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.
The Gunslinger
Shooter Jennings Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
May look kind of strange, kind of rough all around
You don't know what I've been through
But you'd better not stare better watch your mouth boy
Don't be fool! No need to be scared,
But you need to be aware you think you own this town,
I don't care.
At..they bear, I'm just looking for some brothers
But don't call an outlaw no,
I'm a motherfucking gunslinger
You wanna run your mouth all day long
You'd better keep your eye
On my motherfucking trigger finger
Do you feel me punk?
Do you feel me punk?
Do you feel me punk?
Do you feel me punk?
Do you feel me punk?
Some people think they know me
Think they can predict me,
Think they gotta dis me,
When I'm not around and when I come darking in the door,
They get weak in the knees and crumble like a castle to the ground
'Cause they know I ain't taking no shit
I got a woman who left me,
White with a heart of cold stone
When they see black in my eyes,
They see a man so deep in the red that it chills them to the bone.
But don't call me an outlaw no,
I'm a motherfucking gunslinger
You wanna run your mouth all day long
You'd better keep your eye
On my motherfucking trigger finger
Do you feel me punk?
Do you feel me punk?
Do you feel me punk?
Do you feel me punk?
I'm just cold as the day as long
And I'm lost and lost so song
So you best just move alone
Gonna like to feel alone.
Oh, don't call me an outlaw
I'm a motherfucking gunslinger
You wanna run your mouth all day long
You'd better keep your eye
On my motherfucking trigger finger
Do you feel me punk?
Do you feel me punk?
Do you feel me punk?
Do you feel me punk?
Do you feel me punk?
I'm just cold as the day as long
And I'm lost and lost so song
So you best just move alone
Gonna like to feel alone.
The Gunslinger is a song that communicates an individual’s outlook on life with a comparison to a gunfighter. The song begins with the singer, who has just arrived in this town. The singer draws attention to the roughness and strange looks of the town. It is implied that the singer is a gunslinger looking for companionship, but there is a sense of warning in the tone of the singer's voice, as he warns against staring, speaking out of turn, and being a fool. The singer emphasizes his superiority by telling listeners they don't "own this town," and that he does not care about upsetting them. However, he also emphasizes his vulnerability when he mentions a woman who left him and how his eyes chill people to the bone.
The chorus of this song is a direct result of the singer's urge to assert himself, as he tells listeners not to call him an outlaw because he is a "motherfucking gunslinger." The overall tone of the song is aggressive, which is an essential feature of the whole gunslinger identity. The singer portrays himself as cold, lost and alone by proclaiming that he is "just as cold as the day is long" but communicates that he's not ashamed to be alone. He then repeats the chorus to assert his dominance once more.
Overall, The Gunslinger is about the singer's desire to own and control his life. The song's idea is not dependent on violence, although violence is part of the singer's appeal. The gunslinger identity represents someone who has taken control of their lives, and the singer uses his tone to emphasize this point.
Line by Line Meaning
Stepped off of the train in this town
I arrived in this town
May look kind of strange, kind of rough all around
The town might not look welcoming
You don't know what I've been through
You don't know my past experiences
But you'd better not stare better watch your mouth boy
Don't stare and be careful what you say
Don't be fool! No need to be scared,
Don't be foolish or afraid
But you need to be aware you think you own this town,
Be aware that you don't own this town
I don't care.
I'm indifferent to your thoughts
At..they bear, I'm just looking for some brothers
I'm searching for companions
In arms and the woman with the long dark hair.
I'm searching for a woman with long dark hair as well
But don't call an outlaw no,
I'm not an outlaw, so don't call me one
I'm a motherfucking gunslinger
I'm a skilled shooter
You wanna run your mouth all day long
You talk a lot
You'd better keep your eye
You need to pay attention
On my motherfucking trigger finger
Focus on my trigger finger
Do you feel me punk?
Do you understand me?
Some people think they know me
Some people believe they understand me
Think they can predict me,
They think they know what I'll do
Think they gotta dis me,
They think they need to disrespect me
When I'm not around and when I come darking in the door,
They act differently when I'm not present or when I arrive unexpectedly
They get weak in the knees and crumble like a castle to the ground
They are overwhelmed and lose their nerve
'Cause they know I ain't taking no shit
They know that I won't tolerate disrespect
I got a woman who left me,
I've been abandoned by a woman
White with a heart of cold stone
She was cold and heartless
When they see black in my eyes,
When they look into my eyes, they see darkness
They see a man so deep in the red that it chills them to the bone.
They see a man consumed by anger that terrifies them
I'm just cold as the day as long
I'm emotionless
And I'm lost and lost so song
I'm lost, and I'm always searching
So you best just move alone
You're better off leaving me alone
Gonna like to feel alone.
I prefer to be by myself
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
inspirational
Lyrics 🥰🥰 Stepped off of the train in this town
May look kind of strange, kind of rough all around
You don't know what I've been through
But you'd better not stare better watch your mouth boy
Don't be fool! No need to be scared,
But you need to be aware you think you own this town,
I don't care.
At..they bear, I'm just looking for some brothers
In arms and the woman with the long dark hair.
But don't call an outlaw no,
I'm a motherfucking gunslinger
You wanna run your mouth all day long
You'd better keep your eye
On my motherfucking trigger finger
Do you feel me punk?
Do you feel me punk?
Do you feel me punk?
Do you feel me punk?
Do you feel me punk?
Some people think they know me
Think they can predict me,
Think they gotta dis me,
When I'm not around and when I come darking in the door,
They get weak in the knees and crumble like a castle to the ground
'Cause they know I ain't taking no shit
I got a woman who left me,
White with a heart of cold stone
When they see black in my eyes,
They see a man so deep in the red that it chills them to the bone.
But don't call me an outlaw no,
I'm a motherfucking gunslinger
You wanna run your mouth all day long
You'd better keep your eye
On my motherfucking trigger finger
Do you feel me punk?
Do you feel me punk?
Do you feel me punk?
Do you feel me punk?
I'm just cold as the day as long
And I'm lost and lost so song
So you best just move alone
Gonna like to feel alone.
Oh, don't call me an outlaw
I'm a motherfucking gunslinger
You wanna run your mouth all day long
You'd better keep your eye
On my motherfucking trigger finger
Do you feel me punk?
Do you feel me punk?
Do you feel me punk?
Do you feel me punk?
Do you feel me punk?
I'm just cold as the day as long
And I'm lost and lost so song
So you best just move alone
Gonna like to feel alone.
Moni~
I love the allusion to the past...the truths of good vs evil...pure country roots. Nothing beats a good story! This dear folks...the journey through music is a gift in time.
Robbie Wiley
So much I want to say :(
Tammy Wrenn
you described that beautifully
Jamie McMahon
I can never get enough of this! I've lost count of the times I've watched & jammed out to this song!!
TheAngryGrandpaShow
THIS IS THE SONG HE PLAYED FOR GRANDPA!!!
XGN Famous
same
Baybora
Okey
Chazz Hall
I never heard of shooter Jennings until i seen the angry grandpa video!!
I'm so pleased I seen the video. Shooter Jennings is awesome!!!!
Aleksandar Hristov
Thanks for the agp video man. Shooter Jennings deserves more attention his music is awesome :)
scyllaandcharybdis
I'm the biggest Dark Tower fan in the world and I swear I must listen to this song about 19 times a week!