“Scroll down to the end of the article to listen to music.”

Introduction

As a song that epitomizes the high-energy, carefree spirit of contemporary country music, “This Is How We Roll” resonates with many. Its title alone evokes memories of endless summer nights, driving down dusty roads with friends, windows down, and music blasting. For many fans, it captures the essence of youth and freedom—a soundtrack to adventures that many cherish as a symbol of their best days.

About The Composition

  • Title: This Is How We Roll
  • Composers: Luke Bryan, Tyler Hubbard, Brian Kelley, Cole Swindell
  • Premiere Date: November 26, 2013
  • Album/Opus/Collection: Here’s to the Good Times…This Is How We Roll
  • Genre: Country, specifically Bro-country

Background

“This Is How We Roll” was originally a track from Florida Georgia Line’s album, featuring country music superstar Luke Bryan. The song emerged from a collaboration that highlights the camaraderie and shared musical vision between these artists. It represents a significant phase in the ‘Bro-country’ movement, characterized by its blend of rock, hip-hop, and electronic influences within traditional country music. The track was a commercial success, embraced widely for its catchy melody and quintessentially carefree lyrics, capturing the lifestyle and cultural ethos of a generation.

Musical Style

The song is marked by its robust, anthemic quality, designed to be an upbeat soundtrack perfect for lively social gatherings. Its instrumentation includes electric guitars and a prominent drum beat, creating a robust sound that complements its high-energy vocals. The structure is catchy, with a chorus that invites listeners to sing along, making it a staple in country music playlists at parties and events.

Lyrics/Libretto

The lyrics of “This Is How We Roll” celebrate life on the road and the freedom associated with it, typical of the Bro-country genre. Themes of friendship, adventure, and carefree living are prevalent, resonating with fans who find joy in the simple pleasures of life—like rolling down a backroad with friends or celebrating the weekend in the country.

Performance History

Since its release, “This Is How We Roll” has enjoyed immense popularity in live performances, particularly at country music festivals where Florida Georgia Line and Luke Bryan have featured it prominently. Its reception has consistently been enthusiastic, further cementing its place in contemporary country music.

Cultural Impact

The song’s influence extends beyond music; it has become a cultural icon for a segment of youth that identifies with its themes. Its impact is seen in its frequent use in films, commercials, and television shows that aim to evoke a sense of freedom and fun, aligning with the song’s spirit.

Legacy

“This Is How We Roll” remains a defining piece in the careers of Florida Georgia Line and Luke Bryan, often cited by fans and critics alike as a highlight. Its ongoing popularity at concerts and its regular play on country music stations underscore its lasting appeal and its role in shaping the modern country music landscape.

Conclusion

“This Is How We Roll” is more than just a song; it’s a celebration of life’s joyful, unrestrained moments. For anyone looking to recapture the spirit of youthful exuberance or seeking a musical escape into the world of country fun, this track is a must-listen. Whether at a live concert or through your speakers at home, it’s guaranteed to lift spirits and invite you to roll down those windows and just enjoy the ride.

Video

Lyrics

[Verse 1: Florida Georgia Line]
The mixtape’s got a little Hank, little Drake
A little somethin’ bumpin’, thumb thumpin’ on the wheel right
The mix in our drink’s a little stronger than you think
So get a grip, take a sip of that feel right
Trucks jacked up, flat bills flipped back
Yeah, you can find us where the party’s at

[Chorus: Florida Georgia Line]
This is how we roll
We hangin’ ’round, singin’ out everything on the radio
We light it up with our hands up
This is how we roll, this is how we do
We burnin’ down the night, shootin’ bullets at the moon
Baby, this is how we roll

[Verse 2: Florida Georgia Line]
Yeah, baby, this is how we roll, we rollin’ into town
With nothin’ else to do, we take another lap around
Yeah, holla at your boy if you need a ride
If you roll with me, yeah, you know we rollin’ high
Up on them 37 Nittos, windows tinted, hard to see though
How fresh my baby is in the shotgun seat, oh
Them kisses are for me though, automatic like a free throw
This life I live, it might not be for you, but it’s for me though, let’s roll

[Chorus: Florida Georgia Line]
This is how we roll
We hangin’ ’round, singin’ out everything on the radio
We light it up with our hands up
This is how we roll, this is how we do
When the world turns ugly, I just turn and look at you
Baby, this is how we roll

[Guitar Solo]

[Bridge: Luke Bryan & Florida Georgia Line]
And we gon’ sing it to ’em
Yeah, we’re proud to be young, we stick to our guns
We love who we love and we wanna have fun
Yeah, we cuss on them Mondays and pray on them Sundays
Pass it around and we dream about one day

[Chorus: Luke Byran & Florida Georgia Line]
‘Cause this is how we roll (Come on, y’all)
We hangin’ ’round, singin’ out everything on the radio
(Get your hands up, get your hands up, get your hands up)
We light it up with our hands up (Aw, yeah)
This is how we roll, this is how we ride
We slangin’ up the mud, cuttin’ through the country side
Baby, this is how we roll
[Outro: Florida Georgia Line & Luke Bryan]
Yeah, this is how we roll (This is how we roll)
Yeah, baby (How we roll)
Yo, LB, let’s go (Yeah, this is how we roll)
This how we roll, this is how we do
We burnin’ down the night, shootin’ bullets at the moon (Aw, yeah)
Baby, this is how we roll (BK, Tyler)
LB, baby, one more time boys, let’s go
Yeah, this is how we roll (This is how we roll)

