He started out his career at a young age as a fledgling rapper. He met Kid Rock in 1987, and Rock asked Kracker to become his DJ. Kracker did not know how to work the turntables, but he soon learned how to, and he became a long-term friend and colleague of Rock.
Kracker worked with Kid Rock until he became a solo artist in 2000.
The My Hometown Songfacts reports that Kracker recorded Postcards From Home over seven weeks in early 2011. The album title was inspired by his hectic life on the road after his successful Happy Hour longplayer.
It Is What It Is
Uncle Kracker Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
But everybody knows that Jamie's in the closet
Katey's in the corner got her Prozac gone
She only likes to dance to the Kid Rock songs
Shally slings drink till a half past two
Always looking like she got something better to do
And I'm sittin' here in all my glory
Everybody got a Beer everybody got a Story
It is what it is and it ain't what it ain't
It's life and it's love and it ain't gonna change
It's a beautiful mess
I don't wanna miss
It sits in the spins and it is what it is
It is what it is
Randy got a good job drivin' a truck
He got a Black Jack habit but he got no luck
And Kim had a Kid she named Cincinnati
Cause that's the last place that she saw his Daddy
And I'm sittin' here in all my glory
Everybody got a Beer everybody got a Story
It is what it is and it ain't what it ain't
It's life and it's love and it ain't gonna change
It's a beautiful mess
I don't wanna miss
It sits in the spins and it is what it is
Dollar Bills disappear into the Juke Box
From sweet Caroline to Love on the Rocks
I'm sittin' here cause that's what I do
Enough about me let's talk about you
It is what it is and it ain't what it ain't
It's life and it's love and it ain't gonna change
It's a beautiful mess
I don't wanna miss
It sits in the spins and it is
It is what it is and it ain't what it ain't
It's life and it's love and it ain't gonna change
It's a beautiful mess
I don't wanna miss
It sits in the spins and it is what it is
It is what it is
Oh yeah
It is what it is
Dollar Bills disappear into the Juke Box
From sweet Caroline to Love on the Rocks
It is what it is
It is what it is
And I'm sittin' here in all my glory
Everybody got a Beer everybody got a Story
It is what it is
The song "It Is What It Is" is a reflection on life and the experiences of various people who are dealing with their challenges. The lyrics mention different individuals and their situations, such as Jimmy who keeps Jamie's picture in his wallet, but Jamie is closeted, and Katey who uses Prozac to deal with her problems and loves dancing to Kid Rock songs. Shally works as a bartender and is always looking for something better to do. Randy is a truck driver who has a gambling problem, and Kim named her child Cincinnati because that's the last place she saw the father.
The chorus highlights the message of the song, emphasizing that life happens, and it's not going to change, and sometimes it's messy, sometimes it's beautiful, and sometimes it's both. The phrase "it is what it is" encapsulates this notion perfectly.
In the end, the song speaks to the idea that everyone has a story, everyone has their own unique set of circumstances and challenges that they’re going through, and it’s important to recognize and accept that life is not always perfect. The song encourages the listener to appreciate the beauty in the messiness of life and take it for what it is.
