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 an' dreaming of the neon lights

So it was late to bed an' early to rise
I worked the field all day an' the crowd all night
My finger on the trigger an' Nashville in my sights
I'm the real thing an' I sing songs about real life

An' 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 an' roll
An' drove around on "Miles an' Miles of Texas"

An' as I grew, Daddy showed me now
To earn a living by the sweat of my brow
But he never made me follow in his steps
He said work hard an' let the good Lord do the rest

An' 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 truck ain't something I drive for style
These boots have been around a while
Country ain't what I sing, it's what I am

An' 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