About the song
There’s a certain breed of country song that doesn’t just tell a story—it carves a way of life into the heart of the listener. “A Country Boy Can Survive”, first immortalized by Hank Williams Jr. in 1982, is one of those anthems. But when Toby Keith, the proudly unfiltered voice of modern red-dirt patriotism, took it on, he wasn’t merely covering a classic—he was reaffirming a creed.
Keith’s version of “A Country Boy Can Survive” doesn’t aim to reinvent the wheel. Instead, it lends the song his signature blend of rugged bravado and emotional grit, deepening its resonance for a new generation while paying homage to the original’s enduring message. It’s more than just a nod to nostalgia—it’s a reaffirmation of identity.
In this rendition, Toby leans into the song’s proud defiance and self-reliant spirit. The lyrics, rich with references to rural resilience, small-town values, and distrust of urban overreach, speak to a segment of America that often feels overlooked or misunderstood. “We can skin a buck, we can run a trotline,” the narrator declares—not as boast, but as proof of a heritage that thrives in simplicity and survival. Keith’s gravel-tinged vocals bring a raw edge to that declaration, grounding the message in lived experience rather than abstract ideals.
What makes this version particularly compelling is how it embodies the post-9/11 sentiment that colored much of Keith’s early 2000s work. In an era defined by uncertainty, his performance becomes more than a tribute—it becomes a cultural barometer. There’s a sense of anger simmering beneath the pride, a warning that while country folks might prefer to be left alone, they’re more than capable of standing their ground.
The instrumentation is equally deliberate—lean, unpolished, and steeped in Southern rock traditions. Electric guitars growl beneath the verses, and the pacing is deliberate, like the steady walk of a man who’s in no hurry to explain himself. Keith doesn’t need to shout to make his point. The song does that for him.
In the end, Toby Keith’s take on “A Country Boy Can Survive” doesn’t just echo Hank Jr.’s sentiment—it reasserts it for a modern world. In his hands, the song becomes both a reminder and a warning: the old ways haven’t died, and the country boy, now more than ever, still can—and will—survive.
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Lyrics
The preacher man says it’s the end of time
And the Mississippi River, she’s a-goin’ dry
The interest is up and the stock market’s down
And you only get mugged if you go downtown
I live back in the woods, you see
My woman and the kids and the dogs and me
I got a shotgun, a rifle and a 4-wheel drive
And a country boy can survive, country folks can survive[Verse 2]
I can plow a field all day long
I can catch catfish from dusk ’til dawn
We make our own whiskey and our own smoke, too
Ain’t too many things these old boys can’t do
We grow good ol’ tomatoes and homemade wine
And a country boy can survive, country folks can survive[Chorus]
Because you can’t starve us out and you can’t make us run
‘Cause we’re them old boys raised on shotguns
And we say grace and we say Ma’am
If you ain’t into that we don’t give a damn[Verse 3]
We came from the West Virginia coal mines
And the Rocky Mountains and the western skies
And we can skin a buck, we can run a trotline
And a country boy can survive, country folks can survive
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Morgan Wallen[Verse 4]
I had a good friend in New York City
He never called me by my name, just “hillbilly”
My grandpa taught me how to live off the land
And his taught him to be a businessman
He used to send me pictures of the Broadway nights
And I’d send him some homemade wine
But he was killed by a man with a switchblade knife
For 43 dollars my friend lost his life
I’d love to spit some Beech-Nut in that dude’s eyes
And shoot him with my old .45
‘Cause a country boy can survive, country folks can survive[Chorus]
‘Cause you can’t starve us out and you can’t make us run
‘Cause we’re them old boys raised on shotguns
And we say grace and we say Ma’am
And if you ain’t into that we don’t give a damn[Verse 5]
We’re from north California and south Alabam’
And little towns all around this land
And we can skin a buck, and run a trotline
And a country boy can survive, country folks can survive[Outro]
A country boy can survive
Country folks can survive
