'Keep Up With Jones' by Lainey Wilson – Lyrics & Meaning

Following her blockbuster sophomore record, Bell Bottom Country, all eyes have been fixed on Lainey Wilson as she's readied her 2024 follow-up, Whirlwind.

Taking its name from exactly what her life and career have felt like over the last few years – what with winning ACM and CMA Entertainer of the Year, scoring multiple No. 1s at country radio, blazing trails on tour all over the world and more – the project features 14 songs that capture some of the highs, lows and in betweens the Louisiana native has had since 2022's award-winning effort.

Coming up first on the track list is none other than 'Keep Up With Jones,' a just under four minute rocker that pays tribute to the riotous antics and legacy of country icon, George Jones.

Produced by Jay Joyce, who serves at the helm behind the project as a whole, 'Keep Up With Jones' kicks off the album much like when an orchestra is warming up before a play.

With a full crew of country instruments at the ready, the song springs to life with the signature '70s-tinged sound that we've come to love from Wilson as her vocals ring through with chilling clarity. While moderately paced throughout the verses, the choruses find Wilson caught in a speed race as she tries to pack as many syllables as possible into each line with great effect.

Leaving plenty of opportunity for her band to show off their skill and flare along the way, 'Keep Up With Jones' ends in much the same way that it starts as the decorated entertainer reprises the first few lines, but this time with a slowed down, warped effect over it.

"Last night I felt like a two dollar pistol
This morning I feel like I got shot
Hair of the dog says wet my whistle
But I don’t know if that’s a good idea or not"

The song begins with Wilson explaining how last night she felt untouchable and on top of the world. Alas, though, as the morning comes around, she's now feeling a bit under the weather after her night of antics.

Hoping that the ole "hair of the dog" trick will help cure her hangover from hell, she's not quite sure if that'll do the trick this time around.

"I could get up on a little wild hair white lightning
Do a little two lane John Deere riding
Lead me to a neon sign and the race is on
I been known to play possum on a barstool sitting
Jukebox gold and the whole room spinning
Living in the middle of a country and western song
I can’t keep trying to keep up with Jones
I can’t keep trying to keep up with Jones"

Talking of her drunken exploits, she explains that she can keep up with the best of them, most notably being the one and only George Jones.

Infamous for some drunken antics of his own, including riding to his local liquor store on a lawnmower, which is hinted at in the chorus' second line, Jones had a reputation for being quite the party animal back in his day. The tune also mentions Jones' signature nickname: The Possum.

With song's like 'He Stopped Loving Her Today' and 'White Lightning,' a few of his most beloved song titles grace the lyrics of 'Keep Up With Jones,' which was written by Wilson, alongside Josh Kear & Wyatt McCubbin.

It's a mighty example of a clever play on words, flipping the traditional idiom of "keeping up with the Jones'." Usually used to compared yourself to a neighbor who serves as a benchmark for social class or where you want to be in life, 'Keep Up With Jones' cheekily changes it to show that no matter how hard Wilson tries, she'll never be able to match George Jones' erratic rockstar behavior... and she probably shouldn't try, either!

"Last night I knew what not to do
I just don’t know half of what I did
I thought I’d try to fill them shoes
Turns out them boots are too damn big yeah"

Flashing back to Wilson's wild time the night before, she notes that she could make a distinction between right and wrong. While she knew what she shouldn't do or say, the problem lies in the fact that she can't quite remember anything she did in the first place.

In an effort to try and fill the shoes of the Possum who came before her, she's quickly found out that those shoes are much too big to fill and no one will ever be able to do it quite like Jones did.

"Yeah today I’m moving real slow
So tonight I’ll be a no show
Then again I just might go"

Back to the morning after, she shares that she's not feeling too hot after last night. In fact, she's feeling so bad that she may just have to cancel her show's tonight.

This is another clever reference to Jones who, during the height of his alcohol and drug addictions, was not-so-lovingly dubbed "No Show Jones." In just the year of 1979, the Country Music Hall of Famer missed a total of 54 shows without so much as a warning for his adoring fans.

"And get up on a little wild hair white lightning
Do a little two lane John Deere riding
Lead me to a neon sign and the race is on
I been known to play possum on a barstool sitting
Jukebox gold and the whole room spinning
Living in the middle of a country and western song
I can’t keep trying to keep up with Jones
I can’t keep trying to keep up with Jones
I can’t keep trying to keep up with Jones
I can’t keep trying to keep up with Jones"

While nothing has been shared specifically about 'Keep Up With Jones,' Wilson has been open about the fact that this new project has been a major source of solace and self-discovery over the last few years as she's seen her life completely change while her career has skyrocketed.

Weaving together the highs, lows and in-betweens that she's experienced along the way, her signature storytelling is front and center across the project, which she explains has been in the works essentially since the release of Bell Bottom Country in October of 2022.

“This album has been a long time coming, and I can’t wait for the world to have this body of work in their hands soon,” Wilson noted when announcing the highly-anticipated project. “This new chapter of music is the most cathartic and personal piece of art I’ve ever made. I hope this record brings some peace to your whirlwind and wraps its arms around you like it did for me.”

Expanding on these sentiments, the decorated entertainer also added: "Writing & recording these 14 songs over the past couple of years has helped me stay grounded in ways you’d never believe. This album brought me back to my roots and made me feel at home during times when I couldn’t have been further away and my biggest hope is that it gives you that same sense of comfort that it has for me."

Last night I felt like a two dollar pistol
This morning I feel like I got shot
Hair of the dog says wet my whistle
But I don’t know if that’s a good idea or not

I could get up on a little wild hair white lightning
Do a little two lane John Deere riding
Lead me to a neon sign and the race is on
I been known to play possum on a barstool sitting
Jukebox gold and the whole room spinning
Living in the middle of a country and western song
I can’t keep trying to keep up with Jones
I can’t keep trying to keep up with Jones

Last night I knew what not to do
I just don’t know half of what I did
I thought I’d try to fill them shoes
Turns out them boots are too damn big yeah

I could get up on a little wild hair white lightning
Do a little two lane John Deere riding
Lead me to a neon sign and the race is on
I been known to play possum on a barstool sitting
Jukebox gold and the whole room spinning
Living in the middle of a country and western song
I can’t keep trying to keep up with Jones
I can’t keep trying to keep up with Jones

I can’t keep up
I can’t keep up

Yeah today I’m moving real slow
So tonight I’ll be a no show
Then again I just might go

And get up on a little wild hair white lightning
Do a little two lane John Deere riding
Lead me to a neon sign and the race is on
I been known to play possum on a barstool sitting
Jukebox gold and the whole room spinning
Living in the middle of a country and western song
I can’t keep trying to keep up with Jones
I can’t keep trying to keep up with Jones
I can’t keep trying to keep up with Jones
I can’t keep trying to keep up with Jones
Jones
Jones

Last night I felt like a two dollar pistol
This morning I feel like I got shot

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