'4X4XU' by Lainey Wilson – Lyrics & Meaning

In the music video for Lainey Wilson's 2024 single 'Hang Tight Honey', the song ends with a scene of Wilson and a man (wearing a cowboy hat) standing hand-in-hand beside a tour bus, with text over the scene reading “to be continued…”. Little did we know, that image would be used as the narrative bridge into Wilson's next single, '4X4XU'.

On July 3, Wilson acknowledged the post-credits easter egg at the end of the video, indicating that more of her story would unfold sooner than fans thought. The very next day (July 4), '4x4xU' and its own music video dropped.

A revved up ode to a ride-or-die kind of romance, the rousing number finds the star navigating love in four-wheel drive.

From the moment ‘4X4XU’ begins – sounding fresh and confident, with a renewed spirit – it’s obvious the tune is another soon-to-be Wilson classic. The breezy song comes to life in a wave of soulful keys and a wash of dazzling chimes, the muscular track eventually building into a skin-pricking ballad of sturdy beats and head-swimming strings. Fun and funky, the song has groove, filling the loved-up opus with an infectious energy.

While ‘4X4XU’ sounds like a departure from anything on Bell Bottom Country, it harbors the same heart that launched her into super stardom and cemented her place in all our hearts.

I'm the kind to take the keys
Don't sit in a shotgun seat
'Less I want to
And you make me want to
Hypnotized by the white lines
Your hands ten and two on this heart of mine
Makes me feel at home
Yeah, boy, I'm right at home

‘4X4XU’ opens with the artist laying bare her feelings. She admits that she's not one to give up her control or feel content riding along in the passenger seat. She often takes charge, preferring a place behind the wheel.

But when it comes to a special someone, she feels right at home alongside them in a "4x4 by you." This person has their hands on the wheel of her heart, and together, they're steering their way through life and love.

In a 4x4xU, babe
From the bayou to Kentucky
City to the country
From here to Timbuktu
Boy, after a long day
Ya know there ain't no wrong way
To drive my crazy crazy
In a 4x4xU

A 4x4 is a vehicle that possesses an engine which evenly powers all four of its wheels, and Wilson uses this automobile reference to sing about being happy to just be along for the ride next to the one she loves.

Parked out in the driveway
Backed up to a fire on a tailgate
Feet on the dashboard
Oh, nothin' I love more
90 to nothing but we in slow motion
Up in the mountains or down by the ocean
It's all the same to me
Ain't nowhere I'd rather be

"From the bayou to Kentucky / City to the country / From here to Timbuktu" or even "NYC to L.A., here to Kalamazoo", they could even be parked in the driveway, it doesn't matter where they are or where they are going as long as they are together.

Every morning sun
Every afternoon
Fly me to the stars
Fly me to the moon

In a 4x4xU...

While Wilson hasn't confirmed who '4X4XU' is about, the affectionate tune was likely inspired by the artist's longtime love, Devlin "Duck" Hodges.

“This song is about finding that someone that gives you the comfort and peace of home anywhere in the world as long as you’re by their side,” the artist has shared of the track, adding a special thanks to "all of my collaborators on this record for being a part of what I think could be my biggest song yet.”

I'm the kind to take the keys
Don't sit in a shotgun seat
'Less I want to
And you make me want to
Hypnotized by the white lines
Your hands ten and two on this heart of mine
Makes me feel at home
Yeah, boy, I'm right at home

In a 4x4xU, babe
From the bayou to Kentucky
City to the country
From here to Timbuktu
Boy, after a long day
Ya know there ain't no wrong way
To drive my crazy crazy
In a 4x4xU

Parked out in the driveway
Backed up to a fire on a tailgate
Feet on the dashboard
Oh, nothin' I love more
90 to nothing but we in slow motion
Up in the mountains or down by the ocean
It's all the same to me
Ain't nowhere I'd rather be

Than in a 4x4xU, babe
NYC to L.A.
City to the country
From here to Kalamazoo
Boy, after a long day
Ya know there ain't no wrong way
To drive my crazy crazy
In a 4x4xU
Right there beside you

Every morning sun
Every afternoon
Fly me to the stars
Fly me to the moon

In a 4x4xU, babe
From the bayou to Kentucky
City to the country
From here to Timbuktu
Boy, after a long day
Ya know there ain't no wrong way
To drive my crazy crazy
In a 4x4xU

And, boy, after a long day
Ya know there ain't no wrong way
To drive my crazy crazy
In a 4x4xU

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Lainey Wilson

Artist