Try That In A Small Town – English Lyrics

• By: Jason Aldean

Lyrics & Translation

Dive into Jason Aldean's controversial hit "Try That in a Small Town" – a song that ignited a national conversation about community values, urban-rural divides, and freedom of expression. Through its direct and widely discussed lyrics, you can explore contemporary American slang related to law and order, community identity, and political discourse. This song offers a unique window into cultural debates, making it a compelling piece to understand modern country music and its societal impact.

[English]

Sucker punch somebody on a sidewalk

Carjack an old lady at a red light

Pull a gun on the owner of a liquor store

Ya think it's cool, well, act a fool if ya like

Cuss out a cop, spit in his face

Stomp on the flag and light it up

Yeah, ya think you're tough

Well, try that in a small town

See how far ya make it down the road

Around here, we take care of our own

You cross that line, it won't take long

For you to find out, I recommend you don't

Try that in a small town

...

Got a gun that my granddad gave me

They say one day they're gonna round up

Well, that shit might fly in the city, good luck

Try that in a small town

See how far ya make it down the road

Around here, we take care of our own

You cross that line, it won't take long

For you to find out, I recommend you don't

Try that in a small town

Full of good ol' boys, raised up right

If you're looking for a fight

Try that in a small town

Try that in a small town

...

Try that in a small town

See how far ya make it down the road

Around here, we take care of our own

You cross that line, it won't take long

For you to find out, I recommend you don't

Try that in a small town

Try that in a small town

Ooh-ooh

Try that in a small town

...

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
punch /pʌntʃ/ B2	verb - to strike with the fist noun - a blow with the fist
sidewalk /ˈsaɪdwɔːk/ A2	noun - a paved path for pedestrians at the side of a road
carjack /ˈkɑːrdʒæk/ C1	verb - to steal a car by force or threat of force
gun /ɡʌn/ A2	noun - a firearm
owner /ˈoʊnər/ A2	noun - a person who owns something
liquor /ˈlɪkər/ B1	noun - an alcoholic drink
store /stɔːr/ A1	noun - a place where goods are sold
cuss /kʌs/ B2	verb - to use offensive language
cop /kɒp/ A2	noun - a police officer
spit /spɪt/ B1	verb - to eject saliva from the mouth
face /feɪs/ A1	noun - the front part of the head
stomp /stɒmp/ B2	verb - to tread heavily
flag /flæɡ/ A2	noun - a piece of cloth with a distinctive design
town /taʊn/ A1	noun - a populated place, larger than a village but smaller than a city
road /roʊd/ A1	noun - a way or route between two places
fight /faɪt/ A2	noun - a violent confrontation or struggle.

Key Grammar Structures

• Sucker punch somebody on a sidewalk

  ➔ Imperative

  ➔ The line uses the imperative mood, functioning as a challenge or dare. The implicit subject is "you". "Sucker punch" is used as a verb.

• Ya think it's cool, well, act a fool if ya like

  ➔ Conditional clause and imperative

  ➔ This line contains an implicit conditional clause: "If you think it's cool". "Act a fool" is an imperative, expressing a consequence of thinking something is "cool". "If ya like" is an optional clause to emphasise.

• See how far ya make it down the road

  ➔ Indirect question and colloquial grammar

  ➔ "See how far ya make it down the road" functions as a command to observe the outcome. It contains an embedded question structure, "how far ya make it down the road". "Ya" is a colloquial shortening of "you".

• Around here, we take care of our own

  ➔ Present simple tense, possessive pronoun

  ➔ This line uses the present simple tense to express a general truth or custom. "Our own" is a possessive pronoun, meaning "our own people" or "our own kind".

• You cross that line, it won't take long

  ➔ Conditional clause (Type 1) and future simple

  ➔ This is a Type 1 conditional sentence. "If you cross that line, it will not take long..." expressing a likely outcome in the future. The contraction "won't" is used instead of "will not".

• For you to find out, I recommend you don't

  ➔ Infinitive of purpose, recommendation (subjunctive)

  ➔ The phrase "For you to find out" uses an infinitive of purpose, indicating the reason for the following recommendation. "I recommend you don't" is a shortened form of "I recommend that you do not", with the "that" omitted, and the base form of the verb used after 'recommend', reflecting the subjunctive mood (more common in formal contexts).

• Got a gun that my granddad gave me

  ➔ Relative clause (defining), past simple tense

  ➔ This line uses a defining relative clause: "that my granddad gave me", which provides essential information about the gun. The past simple tense "gave" is used to describe a completed action in the past.

• They say one day they're gonna round up

  ➔ Indirect speech, future with "gonna"

  ➔ This line reports what "they" say, functioning as indirect speech. "They're gonna round up" is a colloquial way of expressing the future, meaning "they are going to round up". "Round up" is a phrasal verb.