Green began his musical career when he was 18 and in college at Texas Tech in Lubbock. "I started playing guitar to pick up the chicks," Green laughs. "Before that, I only sang in the shower. I could mimic other people's voices. It took me a long time to find my own voice, but once I did, I became very comfortable with it. It's not real pretty but it's believable."
During those college years, Green started playing clubs and opening shows for other artists. In 1995, he put out his first independent record.
"I don't know exactly where it began, if it was Willie Nelson's picnic or one of Jerry Jeff's shows, but I got asked to play and there was a huge crowd there," Green says. "After that show, we started getting some radio support. All of a sudden, everything started happening at once. We were selling a ton of records. We were able sell out Billy Bob's. In Dallas-Fort Worth, we were selling 4, 5, 6000 seats. In Houston and everywhere else, it started being 1000, 2000 seats. It just started steamrolling. I think it was a combination of the popularity of Robert Earl Keen, Jerry Jeff Walker and Willie Nelson leading the forefront for us little guys. We just all fell in line behind them."
The result of that faith was Green's 2001 major-label debut, Three Days, on Republic/Universal. The album Wave On Wave followed in 2003, and debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard country albums chart, and the title track cracked the Top 5 on the singles chart. He released Lucky Ones in 2004. In 2006, after a move to the RCA imprint BNA, he issued Cannonball.
Barricades
Pat Green Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And ask myself a question
Why is I do what I do
Am I looking for some happy definition?
Life, and love and the corners of the truth
Or am I just some curious bystander
Looking at the world through a child's eyes
Sunlight, always shining on my shoulder
And it seems so hard
To keep it all together
When the walls are fallin' down
On every side
I'll be damned
If I give up on you easy
I've worked too hard
To put the barricades aside
This world is a stage
We're meant to play on
Direction from inside
On what to do
I don't know how I could have all the answers
When inside I don't have a clue
And it seems so hard
To keep it all together
When the walls are fallin' down
On every side
I'll be damned
If I give up on you easy
I've worked too hard
To put the barricades aside
Tell me something
And I'll be okay
Told myself I'd be alright
No doubt
So when do I know
When I've been lyin'?
I can't believe it took 30 years
To figure that shit out
And it seems so hard
To keep it all together
When the walls are fallin' down
On every side
I'll be damned
If I give up on you easy
I've worked too hard
To put the barricades aside
In Pat Green's song "Barricades", the singer is introspective and reflective as they ask themselves questions about the world and their place in it. They begin by questioning why they do what they do and if they are truly seeking a happy definition in life, love, and truth. They wonder if they are simply a curious bystander, observing the world through a child's eyes. Despite the difficulties and storm raging inside them, the sun still shines on their shoulders.
The singer recognizes that it is hard to keep it all together when faced with walls falling down on every side. However, they are determined to not give up easily, having worked too hard to break down the barricades they have put up. The world is presented as a stage, but the singer admits that they do not have all the answers and are struggling to find direction from within. They question themselves about when they are lying to themselves and admit that it took them 30 years to figure things out.
Line by Line Meaning
Close my eyes
He is trying to focus and figure out his purpose in life
And ask myself a question
He is questioning himself about the choices he has made in his life
Why is I do what I do
He is questioning the reasoning behind his actions
Am I looking for some happy definition?
He is wondering if he is trying to find happiness in life through his actions
Life, and love and the corners of the truth
He is looking for meaning in life, love and the truth
Or am I just some curious bystander
He is questioning whether he is just an onlooker in life
Looking at the world through a child's eyes
He is trying to view the world from a different, more innocent perspective
Sunlight, always shining on my shoulder
He is referring to the bright side of life, which is always present through every darkness
While the storm rages on deep inside
He is dealing with inner turmoil, despite the outward appearance of calmness
And it seems so hard
He is struggling with challenges
To keep it all together
He is finding it hard to hold on to everything that matters
When the walls are fallin' down
He is going through a difficult time, facing many obstacles
On every side
He is surrounded by problems
I'll be damned
He doesn't want to give up
If I give up on you easy
He doesn't want to give up on what matters to him easily
I've worked too hard
He has put in too much effort
To put the barricades aside
He has put in too much effort to break down the obstacles standing in his way
This world is a stage
He views the world as a performance
We're meant to play on
He believes we must keep going and playing our part in life
Direction from inside
He believes we should follow our own instincts and values
On what to do
He is unsure about what choices to make
I don't know how I could have all the answers
He realizes he doesn't have all the answers and may never have them
When inside I don't have a clue
He is confused and doesn't know his direction in life
Tell me something
He is looking for someone to provide him with guidance or advice
And I'll be okay
He just needs a little direction to guide him
Told myself I'd be alright
He had convinced himself that everything will be okay
No doubt
He is certain about this belief
So when do I know
He is questioning when he will find out if everything will really be okay
When I've been lyin'?
He wonders if he has been lying to himself about everything being okay
I can't believe it took 30 years
He is amazed that it took so long for him to realize something
To figure that shit out
He finally figured something out after many years
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: JUSTIN POLLARD, PAT GREEN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind