'5 to 9' by Hudson Westbrook - Lyrics and Meaning

This year, it's felt like TikTok artists have been setting the tone for newcomers in country music.

We know, we know. This isn't exactly a new thing, but there is something to be said about the rapid rise of artists like Dasha, Shaboozey, Tucker Wetmore, Gavin Adcock, Ole 60 and the like over the last few months.

While country at large has been enjoying its moment in the limelight, the red dirt subgenre has also been enjoying some new pledges, including Waylon Wyatt, Braxton Keith and its newest member, Hudson Westbrook.

Revitalizing the organic country-rock of red dirt, the rough-around-the-edges singer-songwriter followed it up with the windows down anthem, 'Two Way Drive,' stunning cover 'Johnny Walker' and the propulsive blue collar love song, '5 to 9.'

Capturing a working man’s daydream with a neotraditional sound that marries the charms and sounds of giants like Zach Bryan, Tyler Childers and Wyatt Flores, '5 to 9' is an infectious country concoction that has helped further put the young entertainer on the map as he takes his place among the next generation of country hitmakers.

Surprisingly, Westbrook only first picked up a guitar in 2020, effectively teaching himself how to play while enrolled in high school. In 2023, during his time at Texas Tech, he started playing around with melodies, penning what would be the first of many songs to his name.

'5 to 9,' which was written with Lukas Scott – who doubles as a producer alongside Ryan Youmans – shows off an unapologetically southern sound. With a fiddle leading the way, Westbrook is accompanied by organic instrumentation in the form of a steady acoustic, deep electric guitar and a lively drum kit that all combine to form an infectiously simple and catchy tune from the first listen.

Already on its way to becoming a bonafide hit, the viral tune racked up nearly three million streams on Spotify alone within two months of release, bolstered by its recent explosion on TikTok and beyond.

"Well, the sun comes up as I say, good morning, darlin'
I won't be back 'til it's going back down
There's twelve miles of barbed wire and these holes need digging
Girl, if they didn't, I'd hang around

My time here is only worth about fifteen an hour
Pennies on the dollar for my time with you
Let's make up for what we missed, with what little day that's left
There's a lot of lovin' that's overdue"

The song begins as the sun rises on a new day. We find a smitten couple going through what seems to be their normal routine as the male protagonist heads off to work, which will see him away until the sun is on its way back down for the day. Though he wishes he could stay with her, he explains that there's a job that needs doing so he must go.

We can see that there's a bit of a rub, though, as he explains his time away from his beloved is only worth about $15 an hour (before taxes are taken out, we're sure), which doesn't come close to how much their time spent together is worth to him.

Once he's made the journey back home and the day's work has been completed, he urges them to make up for lost time, starting what seems to be his second shift for the evening: spending time with her.

"So put your high heels on and diamonds around your neck
You worry about being ready by five, I'll worry 'bout the rest
I'd give a paycheck to a bar in Dallas just to see you smile
I make my livin' from nine to five
But we're only livin' from five to nine"

Urging his partner to get gussied up for the night out, he tells her that he's going to take care of everything. The only thing she needs to be concerned with is being ready to go at five when he gets home.

Explaining that no amount of money spent on her is too much, the song's hook lies here as he notes that he works from nine to five in order to fund their five to nine.

"I'll clock enough by lunchtime to buy your dinner
The rest of the hours oughta cover half the tab
If I'm gonna sweat in the Texas sun for what feels like forever
I'd say we deserve the best night we've had"

Carefully keeping track of how much money is going into the bank, he explains that by lunch time, he'll have enough put away to pay for their dinner date. However, the rest of his day will only cover a portion of what else he has planned as he makes the absolute most of their time together.

Westbook underlines that the grueling work is worth it as he breaks his back in the Texas heat, just so that he can spoil his love and make the most out of their life together.

"So put your high heels on and diamonds around your neck
You worry about being ready by five, I'll worry 'bout the rest
I'd give a paycheck to a bar in Dallas just to see you smile
I make my livin' from nine to five
But we're only livin' from five to nine"

Still cutting his teeth and paying his dues, Westbrook hasn't offered much when it comes to '5 to 9' or any of his released tunes thus far.

Upon releasing the one-two punch of '5 to 9' and 'Johnny Walker' back in August, the Texas native offered: "These songs mean the world to me, and I can’t wait to hear what they mean to y’all. Thanks for being on this journey with me… this is just the beginning."

As he learns the ropes as support for country trio Midland through the latter part of 2024, we're sure they will be much more in store from Mr. Westbrook in the months to come.

Well, the sun comes up as I say, good morning, darlin'
I won't be back 'til it's going back down
There's twelve miles of barbed wire and these holes need digging
Girl, if they didn't, I'd hang around

My time here is only worth about fifteen an hour
Pennies on the dollar for my time with you
Let's make up for what we missed, with what little day that's left
There's a lot of lovin' that's overdue

So put your high heels on and diamonds around your neck
You worry about being ready by five, I'll worry 'bout the rest
I'd give a paycheck to a bar in Dallas just to see you smile
I make my livin' from nine to five
But we're only livin' from five to nine

I'll clock enough by lunchtime to buy your dinner
The rest of the hours oughta cover half the tab
If I'm gonna sweat in the Texas sun for what feels like forever
I'd say we deserve the best night we've had

So put your high heels on and diamonds around your neck
You worry about being ready by five, I'll worry 'bout the rest
I'd give a paycheck to a bar in Dallas just to see you smile
I make my livin' from nine to five
But we're only livin' from five to nine

Just you and I, five to nine
I wanna put in that overtime, five to nine
Sip on that red, red wine, five to nine
It's you all night with your

High heels on and diamonds around your neck
You worry about being ready by five, I'll worry 'bout the rest
I'd give a paycheck to a bar in Dallas just to see you smile
I make my livin' from nine to five
But we're only livin' from five to nine

Just you and I, five to nine
Wanna put in that overtime, five to nine
Wanna sip on that red, red wine, five to nine
It's you all night with your
High heels on and diamonds around your neck

--