Jason Aldean’s Pro-Gun Song ‘Try That In A Small Town’ Has Twitter Users Worked Up Over Its Questionable Lyrical Message

Back on May 19, country star Jason Aldean shared a new song called “Try That In A Small Town.” However, on July 14, he shared a video for the track. Then, over this past weekend, he ended a concert early due to heat exhaustion. Presumably for at least one of those two reasons, the two-month-old song has received some renewed attention online and it’s not favorable.

Aldean is a trending topic on Twitter today (July 17) after a couple different tweets showcasing the song’s lyrics went viral, with over a million views each. One reads, “.@Jason_Aldean – who was on-stage during the mass shooting at a Las Vegas concert in 2017 that killed 60 people and wounded over 400 more – has recorded a song called ‘Try That In A Small Town’ about how he and his friends will shoot you if you try to take their guns.” The other says, “heard some talk about jason aldean’s newest song and had to look up the lyrics… are we fr letting this sh*t slide?? in 2023??”

The song begins, “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.” The chorus continues, “Try that in a small town / See how far ya make it down the road / ‘Round 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.”

The second verse starts, “Got a gun that my granddad gave me / They say one day they’re gonna round up / Well, that sh*t might fly in the city, good luck.” He sings in a later bridge, “Full of good ol’ boys, raised up right / If you’re looking for a fight / Try that in a small town.”

This garnered plenty of reactions. One user wrote, “Someone tell Jason Aldean…,” and linked to an Associated Press article with the headline, “Mass school shootings mostly happening in small-town America.” Another user wrote, “Just a reminder that Jason Aldean grew up in a city (population approx. 160,000) and now lives in Nashville, TN (population 692,000). He has no idea what ‘happens in a small town’, he’s just a racist who writes barely concealed lynching songs.”

When releasing the song’s video, Aldean explained, “When u grow up in a small town, it’s that unspoken rule of ‘we all have each other’s backs and we look out for each other.’ It feels like somewhere along the way, that sense of community and respect has gotten lost. Deep down we are all ready to get back to that. I hope my new music video helps y’all know that u are not alone in feeling that way. Go check it out!”

Check out some more reactions below.