Songfacts®:

• Jason Michael Carroll likens himself to Tupac Shakur in that he's got an entire library of songs that have not seen the iridescent side of a CD. He says if his Maker should decide to take him while folks are still grappling for new music from him, they'll have plenty to select from.
  This song falls into that category. Not on any records anywhere, this is a song that Jason co-wrote with one of his idols, (Check out our full Radney Foster.). "We wrote this song my very first session in Nashville," Jason recalls. "And I remember writing it and putting as much emotion into it as possible. And it's a pretty dark song. But, I mean, it's one of my most requested songs live, even though it's not on a record anywhere."
• "I pitched this song to be on my first record," says Jason, "and my label came to me saying they're not gonna put it on there, because it's a little degrading to women, because it says something about her leaving. And it's kind of funny because most of the people that request that song at my shows are women. (laughs)
  it's basically about a relationship. It can be from the man's standpoint, or from the woman's standpoint, but in this case, 'Stray' is written from the man's standpoint, talking about how last night I saw you standing by the window in our room, you had your hair down on your shoulder and the moonlight kissing you. Basically painting this beautiful portrait, there she is by the window in the moonlight. And then, 'I could hold your perfect body, but I couldn't reach your heart.' 'And that fire that burned between us slowly faded in the dark, you're gonna stray, and I know it. You don't want to be here is perfectly clear, and you think you've got it hidden away, but I know you're gonna stray.' And the second verse talks about, 'I don't know who he is, I don't even know if there is somebody, I don't know when it's gonna happen, but I can tell you're gonna stray.'" (check out our interview with Jason Michael Carroll)