'Liar' by Jelly Roll - Lyrics and Meaning

From under beams of ominous red light, Jelly Roll delivered a chilling performance earlier this year at the 59th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards. The song, however, was not in his usual awards show repertoire, tunes like 'Save Me', 'Halfway to Hell' and 'Need a Favor' taking a back seat to allow 'Liar' to have its moment.

The then-unreleased anthem, with its potent rise-from-the-ashes message, was a welcomed debut during a ceremony full of perfectly coifed stars with shiny new honors. The song felt real; and knowing Jelly Roll's story, the performance felt like the biggest victory of the night.

Now that the song has an official release date – fast-approaching this Friday (Aug. 2) – 'Liar' is on track to join the star's whopping catalogue of tunes with more than just heat but also heart.

On the ACM Awards stage, 'Liar' came to life with the simple but vicious strumming of an acoustic guitar. Against the fervent strings, Jelly Roll's voice rang out clear over an applauding audience.

With the pre-chorus, an isolated bass drum beat joined in, battering the unadorned tune and preparing it for take-off. The song soon met blistering harmonies and the delicate flourishes of keys and steel.

The overall sound was more like a feeling in the end. Powerful and heat-stricken, it mimicked the lyrics, resonating with a been-there-done-that-never-going-back-again kind of intensity.

"I, I let you drive around my mind
I can't count the times
You made me feel like I'm nothing
Played me like a fool, like a fool"

'Liar' seems to reference a devil-on-your-shoulder kind of character, the lyrics alluding to someone or something – referred to plainly as "you" – peddling fallacies and harmful words to the artist's detriment. This villain tells him to "Drink another whiskey / Pop another pill / Money makes you happy / Heaven isn’t real," going as far as making him believe he's too broken to be loved.

Jelly Roll, however, knows better. On his journey to super stardom, he's been through the flames and risen from the ashes and tells this enemy so, singing:

"Oh I know, you ain’t nothing but a liar
Yeah I walk right out the fire
Yeah you try to keep me down
Try to put me underground
I’m only going higher"

He refuses to be buried under the pressure, the naysaying, the doubt.

While that negative voice still infiltrates his thoughts – he sings "I can hear you in my, in my head / When I'm dreaming" – he knows the truth. He understands that the voice in his head is not his friend and that the memories of everyone and everything that were once against him no longer hold dominion over him.

"Oh and now, I ain't scared of
Telling you where you can go
Look I know...

You ain’t nothing but a liar"

During an April appearance on stage at Nashville's legendary Grand Ole Opry, Jelly Roll debuted 'Liar' for the very first time.

“I feel like this is a safe place to play a new song, is that okay with y’all," he asked the unsuspecting but joyous crowd. He gave little information about the new tune, only informing his audience that, aside from that night's showcase, the song may never see the light of day. "We might not ever release this song. We’re just gonna play it for y’all and see if it works. Is that cool?”

Cool it was. Spectators were riveted by the artist's latest offering, just as they were when he showcased 'Liar' on stage at the ACM Awards.

*These lyrics were annotated from a live performance during the 2024 ACM Awards

"I, I let you drive around my mind
I can't count the times
You made me feel like I'm nothing
Played me like a fool, like a fool

Saying drink another whiskey
Pop another pill
Money makes you happy
Heaven isn’t real
You won’t find nobody to love
Because your heart’s too broke

Oh I know, you're nothing but a liar
Yeah I walk right out the fire
Yeah you try to keep me down
Try to put me underground
I’m only going higher

I can hear you in my, in my head
When I'm dreaming
You try to be my friend
But you're blowing smoke
Oh and now, I ain't scared of
Telling you where you can go
Look I know

You're nothing but a lie
You burned me one too many times
Like a devil in disguise, hiding your true colors
Just leave me alone, keep leading me on

Drink another whiskey
Pop another pill
Money makes you happy
Heaven isn’t real
You won’t find nobody to love
Because your heart’s too broke

Yeah I know, you ain’t nothing but a liar
Yeah I walk right out the fire
Yeah you try to keep me down
Try to put me underground
I’m only going higher

I can hear you in my, in my head
When I'm dreaming
You try to be my friend
But you're blowing smoke
Oh and now, I ain't scared of
Telling you where you can go
'Cause I know

If I was doin' what you do
You would sell my poison too

You're nothing but a liar
Yeah I walk right out the fire
Yeah you try to keep me down
Try to put me underground
I’m only going higher

I can hear you in my, in my head
When I'm dreaming
You try to be my friend
But you're blowing smoke
Oh and now, I ain't scared of
Telling you where you can go
'Cause I know

You're nothing but a liar"

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For more on Jelly Roll, see below: