Jordan’s competitive nature began at a young age. Sports and music ran on p… Read Full Bio ↴Jordan’s competitive nature began at a young age. Sports and music ran on parallel tracks for the Loganville, Georgia native. "My dad’s from Chicago, a big Cubs fan and baseball is lifeblood up there," Jordan says. "So me and my brothers were raised with that and I was infatuated with it from a young age. I played from the time I could hold a ball up until I was about 16. My dad’s also a pastor and sang a little bit – he'd lead a special song one Sunday a month. He tells a story about me being three or four singing along with the radio and he turned to my mom and said, 'He's on key!'”

Speaking of keys, it’s his dad that Jordan credits as being key to shaping his musical influences. “My dad was a huge Country music fan – Kenny Rogers, Alan Jackson, Travis Tritt, John Michael Montgomery, Tracy Lawrence. All the guys from that ‘90s era have always been big influences for me as well.”

Jordan picked up the guitar at 15, aided by a deal with his father. "If he saw me with the guitar in my hands every day when he came home from work, I didn't have to do any chores that summer. I was like, 'Deal!' Of course, I had no idea how hard it would be to learn. I'm completely self-taught. Watched a few YouTube videos and from there it was simply trial and error. I started writing songs about the same time and they were god-awful." Jordan’s first gig was a county fair where he played four of his favorite covers for a crowd of 50. “When I got offstage I walked up to my mom and said, 'That was fun. I want to do that forever.'"

Easier said than done as a high school student, but Jordan’s competitive drive found a way – with a little help from his family. "Most places you had to be 18 to even get in," Jordan says. "My mom would call to talk the manager into it. She'd walk me in, sit in the front row and walk me out. It was, 'Don't touch anything. Don't talk to anyone. Don't take anything from anyone. Just play and slip out.'"

Barry Williams, Jason Aldean's father, came on board at this time. "We met through a mutual friend from playing county fairs," Jordan says. "He booked shows, set up meetings and got songwriting appointments when I was about 17 or 18. That was my first connection to Nashville.”

In 2013, after years of playing the club scene, frat parties and college bars - while also traveling to Nashville for a week each month to write - Jordan received a call from Jeremy Stover, producer for Justin Moore and Craig Campbell, among others. The #1 charting producer was looking for an acoustic opener for Justin Moore’s Off the Beaten Path Tour and thought Jordan was the perfect fit.

Jumping onto a fast-moving national tour was a prodigious leap. The young artist held his own, playing acoustically between seasoned veterans and #1 hit makers Randy Houser and Moore. It also proved to be an invaluable education. "The biggest thing I learned offstage was how to treat people. Justin and his crew were always patient when stuff didn’t go right. Onstage, I learned how to interact with a crowd. For the first month of that tour, I’d play my set, run all my stuff back to the bus, then sit front-of-house for Justin’s whole show. I would just watch and learn everything I could. What does he do during different songs? How does he talk to the crowd? What does he do if something goes wrong? It was really great to see that at a young age. I learned so much about how to carry yourself on and off stage.”

Rager spent fall of 2013 through the first half of 2014 on the tour. He signed a joint management deal with Barry Williams and Peter Hartung (Justin Moore/ Dustin Lynch) and signed with Broken Bow Records the following September. Shortly after landing his record deal, he went back on tour with Justin Moore – this time with a full band.

On stage, Jordan’s competitive drive, instilled in him at such a young age, immediately shines through. There are moments at the plate where one must stand and deliver – and Jordan, unflinchingly, does. "When I go to a show, I want to be entertained just like everybody else. So when it's me onstage, I try to give the crowd what I would want to see. When the groove is going, the band is rocking and I'm rocking, then the crowd starts giving it back - that's as good as it gets."

Dirt in My Veins
Jordan Rager Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Still got a little hey y'all in my voice
Got a little red dirt in my veins
Got a little like to make some noise
And some good ole boys that like the same
I'm a washed in the blood
Wheels in the mud
Man that's how I was raised
Got a little hey y'all in my voice
Got a little red dirt in my veins

She's a girl from the city
She's Hollywood pretty
Lookin' for a change of pace
Yeah she likes the way I slow it down
I can turn her head around
Just by saying her name

Cause I got a little hey y'all in my voice
Got a little red dirt in my veins
Got a little like to make some noise
And some good ole boys that like the same
I'm a washed in the blood
Wheels in the mud
Man that's how I was raised
Got a little hey y'all in my voice
Got a little red dirt in my veins yeah

Got a little hey y'all in my voice
A little red dirt in my veins
Got a little like to make some noise
And if I had a choice I wouldn't change
I'm a washed in the blood
Wheels in the mud
Man that's how I was raised
Got a little hey y'all in my voice
Got a little red dirt in my veins

Got a little hey y'all in my voice
Got a little red dirt in my veins

Overall Meaning

The song "Dirt in My Veins" by Jordan Rager expresses the pride the singer has for his roots in a small town with its typical country lifestyle, where everyone knows each other and every road is a two-lane. The singer proclaims his love and gratitude towards his hometown and how the values, traditions, and lifestyle there have got him to where he is today. He claims that even though he has left his hometown, it still remains an integral part of his identity, and he carries the spirit, culture, and pride of that place in his veins wherever he goes.

The chorus of the song emphasizes the pride and love the singer has for everything that the small town has instilled in him- the red dirt in his veins, the desire to make some noise, the bliss of being a part of a community of good ole boys, and the religious background that has washed him in the blood of Christ. Jordan is proud of his redneck heritage and the country drawl that he still has in his voice and believes that it sets him apart from city folk. At the same time, he appreciates the city girl in his life who loves him for who he is, despite being different from her. Overall, "Dirt in My Veins" celebrates the artist's small-town roots, and his love and pride for the values and spirit of that place.

Line by Line Meaning

I'm from one of those towns They like to sing about In some of them country songs Where every road's a two-lane Everybody knows your name And you're damn proud to call it home No matter how long I been gone
I come from a small town that is often the subject of country songs. It's a place where every road is narrow, everyone knows each other, and we have a strong sense of pride in our hometown, even if we haven't lived there for some time.

She's a girl from the city She's Hollywood pretty Lookin' for a change of pace Yeah she likes the way I slow it down I can turn her head around Just by saying her name
I met a girl from the city who was tired of the fast-paced lifestyle and was looking for something different. She finds my laid-back approach to life attractive and has been taken with me just by hearing my voice.

Cause I got a little hey y'all in my voice Got a little red dirt in my veins Got a little like to make some noise And some good ole boys that like the same I'm a washed in the blood Wheels in the mud Man that's how I was raised Got a little hey y'all in my voice Got a little red dirt in my veins yeah
I am who I am because of where I come from. I have a country charm and enjoy activities like getting dirty and having fun with my buddies. These qualities are a result of the way I was brought up and are still an integral part of who I am today.

Got a little hey y'all in my voice A little red dirt in my veins Got a little like to make some noise And if I had a choice I wouldn't change I'm a washed in the blood Wheels in the mud Man that's how I was raised Got a little hey y'all in my voice Got a little red dirt in my veins Got a little hey y'all in my voice Got a little red dirt in my veins
In case I haven't made it clear, I really can't emphasize enough how much my hometown and upbringing have shaped who I am. I embrace my country roots and wouldn't change them for anything.

Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: CHRIS STEVENS, JORDAN RAGER, TIM NICHOLS

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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