four o'clock get up and going
At four in the morning, they get up and start moving again
Five o'clock that rooster's crowing
They continue until the rooster crows at five in the morning
Six o'clock on Saturday
It's six in the morning on Saturday
Her folks don't know he's on his way
Her parents are not aware that he's coming over
The stalls are clean, the horses fed
The horses have been taken care of
They say she's grounded 'til she's dead
Her parents have forbidden her from leaving the house
Well here he comes around the bend
He arrives at the house
Slowing down, she's jumping in
He slows down and she gets into the car
Hey mom, you're daughter's gone
He yells out to her mother that her daughter has left
And there they go again
They're off on another adventure
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Kim Williams, Garth Brooks, Kent Blazy
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind