Buy Dirt

Album

Single

Label

RCA Records Nashville

Genre

Country

Composer(s)

Jacob J. Davis, Jordan Davis, Josh Jenkins, Matt Jenkins

Entered Chart

Aug 21, 2021

Peak Date

Jan 29, 2022

Released

Unknown

Recorded

Unknown

Catalog #

RCA Records Nashville

B-Side

n/a

Jordan Davis wrote this vulnerable song with his brother Jacob Davis and the brothers Josh and Matt Jenkins a few months into the global pandemic. With his entire world turned upside down, Davis could slow down and recognize he still had his family, friends, faith and the piece of dirt where he lives. Unable to tour and perform his music due to the COVID lockdown, Davis gleaned insight to what is really important in life. "Everything was at a standstill," he said. "I came to the realization of man, all you need is your faith, your family and your friends. And music's great and I love it and I'm happy I get to do it, but at the end of the day those are three things that I need to always keep at the top of my list, and 'Buy Dirt' is my kind of pledge to that." Luke Bryan contributes a verse halfway through before accompanying Davis for the rest of the song. After meeting at an awards show, the two became buddies; the "Almost Maybes" singer both likes and respects his fellow country star. "Luke isn't just a great entertainer; he's a great dad, a great husband, and a great friend, too. That's what 'Buy Dirt' embodies," said Davis. "When I wrote 'Buy Dirt,' I knew he could relate to the song's message. I took a chance and asked him to join me on the recording, and he said yes." Other collaborations between Jordan Davis and his fellow singer-songwriter brother Jacob include "Take It From Me" and "Detours." When lockdown started, Davis thought it would be the perfect opportunity to write a lot of music. But the singer didn't get off to the start he'd imagined, so he stopped writing and instead spent time just listening to the music he loved. This gave Davis the motivation and inspiration he needed to get back on track, and "Buy Dirt" was the first fruit of his renewed zeal for songwriting. Davis found it intimidating asking someone like Luke Bryan to accompany him on a track. He texted him the song, telling the superstar how much it meant to him, and fortunately he was up for it. "You don't want to be the guy that just peddles songs to one of the biggest names in the genre," Davis told Audacy's Coop. "I was on pins and needles." "Buy Dirt" went viral on TikTok after fans used the chorus to share their own "Buy Dirt" experiences using the song's chorus. Davis garnered his first Country #1 when the song climbed to the summit of the chart dated January 29, 2022. His previous best placings had been "Singles You Up," and "Take It From Me," both at #4. The songwriting session took place in a cabin Davis rented right outside of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. Matt Jenkins suggested the "Buy Dirt" idea the night before. "I actually heard someone say or heard it somewhere, 'Buy dirt they ain't making any more of it,'" Jenkins recalled to American Songwriter. "And so we had talked about that, talking about buying the farm and all that stuff kind of led to 'Buy Dirt' and I think that's where we were like, 'Hey, let's write that.'" The song came together quickly. "I remember in that kitchen it was probably from the moment we were all sitting around drinking coffee we were out there in the word, passing scriptures talking about life," said Josh Jenkins. "I feel like from that moment the guitar was grabbed and we transitioned to the kitchen it was probably like 30 minutes and that verse and chorus was written. I remember looking up being like, 'Whoa, what has happened." Davis and his co-writers spent three days at the rented cabin. "We started every day with coffee on the back porch, and Josh would lead us in some type of devotional," said Davis. "He would find some scripture and then we would just kind of chew on it for a little bit. That day he had read, and I need to remember the exact scripture, but it was something about being planted, being planted in the dirt and having a strong root system so you can weather storms and rain. That is really the start of 'Buy Dirt.'" Davis is probably alluding to Jesus' Parable Of The Sower found in Matthew 13:1–23, Mark 4:1–20, and Luke 8:4–15. The passage tells a story of a farmer who sows seed indiscriminately. The seed that scattered on the path, among rocks, or thorns, failed to produce a crop. But the seed that fell on good soil grew and yielded 30, 60, or a 100 times what was sown because of its strong roots. Bruce Springsteen's 2012 Wrecking Ball track "Rocky Ground" takes inspiration from the same Bible passage.

A few days 'fore he turned eighty
He was sitting out back in a rocker
He said, "What you been up to lately?"
I told him, "Chasing a dollar"
And in between sips of coffee
He poured this wisdom out
Said, "If you want my two cents on making a dollar count

Buy dirt
Find the one you can't live without
Get a ring, let your knee hit the ground
Do what you love but call it work
And throw a little money in the plate at church
Send your prayers up and your roots down deep
Add a few limbs to your family tree
And watch their pencil marks
And the grass in the yard
All grow up
'Cause the truth about it is
It all goes by real quick
You can't buy happiness
But you can buy dirt"

Before you get caught on that ladder
Let me tell you what it's all about
Find you a few things that matter
That you can put a fence around
And then he laid it out

Buy dirt
Find the one you can't live without
Get a ring, let your knee hit the ground
Do what you love but call it work
And throw a little money in the plate at church
Send your prayers up and your roots down deep
And add a few limbs to your family tree
And watch their pencil marks
And the grass in the yard
All grow up
'Cause the truth about it is
It all goes by real quick
You can't buy happiness
But you can buy dirt

You can buy dirt

And thank the good Lord for it
'Cause He ain't makin' any more of it

So buy dirt
Find the one you can't live without
Get a ring, let your knee hit the ground
Do what you love but call it work
And throw a little money in the plate at church
Send your prayers up and your roots down deep
Add a few limbs to your family tree
Watch their pencil marks
And the grass in the yard
All grow up
'Cause the truth about it is
It all goes by real quick
You can't buy happiness
But you can buy dirt