'Skoal, Chevy, and Browning' by Morgan Wallen - Lyrics and Meaning

Since 2021's release of Dangerous: The Double Album, Morgan Wallen has been on the fast track to country music superstardom.

Bolstered by 2023's standout record, One Thing At A Time, the Tennessee native has become the biggest name in the format, even infiltrating across genre lines and landing singles atop the all-genre Billboard Hot 100.

After a little over two years, the award-winning entertainer has finally arrived with a new batch of music in the form of his 37-track opus, I'm the Problem, arriving May 16 and sprawling with his next era of record-breaking hits and beloved fan-favorites.

Eighth track on the album ‘Skoal, Chevy, and Browning’ sees Wallen embrace that simple country life and take on board some timelessly wise advice.

On a hunting trip with Uncle Joe, he's told that there are a few things to help guide you when you’re feeling lost. Really all you need to remember is to be as reliable as Skoal – the classic smokeless tobacco – as dependable as a Chevy truck and as steady as a Browning shotgun.

A slower pace on ‘Skoal, Chevy, and Browning’ reflects the meaningful conversation that makes up the song. Closer to a classic country song than one of Wallen’s pop leaning ready-for-radio tracks, this one has a nice flow to it, but it’s definitely not a trap-beat.

Some acoustic guitar picking throughout the track brings a more mellow vibe, reminiscent of a night around a fire after a day in the country. Wallen’s classic vocals kick-in after a short intro and immediately bring that authentic emotion his gravelly voice is able to conjure up.

As we move into the chorus, a restrained percussion is added to the mix and the song moves forwards, along with the storytelling.

"He was old school as huntin’ in a flannel
Took me with him slap middle of the rut
I was tryin’ to get me one for the mantle
He was tryin’ to fill the Frigidaire up
We met back at his C-10 custom
He was waitin’ with a doe and a beer
I said I coulda killed a dozen of ‘em
He said hell why ain’t one here"

As we start at the beginning of this story, we’ve been invited to join a hunting trip with Wallen and someone who seems to be a guiding figure in the country star’s life.

Whilst Wallen’s looking for a trophy deer, one that can be displayed in his home, the other side of this trip is one of practicality, of real country living as he’s looking to "fill the Frigidaire up".

One member of the hunt came out a little more successful than the other, but as we come to hear, Wallen will be taking something away from this trip, too. The pair aren’t afraid of making fun of each other, though, some natural joking making light of Wallen’s (perhaps below par) hunting skills.

"He told me hold the light
Pulled out a buck knife
We talked about life
While I held the left leg
Went from girls to God
Politics and dogs
Said I’d been lost
So Uncle Joe said"

As the day continues, deep conversation accompanies them.

It’s revealed that Uncle Joe is the one who took Wallen out into the country and it seems that he has a long list of advice to offer. Going from "girls to God" and talking about everything from "politics and dogs", Wallen finally confesses that he’s been a little lost recently.

Luckily, he’s got Uncle Joe to turn to.

"If you’re gonna be a friend
Be a friend like Skoal always there in a pinch
If you’re gonna love a woman you got
To love her like a Chevy buddy steady like a rock
If something’s on your mind
Got somethin’ to say
Do it like your Browning
Try to shoot ‘em straight
Hell just look around ya
Be Skoal, Chevy, and Browning"

A list of advice that might only make sense to those that lean towards that rough and ready country lifestyle, a thread of comparisons sees some wisdom being passed on in a language that a country boy like Wallen might understand.

If you want to be a good friend, be a friend like Skoal, he begins. Skoal being a brand of American smokeless tobacco since around since 1934, it’s reliable and "always there in a pinch". Digging down a little deeper, the brand’s name comes from a Scandinavian term to announce a toast of friendship.

There’s no shortage of Chevy trucks in country songs, so perhaps this one doesn’t need an explanation – reliable, strong and dependable; when you love someone, that’s exactly what you should be.

