'Bro Country' by HARDY feat. ERNEST - Lyrics & Meaning

Over the last decade or so, HARDY has made a name for himself not just as a high-octane, genre-bending entertainer, but also as one of the most in-demand hit wielding songwriters in country music.

With a long line of cuts from the likes of Morgan Wallen, Blake Shelton, Florida Georgia Line, Dylan Scott, Dierks Bentley, Chris Lane and more, HARDY first gained serious recognition as a writer during the infamous "bro country" phase of the mid-2010s. Contributing to a countless number of the songs that graced airwaves and permeated country fans' subconscious during that musical chapter, it's safe to say that HARDY knows a thing or two about bro country.

As an artist, he's oscillated between radio-ready country and arena-ready rock, starting with his dichotomous 2023 project, the mockingbird & THE CROW, and continuing on 2024's Quit!!

Now turning his sights back to his roots, HARDY is readying his return to the genre with Country! Country!, set to arrive on September 26. Featuring a smattering of songs from the decorated tunesmith, the album already boasts a collection of quickly beloved tracks like 'My Favorite Country Song,' 'Bottomland,' 'Buck On The Wall' and more.

Adding another to the growing tracklist, HARDY has unveiled a new cheeky tune called 'Bro Country.' Joined by his longtime friend ERNEST, the Mississippi hitmaker explained: "Some of y’all may not know this, but I started my career in Nashville as a songwriter, writing for my buddies like FGL, Morgan Wallen, Cole Swindell, Chris Lane, etc. I know my way around a bro country song and I owe a lot to that era. But the vibe in country music has shifted lately, and I wrote a song about it."

Taking on a classic country ballad sound, 'Bro Country' is all guitars and spunk as the pair of country crooners eulogize the subgenre it takes its name from.

More than a step removed from the familiar rock-laced sound that we've grown accustomed to hearing from HARDY, this offering is firmly rooted in southern simplicity... and has plenty of tongue-in-cheek snark woven into its lyrics, too.

"Bro Country
Damn what a run
You did what the whole world thought couldn’t be done
You flew like an eagle
But hey don’t the sun
Burn if you're up there too long
Bro country
You damn sure could paint
A Friday night picture full of bombshells and drinks
You turned left of center into people like Hank
Haggard, and Cash, and Jones
But don’t good dogs always come home"

The song opens with HARDY addressing the beloved subgenre of bro country.

Reading more or less like an obituary to the fallen era, he's quick to give credit where it's due to bro country, which successfully brought in wave after wave of new fans and claimed some of the modern classics that we love... or love to hate (we're looking at you 'Boys 'Round Here').

After laying on his praises for the subgenre, though, HARDY explains that that bygone era of country music also made the more classic-leaning styles of the genre feel entirely "other" and completely left of center from what was popular at that time, even though those legends like Hank, Merle, Cash and Jones are the north star that so many country listeners keep their eyes and ears fixed on.

"No disrespect
Yeah don’t get me wrong
I've been that drunk redneck singing your songs
But whiskey and bandits
Outlaws with long hair
Yeah we’re back with a vengeance
With a fist in the air
It’s so bittersweet
Shutting that Fireball, cut offs
Jacked up truck door
But bro country don’t sound like you anymore"

HARDY owns up to the fact that he isn't just here to sling hate on bro country. Like we all were, he was one of bro country's disciples and that era soundtracked many years of his life (and lined his bank account, too).

However, the time for girls, beer and trucks has passed, and now a new wave of modern day outlaws with meaningful things to say are entering the mainstream.

"Bro country
Does it bring you to tears
To scoot over a lane
For big boys with beards
And steel guitars and smokey bars
And shot gunning beers
It’s a scene we ain’t seen in some years
But it’s here"

As ERNEST falls in for the second verse, he starts drawing comparisons to today's country trends.

While the current landscape revolves more around "big boys with beards" and more traditional leaning production, ERNEST can't help but ask if bro country is a little upset about having to take a backseat now that its heyday is dead and gone.

"Yeah no disrespect
Yeah don’t get me wrong
I've been that drunk redneck singing your songs
But whiskey and bandits
Outlaws with long hair
Yeah they’re back with a vengeance
With a fist in the air
It’s so bittersweet
Shutting that Fireball, cut offs
Jacked up truck door
But bro country don’t sound like you anymore"

Bro Country
Damn what a run
You did what the whole world thought couldn’t be done
You flew like an eagle
But hey don’t the sun
Burn if you're up there too long
Bro country
You damn sure could paint
A Friday night picture full of bombshells and drinks
You turned left of center into people like Hank
Haggard, and Cash, and Jones
But don’t good dogs always come home

No disrespect
Yeah don’t get me wrong
I've been that drunk redneck singing your songs
But whiskey and bandits
Outlaws with long hair
Yeah we’re back with a vengeance
With a fist in the air
It’s so bittersweet
Shutting that Fireball, cut offs
Jacked up truck door
But bro country don’t sound like you anymore

Bro country
Does it bring you to tears
To scoot over a lane
For big boys with beards
And steel guitars and smokey bars
And shot gunning beers
It’s a scene we ain’t seen in some years
But it’s here

Yeah no disrespect
Yeah don’t get me wrong
I've been that drunk redneck singing your songs
But whiskey and bandits
Outlaws with long hair
Yeah they’re back with a vengeance
With a fist in the air
It’s so bittersweet
Shutting that Fireball, cut offs
Jacked up truck door
But bro country don’t sound like you anymore

I’m sure there’s a shot
You’ll always have a spot
On the Billboard Country Top Ten
But man take a look
Them heartbreaks and hooks
Are making their way back in

No disrespect
Yeah don’t get me wrong
I've been that drunk redneck singing your songs
But whiskey and bandits
Outlaws with long hair
Yeah we’re back with a vengeance
With a fist in the air
It’s so bittersweet
Shutting that Fireball, cut offs
Jacked up truck door
But bro country don’t sound like you anymore
Yeah bro country don’t sound like you
Anymore

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