Songfacts®:

• This triumphant ode to the armed forces finds the Zac Brown Band paying their respects to the men and women who fight for our freedom.
  
  No one's born to be a warrior
  No one's born an average man
  We're made one or the other
  And we try to understand
  
  Once a warrior, these brave people will remain so, even after they've finished serving their country.
• The song was inspired by a speech on what it means to be a warrior from Zac Brown's friend Alexander R. Oliver. Before he wrote the track, Brown interviewed Oliver about his two-decade career in the special operations branch of the military. "He is a true warrior and a wordsmith," said the singer of his pal. "So I took some of his story and words, and tried to channel a glimpse of what it means to be a modern day warrior."
• The second verse directly addresses the pain these selfless warriors face going into battle and returning home to a non-appreciative society.
  
  He can wash the war paint off his face
  And learn to love a bitter broken place
  
  These servicemen and women have sacrificed their own well-being for the common good. "The cause suppresses the pain and makes it bearable no matter how many injuries are absorbed," Oliver explained. "But when our contribution to the cause comes to an end the pain loses its suppressor and for some that pain is unbearable."
• Zac Brown Band have honored the military before in songs such as "Dress Blues." However, this is their first release that reflects on the formidable challenges they face, both in battle and on their return home.