Finishing off the chorus, Uncle Joe’s last comparison is to a classic American Browning shotgun – probably the very one that's been taken out on the pair’s hunting trip. When you’ve got something to say, there’s just one thing you should bear in mind: shoot straight.

"Said that’s some shit I shoulda told your cousin
‘Fore he got caught up in that mess
Wherever he is I hope he knows I love him
I’d just hate to see you be next
Said that’s enough of that
Threw a back strap
On a hot black cast iron skillet with some Dale’s
While I was half beer drinkin’ and half clear thinkin’ to myself"

Taking a step deeper into the story in the second verse, it seems that Joe’s son might have been lost, too, but unlike Wallen, he hasn’t found his way back.

As the pain that this has caused the family becomes clear, it makes sense why this advice is as important as it is. Hopefully, it’s all being taken on board, even as the conversation comes to an end, its influence sure has had an impact.

Reflecting on everything he’s been told, Wallen ends the day by "half beer drinkin’ and half clear thinkin'".

"If you’re gonna be a friend
Be a friend like Skoal always there in a pinch
If you’re gonna love a woman you got
To love her like a Chevy buddy steady like a rock
If something’s on your mind
Got somethin’ to say
Do it like your Browning
Try to shoot ‘em straight
Hell just look around ya
Be Skoal, Chevy, and Browning"

As is often the case of late, the ‘Thought You Should Know’ singer-songwriter has so far remained tight-lipped on how the song came about.

However, when revealing the release date for I'm the Problem, Wallen provided fans with an insight into the theme of introspection that courses through the project as a whole.

“I have been a problem, for sure, and I've got no problem admitting that. But there are other sides to me as well," he explained. "I've spent the last 11 months really trying to figure out, 'Do I still want to be the problem? Is it time to move past that phase in my life? I think it probably is, and this might be the last time I get a chance to honestly say it.”

He was old school as huntin’ in a flannel
Took me with him slap middle of the rut
I was tryin’ to get me one for the mantle
He was tryin’ to fill the Frigidaire up
We met back at his C-10 custom
He was waitin’ with a doe and a beer
I said I coulda killed a dozen of ‘em
He said hell why ain’t one here

He told me hold the light
Pulled out a buck knife
We talked about life
While I held the left leg
Went from girls to God
Politics and dogs
Said I’d been lost
So Uncle Joe said

If you’re gonna be a friend
Be a friend like Skoal always there in a pinch
If you’re gonna love a woman you got
To love her like a Chevy buddy steady like a rock
If something’s on your mind
Got somethin’ to say
Do it like your Browning
Try to shoot ‘em straight
Hell just look around ya
Be Skoal, Chevy, and Browning

Said that’s some shit I shoulda told your cousin
‘Fore he got caught up in that mess
Wherever he is I hope he knows I love him
I’d just hate to see you be next
Said that’s enough of that
Threw a back strap
On a hot black cast iron skillet with some Dale’s
While I was half beer drinkin’ and half clear thinkin’ to myself

If you’re gonna be a friend
Be a friend like Skoal always there in a pinch
If you’re gonna love a woman you got
To love her like a Chevy buddy steady like a rock
If something’s on your mind
Got somethin’ to say
Do it like your Browning
Try to shoot ‘em straight
Hell just look around ya
Be Skoal, Chevy, and Browning

He was old school as huntin’ in a flannel
Took me with him slap middle of the rut
I was tryin’ to get me one for the mantle
But I left with somethin’ better in the truck

If you’re gonna be a friend
Be a friend like Skoal always there in a pinch
If you’re gonna love a woman you got
To love her like a Chevy buddy steady like a rock
If something’s on your mind
Got somethin’ to say
Do it like your Browning
Try to shoot ‘em straight
Hell just look around ya
Be Skoal, Chevy, and Browning

Simple as Skoal, Chevy, and Browning

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