I don’t know anyone who hasn’t heard “Old Town Road” at this point. No, literally, I don’t. Two years ago, most people didn’t even know who Lil Nas X was and Billy Ray was not the Cyrus we thought we wanted new music from. When Billy Ray Cyrus hopped on the track for a remix, two worlds collided and something that can only be described as *magical* was produced. Lil Nas X actually called the genre “country trap,” but magical works too. The hip-hop/country crossover was a musical shock at first, but once it started gaining popularity, it never stopped.
Since 2019, “Old Town Road” has completely blown up and even won Best Pop Duo/Group Performance and Best Music Video at the 2020 Grammys. But the catchy hit is also super confusing. Like, where is the Old Town Road? And why does Lil Nas X have a horse? Why was the song invoked in Lil Nas X’s controversial “Montero (Call Me by Your Name)” backlash? What happened to his car? Check out our explainer below, and hopefully your (or mostly just my own) confusion is cleared up.
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Old Town Road, horses in the back—wait, what?
The lyrics of “Old Town Road” go something, actually exactly, like this:
“Yeah, I’m gonna take my horse to the old town road / I’m gonna ride till I can’t no more.”
And it turns out these lyrics are actually deep AF, as explained by Lil Nas X himself, to Genius. He basically said that the Old Town Road represents the path to success, wealth, fortune, and all that good stuff he’s experiencing right now. Lil Nas X believes his opportunities are limitless, hence why he’s going to ride till he can’t no more. “I got the horses in the back” represents how Lil Nas X is traveling on his journey to success and his acknowledgement of the talent he has to give to the world. The lyrics “Ridin’ on a horse, ha / You can whip your Porsche” are meant to show he knows he has the talent to make it in hip-hop and doesn’t need anything special or complicated to make it. All he needs is an old-school horse to get where he wants to go.
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You can’t tell Lil Nas X anything.
“Can’t nobody tell me nothin’ / You can’t tell me nothin’.” These lyrics are a crystal-clear message to anyone who has doubted or tried to doubt the 21-year-old singer. Lil Nas X is basically saying, “Hi, haters, and bye!” He won’t let anything bring him down on his way to the top.
And if you, too, were wondering if that line was paying homage to Kanye’s “Can’t Tell Me Nothing,” it was not. But Lil Nas X knows that real recognizes real!
Columbia Records
Things get wild in the second verse…
“Ridin’ on a tractor / Lean all in my bladder / Cheated on my baby / You can go and ask her / My life is a movie.” Hard drugs, adulterous relationships, and living life like it’s a movie doesn’t sound like the simple life we were just talking about. But Lil Nas X is only imagining what life is like when you actually achieve rock star status. The tractor is a major step up from the horse, but don’t worry, he’s still humble. And about the drugs, he says he’s “not trying to endorse that, by the way.” Lil Nas X makes sure to end the verse with a slight flex, though, when he sings “Cowboy hat from Gucci / Wrangler on my booty.”
Columbia Records
And then Billy Ray Cyrus comes in.
The beginning of Billy Ray Cyrus’s verse, on the other hand, is a huge flex on all our lives. He sings, “Hat down, cross town, livin’ like a rock star / Spent a lot of money on my brand-new guitar / Baby’s got a habit: diamond rings and Fendi sports bras / Ridin’ down Rodeo in my Maserati sports car.” There’s lots of name-dropping about expensive things, but hey, he’s a rock star, who can blame him? Billy Ray goes on to explain he has been through hardships in life and had to ride his own journey to success, like Lil Nas X.
“Got no stress, I’ve been through all that / I’m like a Marlboro Man so I kick on back.” That line references the Marlboro Man, an iconic representation of a relaxed cowboy. Billy Ray finishes his verse with the line, “Wish I could roll on back to that Old Town Road / I wanna ride till I can’t no more.” Here, he’s telling us that he might be sick of fame and is ready to just chill out of the spotlight now. He’s passing on the torch to Lil Nas X to take over.
Columbia Records
It’s not meant for kids, even if kids do love it.
When Lil Nas X released his controversial music video for “Montero (Call Me by Your Name),” some parents were mad it wasn’t like “Old Town Road,” prompting Lil Nas to clarify his 2019 hit isn’t actually as PG as it seems: “I literally sing about lean and adultery in ‘Old Town Road.’ U decided to let your child listen. Blame yourself.”
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“Old Town Road” is ultimately a message that Lil Nas X wrote to himself as encouragement.
In an interview with Time, Lil Nas X revealed that “Old Town Road” was written at a time when he felt discouraged to pursue his music career. In that period, he felt like he was “out of options.” But once he started making the song, he realized it would be “the symbol for success.” Wild how this all turned out.
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The song is a total phenomenon and netted Lil Nas X six Grammy nominations and two wins.
C’mon, the awards speak for themselves.
The cultural commentary via hilarious tweets doesn’t add any meaning to the song, but it’s too good not to mention. Here are some personal favorites:
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