If I Don't Make It Back - Tracy Lawrence

[AngelBear]

Lyrics:

We went out for beers and a couple of laughs
Knowin' full well that every bad joke that Jimmy told
Might be his last
So we laughed like the world wasn't at war
Said things to him we'd never said before
And he teared up as he held up his glass
He said, boys, if I don't make it back

Have a beer for me, don't waste no tears on me
On Friday night sit on the visitors side
And cheer for the home team
Drive my Camaro, 90 miles an hour down Red Rock Road
With 'Born to Run' blastin' on the radio
And find someone good enough for Amy
Who will love her like I would have
If I don't make it back

We said, hey, man that ain't gonna happen
Don't even think like that
If we know you, you'll pull through without a scratch
He pulled me aside in the parkin' lot
Said, Amy and me we're gonna tie the knot
You're my best man, just wanted you to know that
Just in case I don't make it back

Have a beer for me, don't waste no tears on me
On Friday night sit on the visitors side
And cheer for the home team
Drive my Camaro, 90 miles an hour down Red Rock Rock
With 'Born to Run' blastin' on the radio
And find someone good enough for Amy
Who will love her like I would have
If I don't make it back

If the good Lord calls me home
I'd like to think my friends
Will think about me when I'm gone

Well, Miller Lite ain't my brand
But I drink one every now and then, in his honour
And we ain't missed a home game yet
Had that Camero at 110 on Red Rock Road
When the speakers blowed
And I introduced Amy to a friend of mine from Monroe
He's a good ol' boy
But you know, she just ain't ready


**THE STORY BEHIND THE SONG
Brett Jones, Co-Writer, "If I Don't Make It Back"
The day Bobby Pinson and I wrote this song, we set out to create a story about those affected by the death of someone close. I shared a personal story that ultimately became the shadow of influence over writing this song. While my personal story has to do with the Vietnam War, this song is meant to comfort anyone who's ever lost someone close under any circumstance. Here's the story I shared with Bobby the day we wrote "If I Don't Make It Back"-

"My oldest brother, Lt. James Grady Jones, was killed in Vietnam November 12, 1966. He was a pilot and was killed in a collision flying over North Vietnam. Jimmy was a Navy fighter jet pilot. They were doing a night raid, flying A4 Skyhawks off the deck of the U.S.S. FDR in the Gulf of Tonkin. His jet was shot up by the NVA Flak (North Vietnamese) during a combat mission. He lost communication with his home aircraft carrier, drifted upward, and collided with another aircraft. He was 26 years old. 'Jimmy' left behind his wife Emmy, his three-year old daughter Janie, his one-year old son Scottie, our parents, and five siblings. My brother's son, Scottie, recently committed suicide. We consider him a casualty of the Vietnam War as well. Even though this year marks forty years since my brother's death, rarely a day goes by that we don't think of him. Rarely a day goes by that we don't think of my nephew. We're a close family."

Bobby and I wanted to capture part of Jimmy's spirit and show his personality from the perspective of his friends and family. He was quite the prankster. Bobby came up with the line "sit on the visitor's side and cheer for the home team" and the song just kept flowing from there. We knew there was something special about this song and we knew it would take a certain kind of artist to deliver the emotion this song held. All of the elements fell into place. Tracy Lawrence's vocal on it is that rare magic that happens once in a while. The song even brings a tear to my eye.