Full-Band Demos

Lyrics:

VR 1:
I was raised
At a time and place
Where everyone
Stood for the flag
And I'll always be grateful
To have grown up with a plateful
Of that downhome
American pride
PRE:
And I will stand up for those that can’t
Cause they were fighting for this land
CH:
I’ve always been
A patriot
Kin of vets
And fed
By rednecks
Got no shame in my hometown brag
And I’m damn proud of my army dad
So here’s to all the visionaries,
Poets, scholars, and military.
Stand up and sing it loud
I’m American, Strong & Proud
VR 2:
Some folks overlook
Everything it took
For those soldiers
To put it all on the line
But their bravery won’t be in vain
Acting like they ain’t afraid
To go out on that battlefield
And fight
PRE:
And I’ll always remind
People of their sacrifice
Their life, limbs, and mind
(CH)
BRI:
So here’s to the Coast Guard, Army,
Air Force, Marines, and the Navy
Raise a glass, toss it back
For the heroes that last
(CH)


Patriot (Full-Band Demo)

Co-Written w/ Korie Burton Rott & Elle Sloan Christensen

Lyrics:

VR 1:
You can retrace your steps
You can regret you left
You can tell me that 
You wanna start again
You can apologize
Try to make it right
You can hope that time 
Will fade all of your lies

PRE:
A second try won’t undo the first
One more round will only make it worse
Cause

CH: 
Worn boots 
Can be made new
When they’ve seen better days
Shine ‘em up, stitch a hole 
That leather's still the same 
But this heart of mine
That you ran through
It don’t work that way
I wish it did
But you can’t fix
A heart that’s broke-in 

VR 2: 
You can resole ‘em, 
You can remold ‘em
You can sew up all the strings 
That have come undone
When the toes get scuffed
You can fix ‘em right up
And no one will ever know
What you’ve done

(CH)

BRI:
I ain’t no pair of Lucchese’s
There ain’t no remedy
To fix all the things you tore in me 

(CH)

Broke-In (Full-Band Demo)

Lyrics:

VR 1:
It’s too bad you can’t pour a heart
And you can’t take back all you did
When you were busy falling apart
Did you notice the hell you put me in?

PRE:
And I've tried and tried and tried
Not to make you the bad guy

CH:
Whiskey, bourbon, or beer
You’d drink whatever it took
So you weren’t really here
Breaking me at arm’s length is your art
It’s too bad you can’t pour a heart

VR 2:
It’s too bad you can’t pour a heart
And you can’t take back all you said
When you came home without your car
Did you see that I was hanging by a thread?

(PRE)
(CH)

BRI:
Whiskey, bourbon, or beer
The only thing you cared about
Comes in loud and clear
Keeping me at arm’s length is your art
It’s too bad you can’t pour a heart

Pour A Heart (Full-Band Demo)

Co-written w/ Adia Marie Fuller

Lyrics:

VR 1:
First you crawl
Then you sit up
Learn to walk
Fall down and get up
Then try to ride too fast when dad
Takes off those training wheels
By the time
You’ll realize it
Turning 5
Turns into driving
Yourself to class 
Caused you just passed
And life starts getting real

PRE:                         
When you get to where you’re going you’ll 
Find                        
Life’s about way more than keeping score 
and finish lines

CH:
So, take it slow
Don’t always go
At the speed of light
Make sure
You keep your pure
More than you lose your mind
Make sure you glow through
What you go through
While you’ve still got 
Some growing up to do

VR 2:
Soon you’ll talk
About the future
You’ll get lost
Hopin’ it comes sooner
Then catch your breath get scared to death
With every mistake made
Throughout the climb
You’ll start to get it
On a dime
You’ll barely make it
Cause twenty-five
Always feels like
You can’t catch a break

(PRE)
(CH)
BRI:
And when you don’t 
Have a clue
Demon or angel
You should listen to
Trust your gut
Cause guess what
Those choices will make you

(CH)


Growing Up To Do (Full-Band Demo)

Lyrics:

VR 1:
Well all those eggshells
I got used to walking on
Left their little marks
On the feet I rely upon
The tone of your voice
Seeing what’s wrong
Has become
Something I depend on

PRE:
I’ve gone through so much
And all this damage backs that up

CH:
I hang on every word
Cause I know how much it hurt
To be the burden
To be the lost
To be the reason why he walked
Seems like
It’s fight or flight
And its 
late at night
And I’m still combing through the day
Wondering about each mistake
I’ll never learn to fly
If I
Keep letting eggshells lead the way

VR 2:
It’s funny how what comforts 
A baby bird’s wings
Has kept me from flying
Or enjoying a good thing
I’m over-aware
Sometimes I get scared
That you’ll leave me 
standing there

(PRE)
(CH)

BRI:
A damaged mind
I’m scared they’ll leave me behind
I fear I’ll never feel whole
With all of this inside

When you’ve grown up
In a place and time
Where nothing
you ever did was right
I hope you don’t mind
That I’m terrified 
You’ll change your mind
Cause it happens all the time

(CH)

Eggshells (Full-Band Demo)

Lyrics:

VR 1:
Throwing out those bottles
Man that’s tough
But so is my kids saying “You’ve had enough”

PRE:
Putting down that drink
Picking up what’s left of me
It feels like I could almost drown
But I’ve found

CH:
You gotta choose
Your hard
Before you lose
Who you are
Cause in the end
You know it’ll all be worth it
You gotta know
Your why
Go ahead and ditch your pride
Cause with everything in this life that's ours
You gotta choose your hard

VR 2:
4 days a week at the gym
Man that's rough
But so is getting winded just getting up

PRE:
Putting down those sweets
Picking up something green
It feels like I’m just gonna let you down
But I’ve found

(CH)

BRI:
You gotta choose
Your hard
Don’t let you past
Define who you are
Cause in the end 
It’s all about your choices
Remember 
Your why
Let it light up your fire
Cause with everything in this life that’s ours
You gotta choose your hard


Choose Your Hard (Full-Band Demo)

Country songwriter & musician from Dallas, Texas, currently living in Nashville, Tennessee. MTSU Commercial Songwriting alum.

Eggshells (Full-Band Demo)

Lauren Teel