Me and Billy Joe Taylor joined each other at the hip
I loved him like the brother I never had
he was my go-to-guy on 3rd and 10, made me look good at the quarterback. Texas had a man in the stands the night we beat the Panthers
said they had a spot for both of us that next fall
we were ridin' high on pride and big time futures
small town paper said we had it all

Chorus:
Up until the night me and Billy Joe drank way too much for Blue Buck Road
"born to be wild" on the radio, god I still hate that song
both of us died there in that crash
but I lived to wish I had that night back
after that football didn't mean that much
but until then, I thought that's who I was

Daddy had a hardware store where hard work was his livin'
peddelin' the hammers that built this town
I broke his heart that summer, I told him what I wasn't planin'
how to sell the nails by the pound
Spent my last paycheck on an RC and a Greyhound
a front seat to the world I'd never seen
I got a job, got a girl, had some cash and world in my pocket
thought I'd found my place in the great machine

Chorus:
Up until the night I got the call
mama said daddy didn't feel nothin' at all
she broke down at the fellowship hall said baby we need you here with us
I told my boss to wish me the best, I told my girl she wish we never met but I don't regret what I gave up
cause until then I thought that's who I was.

I drove straight through some twist and turns
went through some crash and burns
stumbled through some lessons learned with the weight on my shoulders
went around the world to find the girl god had in mind
gave me a better love than the one I scratched up
but until then I thought that's who I was
but that ain't who I was