Gotta Be Tough
[Verse 1]
Granddad’s boots
Still by the door
Said, “Boy, this road
Gonna ask for more”
Red dirt, heat
Bills on the table
Mama kept prayin’
We kept the cable
Late nights, runnin’
On fumes and pride
Heart got heavy
Truck got tired
Every little setback
Hit like a truck
He just grinned and said,
“Kid, toughen up”
[Chorus]
You gotta be tough
When the world get rough
When the rain keeps fallin’
And the ground’s all mud
When your hands feel shaky
And it all looks stuck
You don’t quit, you don’t run
You dig in, stand up
Yeah, out here in the dust
You gotta be tough
[Verse 2]
High school talk
All “you won’t make it”
Small-town gossip
Learned how to take it
Turned that doubt
Into diesel in my veins
Turned that pain
Into pride in my name
Friends went fast
And some went missin’
Lost a good love
’Cause I wouldn’t listen
But every time life
Tried to call my bluff
I heard his voice say,
“Son, rise up”
[Chorus]
You gotta be tough
When the world get rough
When the rain keeps fallin’
And the ground’s all mud
When your hands feel shaky
And it all looks stuck
You don’t quit, you don’t run
You dig in, stand up
Yeah, out here in the dust
You gotta be tough
[Bridge]
Bruised knuckles on the steering wheel (oh yeah)
Tear tracks that the dark can’t steal
Talkin’ to the sky like, “Are you with me?”
Then I hear that old man in my memory
[Chorus]
You gotta be tough
When the world get rough
When the rain keeps fallin’
And the ground’s all mud
When your voice starts crackin’
And you feel fed up
You don’t quit, you don’t run
You dig in, stand up
Yeah, out here in the dust
You gotta be tough
(yeah, you gotta be tough)