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.
Southern Comfort
Shooter Jennings Lyrics
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Well, I came to Cali on a highway from Nashville
It's all a gamble for the fortune and fame
My education came from reading the road signs
Just another fool who got lost in the game
And I'm going back again
That's carryin' me home
Oh, southern comfort
Don't leave me low
Oh, southern comfort
Keeps calling me home
Yeah
And all these actors, man, they're living in castles
And with the earthquakes they'll sink in the sea
Who makes a living off of heartbreaks and hassles?
And scientologists make no sense to me
So I'm going back again
Cause it's blowing like the wind
That's carryin' me home
Oh, southern comfort
Don't leave me low
Oh, southern comfort
Keeps calling me home
Oh, southern comfort
Don't leave me low
Oh, southern comfort
Keeps calling me home
Oh, southern comfort
Don't leave me low
Oh, southern comfort
Keeps calling me home
Oh, southern comfort
Don't leave me low
Oh, southern comfort
Keeps calling me home
Oh, southern comfort
Don't leave me low
Oh, southern comfort
Keeps calling me home
C'mon take me home
The lyrics to Shooter Jennings's song Southern Comfort tell the story of a country artist who left Tennessee for California in search of fortune and fame, but found himself lost in the game. He reflects on the education he received from reading the road signs, and how the Hollywood lifestyle is not what he expected. He laments on the fact that actors are living in castles, but the earthquakes threaten to sink them into the sea. He questions the validity of scientologists, and ultimately decides to return home, as the wind is blowing and it's carrying him back. He begs for southern comfort not to leave him low and keep calling him home.
The song shines a light on the struggles and disillusionment many artists face when pursuing their dreams in Hollywood. The singer, a country singer himself, is critical of the Hollywood lifestyle and the emptiness associated with it. He values the simpler life of the south, and the comfort it brings him. The song's theme is reminiscent of other country songs that pride themselves on the authenticity of southern living, where values such as family and home are celebrated.
Line by Line Meaning
Take me home
I want to go back to my roots in the south
Well, I came to Cali on a highway from Nashville
I left my southern home to pursue fame in Hollywood
It's all a gamble for the fortune and fame
I knew that trying to make it in entertainment is a risky business
My education came from reading the road signs
I learned from my experiences on the road more than in a classroom
Just another fool who got lost in the game
I was just another naive person who got caught up in the Hollywood scene
And I'm going back again
I am planning to return to the south
Cause it's blowing in the wind
I feel a strong pull to return home
That's carryin' me home
I feel as though the wind is pushing me back to my roots
Oh, southern comfort
I am comforted by the thought of being back in the south
Don't leave me low
I don't want to feel sad or disconnected from my home still
Keeps calling me home
I feel a constant pull to come back to the south
And all these actors, man, they're living in castles
I see the extravagance of Hollywood life and it contrasts with what I know and love in the south
And with the earthquakes they'll sink in the sea
I worry about the natural disasters that come with living in California
Who makes a living off of heartbreaks and hassles?
I question the values of the entertainment industry and how it profits from others' pain and hardships
And scientologists make no sense to me
I have trouble understanding the beliefs and practices of Scientology
C'mon take me home
I want to go back to my southern roots
Lyrics © HIPGNOSIS SONGS GROUP, BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC, Spirit Music Group
Written by: LEROY POWELL, TED KAMP, WAYLON ALBRIGHT JENNINGS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind