'Truck Still Works' by Brad Paisley – Lyrics & Meaning

"There's a place I know about where the dirt road runs out / And we can try out the four-wheel drive / Come on now what do you say / Girl, I can hardly wait to get a little mud on the tires," Brad Paisley sang over 20 years ago when he released what would be his greatest hit so far, 'Mud On The Tires', in 2003.

Today, that classic tune has received a sequel in the form of 'Truck Still Works', a brand new single that details what happened after the mud was washed away, the truck was parked and the love was gone.

'Truck Still Works' picks up more than two decades later with the same Chevy, the same dirt road and the same desire to fall in love in four-wheel drive.

'Truck Still Works' may be a continuation of 'Mud On The Tires', but the new tune takes on a refreshed arrangement, one fueled by the silvery pluck of electrified strings and the bold rhythm of anthemic drums.

Layered with masterful steel and powered by years of road-tested artistry, 'Truck Still Works' features a more complex, well-seasoned composition compared to that of its sweet and simplistic predecessor.

"I didn't know she was back in town
Seemed like it been forever
She said, 'It's good to be back home
But you know what would make it better?
You still got that short-bed Chevy
We put the memory miles on
I'm sure you sold that thing'
I smiled and said, 'You're wrong
It's in the barn out back
And if I can get that thing to crank
How 'bout a little test drive
Down by the lake'"

When fans were introduced to 'Mud On The Tires', Paisley had just been approved for the loan to buy his beloved Chevrolet, the vehicle around which this story revolves. He couldn't wait to take his girl for a spin then, and now that she's back in town after 20 years, she's itching for another whirl.

'Truck Still Works' opens with their reacquaintance and the woman asking if he still has that same old truck, the one they dirtied up all those years ago. The answer is yes, but the real question is: does it still run?

Paisley is determined to find out.

"Let's see if that truck still works
Let's see if that song still sings
Let's see if them miles of corn
Still got that shade of green
Let's see if we can find that place
I used to know about
Let's see if they paved that old dirt road
That used to run out
Find out if that dogwood limb
Is still thеre to hang our shirts
If you ain't got nothin' else to do tonight
Lеt's see if that truck still works"

If the truck still works, they can relive the night that unfolded in 'Mud On The Tires'. They can go down the same road, revisit the same spots, see what's different and what has stayed the same.

In 'Truck Still Works', he takes a moment to interpolate 'Mud On The Tires' into the new track, pulling inspiration from the old chorus to sing: "'Cause it's a good night to soak that moonlight in / And with a little luck we might get stuck again".

If the truck still cranks and the mud still sticks, maybe, in the end, there's hope for their love too.

"Let's see if that truck still works
Let's see if that song still sings
Let's see if them miles of corn
Still got that shade of green
Let's see if we can find that place
I used to know about
Let's see if they paved that old dirt road
That used to run out
Find out if that dogwood limb
Is still there to hang our shirts
If you ain't got nothin' else to do tonight
Let's see if that truck still works"

Upon the release of his new song, Paisley took to social media to say a few words about the sequel tune 20 years in the making. "It’s a throwback, but at the same time it’s a new set of wheels," he described, adding that 'Truck Still Works' is the "first of many off of a new project."

I didn't know she was back in town
Seemed like it been forever
She said, "It's good to be back home
But you know what would make it better?
You still got that short-bed Chevy
We put the memory miles on
I'm sure you sold that thing"
I smiled and said, "You're wrong
It's in the barn out back
And if I can get that thing to crank
How 'bout a little test drive
Down by the lake"

Let's see if that truck still works
Let's see if that song still sings
Let's see if them miles of corn
Still got that shade of green
Let's see if we can find that place
I used to know about
Let's see if they paved that old dirt road
That used to run out
Find out if that dogwood limb
Is still thеre to hang our shirts
If you ain't got nothin' else to do tonight
Lеt's see if that truck still works

We can roll the windows down
I bet I've still got two or three
Hair ties on the gear shift
And a ball cap behind the seat
If you miss those old times
The sun sets about nine
And I've got a four-wheel drive
Time machine

Let's see if that truck still works
Let's see if that song still sings
Let's see if them miles of corn
Still got that shade of green
Let's see if we can find that place
I used to know about
Let's see if they paved that old dirt road
That used to run out
Find out if that dogwood limb
Is still there to hang our shirts
If you ain't got nothin' else to do tonight
Let's see if that truck still works

'Cause it's a good night to soak that moonlight in
And with a little luck we might get stuck again

Let's see if that truck still works
Let's see if that song still sings
Let's see if them miles of corn
Still got that shade of green
Let's see if we can find that place
I used to know about
Let's see if they paved that old dirt road
That used to run out
Find out if that dogwood limb
Is still there to hang our shirts
If you ain't got nothin' else to do tonight
Let's see if that truck still works

--

For more on Brad Paisley, see below: