Southern Man
Murray Grindlay Lyrics


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Some of the boys,
Have got it into their heads,
About moving up North,
To follow the bread,
But that ain't for me,
That kind of thing just don't rate,
This is one Southern boy,
Who ain't crossin' the Strait.

Now we might not be rich,
But when you come from down here,
You know we got the best girls,
And the best damn beer,
So you can keep your Queen City,
With your cocktails and cool,
Give me a beer in a seven,
With the boys shooting pool.

I'm a Southern Man
Well I'm Southern bred
I got the South in my blood
And I'll be here till I'm damn well dead

'Cos down here we know
What makes a Southern boy tick
And it ain't margueritas
With some fruit on a stick
Well it might not be fancy
But when you come from down here
You know you got the best girl
And you got the best beer.

I'm a Southern Man
Well I'm Southern bred




I got the South in my blood
And I'll be here till I'm damn well dead.

Overall Meaning

In Murray Grindlay's song Southern Man, the lyrics celebrate the southern part of New Zealand and reject the idea of moving up north to follow the money. The song focuses on the singer's identity as a proud "Southern Man" who values the simple things in life, like good beer and good company, over the glitz and glamour of the city. He asserts that being from the south is a part of his identity, and something that he will always carry with him, even if he were to leave.


The lyrics convey a sense of pride and loyalty to the southern way of life, and reject the idea that success should be defined by material possessions or social status. The phrase "This is one Southern boy, who ain't crossin' the Strait" serves as a defiant declaration of the singer's commitment to his roots. Additionally, the lyrics express a sense of camaraderie among fellow southerners, referencing the "boys shooting pool" and the shared experience of growing up in the south.


Line by Line Meaning

Some of the boys, Have got it into their heads, About moving up North, To follow the bread, But that ain't for me, That kind of thing just don't rate, This is one Southern boy, Who ain't crossin' the Strait.
Some of my fellow southerners have considered moving to the North Island in search of more money, but personally I have no interest in that lifestyle. I'm a true Southern boy, and that's where my heart is.


Now we might not be rich, But when you come from down here, You know we got the best girls, And the best damn beer, So you can keep your Queen City, With your cocktails and cool, Give me a beer in a seven, With the boys shooting pool.
We may not have a lot of money, but down here in the South we have the best of the things that truly matter: the most beautiful women and the best beer. I'd much rather have a simple beer with my friends than sip fancy cocktails in Auckland.


I'm a Southern Man Well I'm Southern bred I got the South in my blood And I'll be here till I'm damn well dead
I'm a proud Southern man, born and raised in this beautiful part of the country. I'll always consider myself a Southerner, no matter where life takes me.


'Cos down here we know What makes a Southern boy tick And it ain't margueritas With some fruit on a stick Well it might not be fancy But when you come from down here You know you got the best girl And you got the best beer.
We know what really matters in life down here in the South, and it's not fancy drinks served with fruit on a stick. We may not have fancy things, but we know we have the best beer and the best women around.


I'm a Southern Man Well I'm Southern bred I got the South in my blood And I'll be here till I'm damn well dead.
No matter where life takes me, I'll always be a proud Southern man. This land is a part of me, and I'll never leave it for good.




Contributed by Sarah I. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
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Comments from YouTube:

@trickyjw

Wish this was on Spotify. Legend song

@bcbomber69er

@@sylvainiac what did you search, because nothing like this with southern man search

@bcbomber69er

@@sylvainiac yeah..nah. doesn't work, not there

@StealthFB22

It use to be on Spotify 😔

@michaelristnz

It’s on there now, he released it this year. Search “Denis Henderson”.

@StealthFB22

@@michaelristnz 😍

1 More Replies...

@StealthFB22

We really need to start singing this as a crowd at the Landers games! I remember at the house of pain as a kid, all the scarfies would sing this! Such a great song!

@AverageSouthernMan

R.I.P Carisbrook

@jennablack1371

One of my grandads funeral songs . Listen to this everyday. he was a SOUTHERN MAN xxx miss you JOHN BLACK xox

@nzpatriot2009

Long live the mainland! Thank god we're surrounded by water! :)

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