Kip Moore's Roots Lie Behind "Dirt Road"

Kip Moore was raised in Tifton, Georgia, about 120 miles from my own hometown, so I can relate to the lyrics of "Dirt Road." Growing up Baptist in small-town Georgia meant a church on nearly every corner and a long list of things to give up if you wanted to be accepted into Heaven. It meant not going fishing on Sunday mornings because you had to be in church; not drinking beer after the football game on Friday because "Jesus doesn't like those who drink" and it meant never getting closer than holding hands with someone of the opposite sex because "holding hands leads to fornication and then you're expecting a baby without being married." (Yes, those are things I was actually told in my youth.) Needless to say, the promise of streets of gold didn't overcome the list of things I wasn't supposed do when I was 16 and after listening to Kip Moore's new song, it seems like we have that in common too.

From the song ...

But unless it's got a dirt road, leading down to a fishing hole,
With a little piece of moonlight, a couple cans of Bud Light.
Where I can cuddle with my baby and I can pull her real close
No, I don't wanna go unless heaven's got a dirt road

Kip talked about the song and the story behind it with Taste of Country and he calls it a "personal reflection" of his Baptist upbringing. He shares that the song is much deeper than being just about a dirt road or drinking a beer. "It’s more about the rebellion of that youth … when you have that youth and you’re trying to figure out who you are. And it’s that rebellion against what theories and beliefs are being pushed on you kind of thing."

The thing with growing up, regardless of where you do it, is that you hit a point where you stop living your parent's faith and start finding your own way. For some, the journey is easy. For others, it's a life-long trip that doesn't end until you're on your last breath. For Kip Moore, it seems like he's pretty much found his way and has figured out that there is a lot more to Jesus loving us than a long list of things we can't do. And he's not holding out for a dirt road leading into Heaven. He said, "It's not about not believing. Of course you don’t take it literal. I mean if I’m at the pearly gates and God says come on in, I’m not gonna say, ‘Nope not coming in unless you got a dirt road.'"