<… Read Full Bio ↴Tracy Lawrence (born 27 January 1968) is an American country musician.
Tracy Lawrence was born in Atlanta, Texas, and raised in Foreman, Ark., Lawrence played in his first band at the age of 16. He attended Southern Arkansas University in Magnolia, where he was a member of Sigma Pi Fraternity. In 1990 Lawrence left Arkansas and went to Nashville.
Lawrence took jobs as an ironworker and in phone sales while he tried to break into the Nashville music scene. He began participating in talent shows and earned enough money to live on. In 1991 he had a gig at the Bluebird Cafe and met Wayne Edwards who became his manager.
With Edwards assistance Lawrence signed with Atlantic Records and released his first album "Sticks and Stones." On 31 May 1991 Lawrence walked his former girlfriend to the door of her hotel room and was confronted by three armed men. The men robbed them and attempted to force Lawrence and his friend into her motel room. Lawrence resisted and was shot four times, allowing his friend to escape. Two of the wounds were major and necessitated surgery. One of the bullets remains imbedded in Lawrence's pelvis.
Lawrence's album shot up the charts to number one on the back of publicity from the shooting and spawned several Top 10 singles. Lawrence's second album Alibis went Platinum and generated three straight Number One singles.
Lawrence was Billboard's Top New Male Vocalist in 1992 and received the Academy of Country Music's Best New Artist and Top New Male Vocalist in 1993.
In 1994 Lawrence released his third album, I See It Now was also a Platinum album. Lawrence released a Live album in 1995 and another studio album entitled Time Marches On in 1996. In 1997 Lawrence released another album entitled Coast is Clear which he co-produced. All told, Lawrence generated 7 Number One singles by this time and every one of his albums at this point in his career had gone Platinum.
In 2005, he released the album "Then & Now: The Hits Collection" that had him singing new vocals on the majority of his hit songs, as well as two new songs, "Used to the Pain" and "If I Don't Make it Back." both of which charted on the Billboard Country Charts. The new recordings sounded very similar to the previous ones, although on some tracks, such as "I See It Now" and "If The World Had a Front Porch" Lawrence's maturity may have improved the vocals, giving them a little more depth. The main reason for re-recording the songs instead of just making a run of the mill greatest hits collection was that Lawrence had switched record labels and Universal Music Group, who he currently records for, does not hold the rights to the old recordings. The new album was very well received and is leaving fans wanting even more out of the unique country star.
In 2006, Lawrence launched Rocky Comfort Records (RCR), a partnership with his manager Laney Lawrence. The label will operate as a joint venture with CO5 Nashville (a division of CO5 Music). His new single "Find Out Who Your Friends Are,” will be released to radio August 21, 2006 with his first studio album on the RCR/CO5 Nashville imprint scheduled for release in early 2007.
Lawrence is known to have a wide range with sounds ranging from neotraditional country to songs with a definite southern rock feel.
Lawrence has visited US troops involved in peacekeeping operations in Kosovo and annually participates in a golf tournament to raise funds for cystic fibrosis research. Lawrence has also purchased equipment for his hometown high school in Arkansas.
Lawrence has been inducted into the Arkansas Entertainers Hall of Fame.
Dancin
Tracy Lawrence Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The wind at his back
He longed to remember
Somethings in our past
We're both over 30, but still seventeen
Just trying to hold on to some old high school dream
[Chorus]
Lots of miles in between
There've been barrooms,and bedrooms
And lots of nights with Jim Beam
Been tequila sunrises, times which I wish I'd never seen
But it's hard to act 30 when your dancin' to sweet 17
Now there's 2 wives and 6 kids
And miles in between us
And no time for us anymore
Oh the wild nights and barfights
And ditches and blue lights
Are a million dark nights from before
[Chorus]
No it's hard to act 30 when your dancing to sweet 17
Tracy Lawrence's song "Dancin" is a nostalgic and reflective ballad that speaks to the long-lasting impact of our youth and experience. The song is essentially about an old friend whom the singer grew up with during their teenage years. They may have gone their separate ways as adults with careers, marriages, and children. Still, the bond of their shared past keeps them connected, and they both miss the simpler and more carefree days of their youth.
The opening lines of this song provide us with a picturesque image of the environment where the singer of the story grew up. The sunset and the wind at his back signify a place that is free from any kind of worries or tensions. He longs to remember somethings in the past, which indicates that he has got a lot of memories from his childhood, which he cherishes. While he is now over 30 years old and has had lots of experiences and grown up responsibilities, he still feels like a 17-year-old boy holding on to little high school dreams.
The chorus highlights the various phases of his life after he grew up. There were women and lovers, barrooms and bedrooms, lots of nights with Jim Beam, and tequila sunrise, along with some moments he wishes he had never seen. This shows how life can change after growing up and how experience somehow changes who we are. But the essence of the song is captured in the line, "It’s hard to act 30 when you're dancin’ to sweet 17," highlighting that no matter what changes have come about, we will always hold on to some parts of our youth.
In conclusion, Tracy Lawrence's "Dancin" is a song that encourages us to cherish the moments of our youth, even as time passes and life changes. It reminds us that there are some parts of ourselves, buried deep within us, that we carry with us into the future.
Line by Line Meaning
He grew up in the sunset
He was raised in a town that offered picturesque scenery of sunsets.
The wind at his back
He felt the breeze of the wind behind him as he grew up.
He longed to remember
The memories of his upbringing were something he cherished and wanted to recall.
Somethings in our past
There were moments back then, which still lingers in him and around him.
We're both over 30, but still seventeen
Despite their age, they still possess a young heart and nostalgia of highschool.
Just trying to hold on to some old high school dream
They are holding onto their dream of the past and not giving up on it.
Well there've been women and lovers
He's had his fair share of romantic partners and relationships.
Lots of miles in between
He's travelled and been far away from his past and present life.
There've been barrooms,and bedrooms
He's spent some time in bars and places of accommodation such as bedrooms.
And lots of nights with Jim Beam
He's had numerous nights of binging with an alcoholic beverage brand Jim Beam.
Been tequila sunrises, times which I wish I'd never seen
He has experienced bad and embarrassing moments of having tequila at sunrise.
But it's hard to act 30 when your dancin' to sweet 17
He finds it hard to act his age when he's reliving and enjoying his young moments.
Now there's 2 wives and 6 kids
He is now married for the second time and has six children in total.
And miles in between us
He and his friend have since parted and now live far from each other.
And no time for us anymore
They no longer have time for each other as they are both busy with their lives.
Oh the wild nights and barfights
There were chaotic and violent times at bars and parties.
And ditches and blue lights
They got into accidents that landed them in the ditch with police lights flashing behind.
Are a million dark nights from before
Their past experiences have since become just memories that mostly involve regrettable events.
Lyrics © Royalty Network, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: KENNETH GAMBLE, KENNY GAMBLE, LINDA CREED, LINDA DIANE CREED, THOM BELL, THOMAS RANDOLPH BELL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind