i got my first guitar when i was just a boy
i was playing the blues instead of playing with toys
listening to the opry and dreaming of the neon lights
so it was late to bed and early to rise
i worked the field all day and the crowd all night
my finger on the trigger and nashville in my sights
i'm the real thing and i sing songs about real life
and i never heard a fiddle called a violin
never really worried if i fit in
country ain't what i sing it's what i am
this hat ain't something i wear for style
these boots have been around a while
country ain't what i sing it's what i am
i learned to drive on a dirt road
cruised the strip on rock and roll
and drove around on miles and miles of texas"