Shooter Jennings lived his first few years in a crib on his parents' tour bus. By age five, he was playing drums. Between tours, he took piano lessons. He started playing guitar at fourteen and sometimes played in his father's band. He and his father recorded a few things together when they happened to have some microphones set up and the tape recorder plugged in. At age sixteen, Jennings discovered rock 'n' roll.
As an adult, Jennings left Nashville, Tennessee to seek his fortunes in Los Angeles. He assembled and performed with Stargunn, a southern rock band whose sound he described as Lynyrd Skynyrd mutating into Guns N' Roses. Stargunn performed at local clubs for six years, built a rabid following and earned praise from the local music press. But the Hollywood party scene eventually began to bother him. He says, "I was posing as a rocker—a country guy trying to be something he wasn't."
On March 30, 2003, Jennings dissolved Stargunn and moved to New York City to spend time with his girlfriend and sort out what he wanted to do next. An unexpected gig at the House of Blues a few weeks later revived his creativity. He returned to Los Angeles to form another band, the 357s. After six weeks in the studio, he completed his first solo album, Put the O Back in Country. Universal South released the album in early 2005.
Jennings portrayed his father in the Johnny Cash biopic, Walk the Line. He is the host of Shooter Jennings' Electric Rodeo, a two-hour weekly music show on Sirius Satellite Radio's Outlaw Country channel. He currently dates Drea de Matteo. Shooter Jennings' second solo album "Electric Rodeo" was released on April 04, 2006.
Manifesto No. 2
Shooter Jennings Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
If I get too drunk tonight, Jesus gonna drive me home
If I get too drunk tonight, Jesus gonna drive me home
Drive me home, drive me home, drive me home
If I get locked up tonight, Jesus gonna go my bail
If I get locked up tonight, Jesus gonna go my bail
If I get locked up tonight, Jesus gonna go my bail
When I go through hell tonight, Jesus gonna ride shotgun
When I'm closin' on a state line, Jesus gonna ride shotgun
Caught my woman with another guy so I had to shoot her with a shotgun
Jesus, come and get me my good Lord
If I get too drunk tonight, Jesus gonna drive me home
Oh, if I get too drunk tonight, Jesus gonna drive me home
If I get too drunk tonight, Jesus gonna drive me home
Drive me home, drive me home, drive me home, drive me home
The lyrics to Shooter Jennings's song Manifesto No. 2 speak about the singer's reliance on religion, specifically on Jesus, in times of trouble. The first verse, repeated three times, suggests that if the singer gets too drunk, he knows that Jesus will still guide him safely home. The second verse, also repeated three times, speaks about the singer getting locked up, but being confident that Jesus will bail him out.
The third verse, however, takes a slightly darker turn. The singer reveals that he caught his woman cheating on him and shot her with a shotgun, but still calls upon Jesus to come and save him. It is unclear whether the singer is actually confessing to murder or if it is a metaphorical representation of a broken relationship. Regardless, the use of Jesus as a savior figure in all three scenarios shows the singer's unwavering faith in a higher power.
Overall, the song Manifesto No. 2 has a theme of salvation through faith. It portrays the singer's belief that, no matter what he does and how low he falls, Jesus will always be there to pick him back up.
Line by Line Meaning
If I get too drunk tonight, Jesus gonna drive me home
If I drink too much alcohol tonight, I believe that Jesus will safely drive me home.
Drive me home, drive me home, drive me home
I am asking Jesus to take me home in his vehicle.
If I get locked up tonight, Jesus gonna go my bail
If I get arrested tonight, I trust that Jesus will bail me out of jail.
Go my bail, go my bail, go my bail
I am pleading with Jesus to pay for my bail and release me from jail.
When I go through hell tonight, Jesus gonna ride shotgun
If I experience a terrible situation tonight, I believe that Jesus will support me and help me through it.
When I'm closin' on a state line, Jesus gonna ride shotgun
As I approach the boundary line of a state, I am confident that Jesus will provide me with guidance and protection.
Caught my woman with another guy so I had to shoot her with a shotgun
I discovered my partner cheating on me, and my anger led me to violently shoot them with a shotgun.
Jesus, come and get me my good Lord
I am calling out to Jesus and asking him to rescue me.
Contributed by Julian N. Suggest a correction in the comments below.