Signed to DreamWorks Records Nashville in 1998, Keith released his breakthrough single "How Do You Like Me Now?!" in late 1999. This song, the title track to his 1999 album of the same name, was the #1 country song of 2000, and one of several chart-toppers during his tenure on DreamWorks Nashville. His next three albums, Pull My Chain, Unleashed, and Shock'n Y'all, produced three more #1's each, and all of the albums were certified 4× Platinum. A second Greatest Hits package followed in 2004, and after that, he released Honkytonk University.
When DreamWorks closed in 2005, Keith founded the label Show Dog Nashville, which merged with Universal South Records to become Show Dog-Universal Music in December 2009. He has released ten studio albums through Show Dog/Show Dog-Universal: 2006's White Trash with Money, 2007's Big Dog Daddy, 2008's That Don't Make Me a Bad Guy, 2009's American Ride, 2010's Bullets in the Gun, 2011's Clancy's Tavern, 2012's Hope on the Rocks, 2013's Drinks After Work, 2015's 35 MPH Town, 2017's The Bus Songs, and 2021's Peso in My Pocket, as well as the compilation 35 Biggest Hits in 2008. Keith also made his acting debut in 2006, starring in the film Broken Bridges, and co-starred with comedian Rodney Carrington in the 2008 film Beer for My Horses, inspired by his song of the same name. On February 5th, 2024, Toby passed away from a 3 year battle with Stomach Cancer.
Where You Gonna Go
Toby Keith Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
As the fireworks popped in the summer sky
With a spark in her eye
She just sat there and stared
As his face lit up to the rockets red glare
By September she'd asked him for a wedding band
How could she know he was a ramblin' man
And a sleepy voice whispered as he turned out the light
She said...
Where you gonna go
What ya gonna do when you get there
Who you gonna call
When your road runs out at the sea
Boy, you're never gonna find someone who loves you like I do
If you get tired of runnin'
You can turn around and walk back to me
He called her up to say he missed her a lot
Texas panhandle was as far as he got
He'd run out of money
He'd run out of luck
He'd run out of gas in his pickup truck
Hitch a ride, catch a train or a Greyhound bus
'Cause there's a baby on the way and that makes three of us
And I need you here beside me, I can't go it alone
She told him one more time, and then she hung up the phone
Saying...
Where you gonna go
What ya gonna do when you get there
Who you gonna call
When your road runs out at the sea
You know you're never gonna find someone who loves you like I do
When you get tired of runnin'
You can turn around and walk back to me
The years just seemed to roll on by them
She missed him more and more every day
That boy grew up to look and act just like him
And she knew someday soon he'd be old enough to fly away
She'd say
Baby, where you gonna go
What you gonna do when you get there
Who you gonna call
When your road runs out at the sea
You know you're never gonna find someone who loves you like I do
When you get tired of runnin'
You can turn around and walk back to me
If you ever get tired of runnin'
Turn around and walk back to me
The song "Where You Gonna Go" by Toby Keith is a heart-wrenching ballad about a woman named June who falls in love with a man named Johnny on the 4th of July. The two quickly become smitten with each other, but little does June know that Johnny is a ramblin' man. By September, June asks Johnny for a wedding band, but before long, Johnny leaves in the middle of the night, leaving June behind. She questions where he's going to go and what he's going to do when he gets there, and tells him to come back to her if he ever gets tired of running.
The song follows the two throughout the years. Johnny calls June to tell her he misses her, but is in Texas with no money, luck, or gas in his pickup truck. June tells him she's pregnant and needs him there, but he leaves her once again. As time goes on, June begins to miss Johnny more and more. Their son grows up to look and act just like his father, and June fears he'll leave her too. She tells him the same thing she told his father: come back to me when you're tired of running.
The lyrics of the song are powerful and emotional, speaking to the pain of unrequited love and the longing for someone you can't have. The repeated question of "where you gonna go" adds to the feeling of desperation and uncertainty. The song is a beautiful representation of the struggles of relationships and the difficulty of letting go.
Line by Line Meaning
June fell for Johnny on the 4th of July
In the summertime, June fell in love with a man named Johnny
As the fireworks popped in the summer sky
They watched fireworks together in the summer sky
With a spark in her eye
June was filled with excitement and passion for Johnny
She just sat there and stared
She was mesmerized by Johnny and couldn't take her eyes off him
As his face lit up to the rockets red glare
Johnny was also filled with excitement and passion as he watched the fireworks
By September she'd asked him for a wedding band
A few months later in September, June asked Johnny to marry her
How could she know he was a ramblin' man
Unfortunately, June didn't know that Johnny had a tendency to wander and couldn't settle down
He walked out the door in the dead of the night
One night, Johnny left without warning in the middle of the night
And a sleepy voice whispered as he turned out the light
As he left, Johnny whispered goodbye to June who was half-asleep
Where you gonna go
June wonders where Johnny will go now that he's left
What ya gonna do when you get there
She questions what he will do when he gets to his destination
Who you gonna call
June wonders who Johnny will turn to for help on his journey
When your road runs out at the sea
When Johnny reaches the end of the road, where will he go?
Boy, you're never gonna find someone who loves you like I do
June loves Johnny more than anyone else ever will
If you get tired of runnin'
June knows that Johnny can never stay in one place for too long
You can turn around and walk back to me
If Johnny ever tires of running, June will be waiting for him
He called her up to say he missed her a lot
Johnny called June to tell her he missed her
Texas panhandle was as far as he got
Johnny didn't make it very far, only to the Texas panhandle
He'd run out of money
Johnny didn't have enough money to keep going
He'd run out of luck
Johnny was having bad luck on his journey
He'd run out of gas in his pickup truck
Johnny's pickup truck ran out of gas
Hitch a ride, catch a train or a Greyhound bus
Johnny needs to find a new way to continue his journey
'Cause there's a baby on the way and that makes three of us
June is pregnant with Johnny's child, so there are three people to consider now
And I need you here beside me, I can't go it alone
June can't raise a child alone, she needs Johnny to come back to her
She told him one more time, and then she hung up the phone
June urges Johnny to come back once more before hanging up the phone
The years just seemed to roll on by them
Years pass quickly while Johnny is away
She missed him more and more every day
June continues to miss Johnny even after all the years that have passed
That boy grew up to look and act just like him
Their child grows up to resemble Johnny in both looks and personality
And she knew someday soon he'd be old enough to fly away
Their child will soon be old enough to leave the nest and explore the world
Baby, where you gonna go
June asks her child where he will go when he leaves home
What you gonna do when you get there
She wonders what her child will do once he leaves
Who you gonna call
June wants to know who her child will turn to when he needs help
When your road runs out at the sea
When her child reaches the end of the road, what will he do?
You know you're never gonna find someone who loves you like I do
June loves her child more than anyone else ever will
If you ever get tired of runnin'
June knows that her child may also have wanderlust like Johnny
Turn around and walk back to me
If her child ever tires of running, June will be waiting for him
Lyrics © Tokeco Tunes, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Scott Emerick, Toby Keith
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind