'Ain't For Sale' by Muscadine Bloodline & Josh Meloy – Lyrics & Meaning

This year marks a special milestone for the beloved Muscadine Bloodline – a duo comprising South Alabama-bred troubadours Charlie Muncaster and Gary Stanton – as they embark on their tenth year of making music for and memories with their devoted fanbase.

As the New Year kicked off, the twosome assured their followers it would be their biggest one yet, the pair promising a heap of new music and even bigger shows.

So far, their first order of business appears to be the former, the group unleashing the thundering 'Ain't For Sale' alongside Josh Meloy. The barnburner, which dropped Friday (Jan. 10), makes for a striking introduction to what Muscadine Bloodline have in store for 2025.

'Ain't For Sale' is all hearty Southern rock, a smoldering, hell-raising anthem that perfectly scores the message of truth and perseverance that unfolds throughout. Born from the snap of hot steel and the hollow rumble of drums, 'Ain't For Sale', at first, harbors a relatively stark arrangement that quickly becomes engulfed in fiery electronics and powerful rhythms.

"There's a snake who lies and waits
And his prey is a praying man
Who lies awake with the what to do's
And the taunting you with a taste of that forbidden fruit
Every day's a day to beat the one before
But temptation's knocking at the door
It's 3 am, I ain't sleeping again
I'm pleading with God
To fight off what I can't fend
Oh no, I'll be damned if that ole devil's waiting for me for to fail
But this soul of mine it ain't for sale"

While the Devil plays the central character in 'Ain't For Sale' – as he so often does throughout the country genre – the song isn't really about him.

It seems to be a song about temptation, or rather overcoming it, looking desire in the eye and coming out on the other side, unscathed by the pitfalls of impulse and better for it. It's a song about perseverance and being true to oneself and one's beliefs.

'Ain't For Sale' opens with mentions of snakes in the grass and forbidden fruit as Muscadine Bloodline and Josh Meloy depict an internal struggle, a battle with what's just and what's easy.

You can take the "Dollar signs and dotted lines" or all the "fancy things", but from whom and at what cost? Will they actually make you happier or make you merely a puppet, having lost sleep, peace of mind or worse?

The collaborators use religious imagery, creating a tug-of-war between good and evil, God and Satan. Whatever you believe, though, the song's message is universal: It's important to stick to your guns, hold tight to your values, or else you're good as sold to the things that don't actually serve you.

"It's 3 am, I ain't sleeping again
Pleading with God to fight off what I can't fend
Oh, no I'll be damned if that ole devil's waiting for me for to fail
But soul of mine it ain't for sale
Oh this soul of mine it ain't for sale
Nah this soul of mine it ain't for sale"

There's a snake who lies and waits
And his prey is a praying man
Who lies awake with the what to do's
And the taunting you with a taste of that forbidden fruit
Every day's a day to beat the one before
But temptation's knocking at the door
It's 3 am, I ain't sleeping again
I'm pleading with God
To fight off what I can't fend
Oh no, I'll be damned if that ole devil's waiting for me for to fail
But this soul of mine it ain't for sale

Dollar signs and dotted lines
Is it worth losing that peace of mind
For the fancy things
Are they what they seem
When you can't cut those puppet strings
Is it really how it oughta be?
It's 3 am, I ain't sleeping again
Pleading with God to fight off what I can't fend
Oh Lord I'll be damned if that ole devil's waiting for me for to fail
But this soul of mine it ain't for sale

Yeah go and get behind Satan in the shadow of the valley
Burdened, but I'm certain bout that ole rod and staff that comforts me
A company of angels fightin' tooth and nail again
Lord forgive me, give me grace and get me through the night

It's 3 am, I ain't sleeping again
Pleading with God to fight off what I can't fend
Oh, no I'll be damned if that ole devil's waiting for me for to fail
But soul of mine it ain't for sale
Oh this soul of mine it ain't for sale
Nah this soul of mine it ain't for sale

--

For more on Muscadine Bloodline, see below: