Tracy Lawrence (born 27 January 1968) is an American country musician.
<… 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.

If the Good Die Young
Tracy Lawrence Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

It was Sunday morning, I was seven years old
In the backyard playing in a big mud hole
I was all decked out, ready for church
Had my brand new suit all covered in dirt
Mama hit the ceiling; she was fit to be tied
Talkin' 'bout how she's gonna tan my hide
But Daddy was laughing when I changed my clothes
Saying, "Mama, leave the boy alone."

'Cause if the good die young
If the good die young
Mama's little boy gonna have a lot of fun
'Cause he's gonna live forever if the good die young

Ten years later had a hot rod ford
Constable clocked me at a hundred and four
Judge said, "Boy, you're gonna hurt yourself
You'd a long been dead if you were anybody else."

'Cause if the good die young
If the good die young
Oh, there ain't a sentence gonna hold you, son
'Cause he's gonna live forever if the good die young

Well, I got a good heart; I wouldn't hurt a soul
But I'm gonna keep rocking till they call that roll
Old St.Peter - he's gonna have to wait
I'm gonna go to heaven, but I might be late

'Cause if the good die young
If the good die young
Pedal to the metal, let your motor run
'Cause he's gonna live forever if the good die young

And if the good die young
If the good die young

They got the jams, we'll have some fun
'Cause I'm gonna live forever if the good die young

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Tracy Lawrence's "If the Good Die Young" take on a playful tone to address the common saying that "only the good die young". The first stanza sets the stage where the singer is a seven-year-old boy who accidentally dirties his new suit before church, earning him a scolding from his mother, but a laugh from his father. The chorus follows that "Mama's little boy gonna have a lot of fun" living carefreely because he is convinced he will live forever since only the good die young. The second stanza sees the singer ten years later behind the wheels of a Ford hot rod that is speeding over 100MPH in a 55 zone. He is arrested, and the judge warns of the potential harm he poses to himself, given how fast he drives. But as the chorus goes, he still believes he is going to live forever. In the last stanza, the singer argues he is a good-natured individual and will continue to have fun until his final days. He is confident about going to heaven but admits he might be running behind.

The "If the Good Die Young" lyrics addresses mortality from a different motif - living joyfully without restrictions. The song aims to appreciate and celebrate life by living free-spirited. The context of the first stanza shows the innocence of youth and not being overly concerned about actions and resultant consequences. The second stanza portrays the teenager feeling invincible, unafraid of the law and not taking heed of any warning. The final stanza shows us the realities of life, even as adults. We might still be tempted to make wild choices, and that could come with some delay. The main takeaway, however, is that we should make the most of every moment we spend in life without excessive worry about the end.

Line by Line Meaning

It was Sunday morning, I was seven years old
The singer was a young boy playing outside on a Sunday morning.

In the backyard playing in a big mud hole
The singer was playing in a large hole filled with mud in their backyard.

I was all decked out, ready for church
The singer was dressed in their Sunday best clothes, ready to go to church.

Had my brand new suit all covered in dirt
The artist had gotten their new suit dirty while playing in the mud hole.

Mama hit the ceiling; she was fit to be tied
The artist's mother was extremely angry and upset about the dirty suit.

Talkin' 'bout how she's gonna tan my hide
The singer's mother threatened to punish them for getting their new suit dirty.

But Daddy was laughing when I changed my clothes
The singer's father found the situation amusing and laughed when the singer changed out of their dirty clothes.

Saying, "Mama, leave the boy alone."
The artist's father told their mother to stop being angry at the artist.

'Cause if the good die young
The artist believes that good people die young.

If the good die young
The artist repeats their belief that good people die young.

Mama's little boy gonna have a lot of fun
The singer thinks that if they die young, they will have had a lot of fun in their life.

'Cause he's gonna live forever if the good die young
The artist believes that if they die young because they are good, they will live on forever.

Ten years later had a hot rod ford
Ten years after the mud hole incident, the singer had a fast car.

Constable clocked me at a hundred and four
The singer was caught by the police going over 100 mph in their car.

Judge said, "Boy, you're gonna hurt yourself
The judge warned the singer that they would hurt themselves with their reckless behavior.

You'd a long been dead if you were anybody else."
The judge believes that if the artist was anyone else, they would have died already due to their recklessness.

'Cause if the good die young
The artist repeats their belief that good people die young.

If the good die young
The singer repeats their belief that good people die young.

Oh, there ain't a sentence gonna hold you, son
The singer believes that even if they were sentenced to punishment, they would not be held back because they are good.

'Cause he's gonna live forever if the good die young
The artist repeats their belief that if they die young because they are good, they will live on forever.

Well, I got a good heart; I wouldn't hurt a soul
The artist sees themselves as a good person who would not harm anyone.

But I'm gonna keep rocking till they call that roll
The artist will keep living their life to the fullest until they die.

Old St. Peter - he's gonna have to wait
The singer believes that even though they will eventually go to heaven, they still have things they want to do in life.

I'm gonna go to heaven, but I might be late
The artist believes that they will go to heaven, but it might not be right away.

'Cause if the good die young
The singer repeats their belief that good people die young.

If the good die young
The singer repeats their belief that good people die young.

Pedal to the metal, let your motor run
The singer encourages the listener to live their life to the fullest and take risks.

'Cause he's gonna live forever if the good die young
The artist repeats their belief that if they die young because they are good, they will live on forever.

And if the good die young
The artist repeats their belief that good people die young.

They got the jams, we'll have some fun
The singer believes that if they die young with other good people, they will have fun together in the afterlife.

'Cause I'm gonna live forever if the good die young
The singer repeats their belief that if they die young because they are good, they will live on forever.

Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: PAUL NELSON, CRAIG WISEMAN

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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