Line by Line Meaning
Jimmy keeps a picture of Jamie in his Wallet
Jimmy has a photo of Jamie in his wallet
But everybody knows that Jamie's in the closet
It's common knowledge that Jamie is a closeted person
Katey's in the corner got her Prozac gone
Katey is in the corner, high on Prozac
She only likes to dance to the Kid Rock songs
Katey only dances to songs by Kid Rock
Shally slings drink till a half past two
Shally serves drinks until half past two
Always looking like she got something better to do
Shally always looks like she has something more important to do
And I'm sittin' here in all my glory
The singer is sitting proudly
Everybody got a Beer everybody got a Story
Everyone at the bar has a beer and a story to tell
It is what it is and it ain't what it ain't
Life is what it is and not what it isn't
It's life and it's love and it ain't gonna change
Life and love won't change
It's a beautiful mess
Life is a beautiful, although chaotic, disaster
I don't wanna miss
The artist doesn't want to miss out on life
It sits in the spins and it is what it is
Life is unpredictable, and we have to take it as it comes
Randy got a good job drivin' a truck
Randy has a good job as a truck driver
He got a Black Jack habit but he got no luck
Randy likes to play Blackjack but he isn't lucky at it
And Kim had a Kid she named Cincinnati
Kim had a child and named them after the city where she last saw their father
Cause that's the last place that she saw his Daddy
Cincinnati is the last place where Kim saw the child's father
Dollar Bills disappear into the Juke Box
People put dollar bills into the jukebox to play songs
From sweet Caroline to Love on the Rocks
The jukebox has a variety of songs, from 'Sweet Caroline' to 'Love on the Rocks'
I'm sittin' here cause that's what I do
The artist is sitting at the bar because that's what they usually do
Enough about me let's talk about you
The artist shifts the focus from themselves to someone else
Oh yeah
Just an exclamation
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: JOHN THOMAS HARDING, SHANE MCANALLY, MATTHEW SHAFER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Mike No
on Aces and Eights
The explanation of the meanings of the lyrics was either written by a kindergartener or AI bot.
The bar reference was about a guy who was cocky, especially about his billiards skills, high on himself with his head in the clouds, but not very grounded in reality, and was careless and died after getting hit by as truck as a result.
The next reference was a guy that would hit the clubs, chat up the chicks, bed them later that night, but fucked without wearing protection, i.e. condoms (gloves) because he was too cool for that (hardcore). He got HIV, contracted AIDS or some other STD and died, Again, a real player, but not grounded in reality and paid the price.
The third reference was of a young woman trying to 'make it in world', so she moved to the 'big city', and quickly realized the skills she learned in her small town wouldn't mean success on the basis of merit only. She realized the only way she could compete with her other coworkers for promotions was to sellout and perform oral sex on her male bosses. to help her achieve success in her career. (under a desk trying to make it to the top). Rumors swirled that she was a slut, and she never got the promotions or success that she craved.
In each case, either vanity, gluttony, or pride (3 of the 7 deadly sins) were cast aside in order to achieve their specific dreams and goals, and due to poor decision making, each ultimately 'paid the price' for their mistakes. "Watch what you ask for you might get it" is a warning to others that don't tempt fate, don't compromise your morals just to get the sweet taste of success, because you will lose every time, and sometimes with deadly consequences. Hence, Aces & 8's - "Dead Man's Hand' reference to the poker hand Bill Hickok was holding when he was approached by a buffalo hunter he had crossed in the past. Lyrics also parallel the "7 Deadly Sins" like desiring what other have but you can't get (lust, envy), desiring everything but wanting to work for it, takes shortcuts (lust, gluttony, sloth), getting what you want, but being unsatisfied, wanting more (lust, greed) and sacrificing one's owns morals and principals to achieve that lofty prize, or accomplishment.
In poker, The 'Ace' is the highest card, but in Blackjack can be assigned a value of 1 or 11. This wide range of values means that one needs to be true to their belief system regardless of whether you have good or evil intentions or meager or lofty goals. The 'Eights' is reference to the symbol for 'eternity', which is 8 laying on its side. This means you have to be vigilant and make good decisions your whole life. Hickok was playing 5-card stud and holding only four cards.....two A's and two 8's while playing poker in Deadwood, Dakota Territory. The fact that Hickok hand only consisted of four card (unfulfilled goals) and was waiting for his fifth card to be dealt by the dealer (Life),. Two scenarios exist: the next card (decision) could be another A or 8, elevating the hand to a full house therefore, which would be seen as 'good = luck = in the future' or the next card (decision) could be any other card in deck, not changing one's position in life and having to resort to bluffing (lying. deception. untruthfulness = evil) to win..