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HE WAS ON THE ROAD, TALKING TO HIS WIFE, WHEN HE SAID THE WORDS THAT WOULD TURN INTO A SONG ABOUT A MAN DYING UNDER A BRIDGE. The road had become part of the job. Airports, buses, hotel rooms, soundchecks, another city before the last one had settled in his mind. He tried to reassure her the way people on the road often do. “This is temporary,” he told her. “I’m almost home.” The phrase stayed with him. Later, Morgan and songwriter Kerry Kurt Phillips built a different story around it. Not a road song. Not a love song. A song about a homeless man lying under a bridge, cold and tired, dreaming of a woman named Jenny and a place he can finally reach. “Almost Home” did not sound like a normal radio calculation. The man in the song was not drinking in a bar, driving a truck, or trying to get a girl back. He was dying. The final turn was quiet: the police officer finds him in the morning, but the man has already gone where he believed home really was. Morgan recorded it for his 2003 album I Love It. The song became his breakthrough. It reached the country Top 10, won BMI Song of the Year recognition, and introduced a different side of Craig Morgan to listeners. They knew the soldier. They knew the working-class singer. Now they heard him telling a story about someone most people passed without seeing. Years later, Jelly Roll told Morgan that “Almost Home” had helped him through jail. That may be the strangest part of the song’s life. It began with a husband on the road trying to reassure his wife. It became a dying man’s last dream. Then it reached people in places Craig Morgan could not have imagined when he first said the words into a phone.

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HE WAS ON THE ROAD, TALKING TO HIS WIFE, WHEN HE SAID THE WORDS THAT WOULD TURN INTO A SONG ABOUT A MAN DYING UNDER A BRIDGE. The road had become part of the job. Airports, buses, hotel rooms, soundchecks, another city before the last one had settled in his mind. He tried to reassure her the way people on the road often do. “This is temporary,” he told her. “I’m almost home.” The phrase stayed with him. Later, Morgan and songwriter Kerry Kurt Phillips built a different story around it. Not a road song. Not a love song. A song about a homeless man lying under a bridge, cold and tired, dreaming of a woman named Jenny and a place he can finally reach. “Almost Home” did not sound like a normal radio calculation. The man in the song was not drinking in a bar, driving a truck, or trying to get a girl back. He was dying. The final turn was quiet: the police officer finds him in the morning, but the man has already gone where he believed home really was. Morgan recorded it for his 2003 album I Love It. The song became his breakthrough. It reached the country Top 10, won BMI Song of the Year recognition, and introduced a different side of Craig Morgan to listeners. They knew the soldier. They knew the working-class singer. Now they heard him telling a story about someone most people passed without seeing. Years later, Jelly Roll told Morgan that “Almost Home” had helped him through jail. That may be the strangest part of the song’s life. It began with a husband on the road trying to reassure his wife. It became a dying man’s last dream. Then it reached people in places Craig Morgan could not have imagined when he first said the words into a phone.

AT 70, BILLY JOE SHAVER SHOT A MAN OUTSIDE A TEXAS BAR. THREE YEARS LATER, WILLIE NELSON SAT IN THE COURTROOM WHILE A JURY DECIDED IF HE WOULD GO TO PRISON. By 2007, Billy Joe Shaver had already lived the kind of life that made most outlaw songs sound tame. He had written much of Honky Tonk Heroes for Waylon Jennings. He had buried his wife, his mother, and his son. He had survived a heart attack onstage at Gruene Hall. He was nearly seventy, still playing Texas rooms, still carrying the same hard edge that had made people call him an outlaw even when he preferred another word. Then, on March 31, 2007, he went to Papa Joe’s Texas Saloon in Lorena. Outside the bar, Billy Joe got into an argument with a man named Billy Bryant Coker. Shaver said Coker threatened him with a knife. Witnesses described the confrontation differently. What nobody disputed was what happened next: Billy Joe pulled a .22 pistol and shot Coker in the face. Coker survived. Shaver turned himself in days later. He was charged with aggravated assault, a case that could have sent him to prison for as long as twenty years. The old songwriter who had spent a lifetime turning fights, failures, faith, and bad decisions into songs was suddenly standing inside a Texas courtroom with his own life reduced to testimony, photographs, and one question: had he acted in self-defense? The trial came in April 2010. Willie Nelson was there. Robert Duvall was there too. Duvall testified about Billy Joe’s character and told the jury he did not believe Shaver would have fired unless he thought his life was in danger. Willie sat through the proceedings as the case moved toward its verdict. Then the jury came back. Not guilty. Billy Joe walked out of the courthouse without prison waiting behind him. He was seventy years old when the shooting happened. He had spent three years carrying the charge. And after the verdict, he went back to doing what Billy Joe Shaver always did when life nearly broke open around him. He kept moving. Most singers spend their final years protecting the legend. Billy Joe Shaver spent his standing in a courtroom while two old friends watched a jury decide whether the road had finally caught him.

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