Y'all Life

Album: single release only (2022)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Walker Hayes was born and raised in Mobile, Alabama. On this hip-hop-influenced Southern country anthem, he recounts childhood memories of the simple way of life in his hometown. "It's my life growing up, basically in a nutshell, Hayes told CountryNow. "Main thing growing up was church and football. That's what we were all about down in Mobile."
  • Walker Hayes penned "Y'all Life" with Josh Jenkins and Pete Good. Jenkins was one of Hayes' "Fancy Like" co-writers and Good previously collaborated with the singer on "Black Sheep" and "Goldest."
  • When Hayes wrote "Y'all Life" with Jenkins and Good, he wanted to give the listener the small-town atmosphere.

    Small town, y'all town, double dutch in the park
    Ice cream truck failing that emissions test hard


    The image of the dodgy ice cream takes Hayes "right back to municipal park in Mobile feeding the ducks with some wonky ice cream truck coming by."
  • Other images Walker inserts include the blowup Christmas yard ornaments that stayed up way too long, his mama's sweet tea, local church prayers, and chicken wings. Walker also shouts out southern icons such as country music legend Dolly Parton, NBA star James Harden, and restaurant chain Olive Garden. Incidentally, we included the Italian-American casual-dining chain Olive Garden in our list of 10 restaurants most often mentioned in songs.
  • In 2000, rapper and singer Nelly paid tribute to his home city of St. Louis with "Country Grammar (Hot S--t)." He sang in the chorus:

    I'm goin down down baby, yo street in a Range Rover

    Hayes interpolates the lyric in the chorus of "Y'all Life" when he sings:

    I'm goin' down, down, baby, your street in my Bronco
  • The Mason Allen and Nicki Fletcher-directed video features Hayes' six children and his wife Laney. The singer's pal Craig Cooper of "Craig" fame also has a cameo.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Bass Player Scott Edwards

Bass Player Scott EdwardsSong Writing

Scott was Stevie Wonder's bass player before becoming a top session player. Hits he played on include "I Will Survive," "Being With You" and "Sara Smile."

Top American Idol Moments: Songs And Scandals

Top American Idol Moments: Songs And ScandalsSong Writing

Surprise exits, a catfight and some very memorable performances make our list of the most memorable Idol moments.

Grammar In Lyrics

Grammar In LyricsMusic Quiz

Lyrics don't always follow the rules of grammar. Can you spot the ones that don't?

Michael Glabicki of Rusted Root

Michael Glabicki of Rusted RootSongwriter Interviews

Michael tells the story of "Send Me On My Way," and explains why some of the words in the song don't have a literal meaning.

Chris Tomlin

Chris TomlinSongwriter Interviews

The king of Christian worship music explains talks about writing songs for troubled times.

Devo

DevoSongwriter Interviews

Devo founders Mark Mothersbaugh and Jerry Casale take us into their world of subversive performance art. They may be right about the De-Evoloution thing.