Never Gonna Change
Jason Isbell Lyrics

Let this be a lesson to you, girl:
I have some advice for you, don't go where you aren't welcome

Don't come around where you know you don't belong
Stay away from places where you're not wanted

They're riding on the avenue, they're prob'ly coming after you
There are some people out there who might try to harm you

And they all look mean and strong
They appear intimidating and dangerous

Mean and strong like liquor
As harsh and potent as alcohol

Mean and strong like fear
As distressing and overwhelming as fear

Strong like the people from South Alabama
As stalwart as the residents of Southern Alabama

And mean like the people from here
As hostile as the locals in this area

Take it from me
Believe me when I say

Daddy used to empty out his shotgun shells
My father would remove the ammunition from his shotgun

And fill 'em full of black-eyed peas
And replace the ammo with black-eyed peas

He'd aim real low, and he'd tear out your ankles
He would deliberately shoot at your feet, potentially causing injury to your ankles

And rip right through your knees
And even causing severe or permanent damage to your knees

There ain't much traffic on the highway
There aren't many cars on the road

There ain't much traffic on the lake
There aren't many boats on the lake

'Cause the ATF and the ABI
Because of the presence of the ATF and ABI (federal law enforcement agencies)

Got everything they could take
They seized all they could confiscate

We ain't doin' nothin' wrong
We're not doing anything illegal

So shut your mouth and play along
So keep quiet and don't cause trouble

Well, I thought about going in the army
I once considered enlisting in the military

I thought about going overseas
I considered serving abroad

I wouldn't have trouble with a piss test
I wouldn't fail a drug test

Only problem is my bad left knee
The only issue preventing me from enlisting is a physical ailment in my left knee

My brother got picked up at Parker's
My brother was arrested at the establishment called Parker's

Got him a ride in a new Crown Vic
They transported him in a new Crown Victoria

They said that he was movin' on a federal level
They accused him of committing a federal crime

But they couldn't really make it stick
But they didn't have enough evidence to convict him

You can throw me in the Colbert County jailhouse
You can imprison me in the jailhouse located in Colbert County

You can throw me off the Wilson Dam
You can throw me off the dam known as Wilson Dam

But there ain't much difference in the man I wanna be
Regardless of where I am or what happens to me, I still want to be the same person

And the man that I really am
And the person that I truly am

We ain't never gonna change
We will never change our ways or behavior