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- Song Dog Years
- LyricsI was a blacktop traveler
An accident waiting to happen
And thank God you and your Daddy pulled over and let that tailgate down
Never would I have imagined
When you set me up in the back of that truck I fell in the hands of a new best friend
Looking back at it now... - Artist(s)
- Album COUNTRY! COUNTRY!
- Released September 19, 2025
- Label Big Loud Records
- Songwriter(s)
- Producer(s) Joey Moi
The Background:
For the long tenured HARDY fans, the official release of 'Dog Years' has been a fabled one. For the uninitiated, all we can say is buckle up and grab the tissues.
Something of legend over the last dozen years, HARDY wrote the tear-inducing song back in 2013 and credits it for landing him his very first publishing deal, paving the way for the award-winning songwriter that he's become today.
Telling the story of a dog's life from the four-legged friend's perspective, the brutally emotive song chronicles the pups journey all the way to going over the rainbow bridge.
The Sound:
Written solely by HARDY and produced by longtime, trusty collaborator Joey Moi, 'Dog Years' takes on a purely acoustic sound across its four-minute runtime.
A light, bright acoustic guitar plucking, HARDY's poignant vocal delivery is the focal point for the tune which follows the life of man's best friend.
The Meaning:
"I was a blacktop traveler
An accident waiting to happen
And thank God you and your Daddy pulled over and let that tailgate down
Never would I have imagined
When you set me up in the back of that truck I fell in the hands of a new best friend
Looking back at it now"
As 'Dog Years' opens, we find our narrator taking on the role of a hitchhiker of sorts. Running into a kid and his dad, they happily give our singer a ride and, unbeknownst to them all, a ticket to a brand new life.
"That was the best life I could ask for
Bruises and cuts and covered in mud and feet up on the dashboard
Pickin’ up girls, not a worry in the world
And you and me, made a good team
You took me in when I didn’t have a prayer
Yeah that was the best life I could ask for
Now that I’m looking back on those dog years"
Eventually discovering at the end of the chorus that the narrator in question is none other than a four-legged friend that a family rescued on the side of the road, the pup takes us through some parts of his new life.
From rolling around in mud and tooling around with his owner with the windows down and the wind blowing back his ears, our sweet pup explains that it was the very best life that he could've dreamed of as he looks back on their memories shared.
"Something about those little things
Flathead cats on a riverbank
Chasing white tail deer
Stealin’ your Dad’s beer
You’d pour a little on the ground for me
And who could forget that first kiss
Come to think of it man I’m sure I convinced her
When she asked if you were next
After I laid one on her cheek"
Continuing his trip down memory lane, our doggy narrator recalls going hunting with his forever family, as well as how he and the young teenager of the family would both steal some of their dad's beer when he wasn't looking.
Along the way, man's best friend also helped the aforementioned teenager find his first love, as only dogs can orchestrate the perfect meet-cute.
"Yeah that was the best life I could ask for
Bruises and cuts and covered in mud and feet up on the dashboard
Pickin’ up girls, not a worry in the world
And you and me, made a good team
You took me in when I didn’t have a prayer
That was the best life I could ask for
Now that I’m looking back on those dog years
Mmm"
For the full lyrics to HARDY's 'Dog Years', see below:
I was a blacktop traveler
An accident waiting to happen
And thank God you and your Daddy pulled over and let that tailgate down
Never would I have imagined
When you set me up in the back of that truck I fell in the hands of a new best friend
Looking back at it now
That was the best life I could ask for
Bruises and cuts and covered in mud and feet up on the dashboard
Pickin’ up girls, not a worry in the world
And you and me, made a good team
You took me in when I didn’t have a prayer
Yeah that was the best life I could ask for
Now that I’m looking back on those dog years
Something about those little things
Flathead cats on a riverbank
Chasing white tail deer
Stealin’ your Dad’s beer
You’d pour a little on the ground for me
And who could forget that first kiss
Come to think of it man I’m sure I convinced her
When she asked if you were next
After I laid one on her cheek
Yeah that was the best life I could ask for
Bruises and cuts and covered in mud and feet up on the dashboard
Pickin’ up girls, not a worry in the world
And you and me, made a good team
You took me in when I didn’t have a prayer
That was the best life I could ask for
Now that I’m looking back on those dog years
Mmm
And right now I know you’re fightin’ a lot of feelings
Starin’ at me
Knowin’ this time when you scratch my head it’ll probably be the last
But if I could speak your language
All that I would do is thank you for the best years,
Though they went by seven times too fast
That was the best life I could ask for
Bruises and cuts and covered in mud and feet up on the dashboard
Pickin’ up girls, not a worry in the world
And you and me, made a good team
You took me in when I didn’t have a prayer
That was the best life I could ask for
The best life I could ask for
The best life I could ask for
Now that I’m looking back on those dog years
All those dog years
--
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