1. A country arti… Read Full Bio ↴There are at least 2 artists with the name Nate Smith:
1. A country artist from Paradise, California.
2. A jazz drummer, composer, bandleader and producer.
According to an age-old cliché, getting knocked down ain’t what matters – it’s how you get up, and Sony Music Nashville’s Nate Smith knows firsthand. With a personal journey scarred by disaster, but defined by revival, he could have stayed down multiple times through life, and instead grew into something else entirely: A beacon of country-music hope.
Featuring a mix of gritty backwoods soul, rock ‘n’ roll swagger and velvet-thunder vocals, Smith is a Nashville artist with a unique connection to life’s inner tug of war. And with his first batch of major-label music, he’s aiming to tip the scales once and for all.
“I just feel lucky that I get to be the messenger for these songs,” says the rising singer-songwriter. “I’m not here to be cool or anything like that. It’s literally just to hit people in the heart.”
A California native and lifelong music lover, Smith approaches that mission with a background as eclectic as it gets. Learning guitar at 13, Garth Brooks, Elvis Presley and Bob Seger were among those informing his powerful, fire-from-within vocals, while Michael Jackson made him crave the spotlight and Nirvana gave his sound a jagged edge.
The young artist combined it all as a gifted worship leader, and first chased his neon dreams to Nashville in his early 20s – but it didn’t stick. The disheartened Smith returned home and thought he was “100 percent done” with his artistic journey… until a crucible of change burned away the past.
In 2018, Smith lost everything he owned in the devastating Camp Fire which tore through Paradise, California, now known as the deadliest and most destructive wildfire in the state’s history. Although his family was safe, he struggled to cope and turned back to music for comfort, using a loaned guitar to co-write a song called “One of These Days.” “It was just to help me process, I guess,” Smith says. “And then hopefully help other people, too.”
Help it did. Caught between bittersweet nostalgia and his rock-solid belief the community would rebuild, the song embodied everything Smith was feeling – and everything he loved about music. Going viral online, it led to local TV appearances, recovery benefit concerts and finally an opening slot at a Sacramento arena show by Pitbull and X Ambassadors, before Smith finally understood what was happening.
“It made me go ‘My gosh, this song is really helping people, I think I want to do more of that,’” he explains. “[The fire] was a horrible thing to happen. But it did move me into a place to start doing what I think I’m supposed to be doing.”
After returning to Nashville, the singer-songwriter is now unveiling a new round of music which puts that inspirational mission front-and-center – and features an edgy-organic sound unlike anything else in the format.
Recorded at the world famous Blackbird Studios with producers Lindsay Rimes and Joel Bruyere, tracks like “Wildfire” and “Under My Skin” started a new chapter, mixing timeless country soul with a touch of ‘70s-rock toughness, a sweet-and-sour sound with deeper implications.
“My songs have a little bit of melancholy to them – but there’s an element of hope mixed in,” Smith admits. “I want to emote that, and the passion behind what I have experienced, and I hope that’s a voice for somebody else. I want people to feel it inside, and that’s why I like country music so much. The heartfelt level of what we can do.”
Tracks like “Raised Up” take the idea a step farther. Co-written by Smith with Trannie Anderson and Johnathan Smith, the emotional tune is a raspy power ballad about overcoming obstacles, built on epic vocal power and the hidden strength within each person.
“The day we wrote it, I had to leave the room because I was tearing up,” Smith says. “The song talks about ‘Any time I lose my way, I turn the way I was raised up,’ and for me, whenever I’m lost or feeling alone, I’ve got God.’ That has really helped me, but it can be whatever somebody needs. It could be thinking about something your grandma said one time you now hold on to, or the phrase you have tattooed on your arm. It’s however you find your way back home. I’m all for that.”
Elsewhere, Smith practices romantic honor with the sexy soul-rocker, “You Shouldn’t Have To,” his voice as craggy as a mountain and ideals just as lofty. That force-of-nature vocal is matched by a hurricane of awestruck attraction in “Name Storms After,” and tunes like “Sleeve” use a Fleetwood Mac-vibe to tribute those like Smith, who wear their hearts on the outside.
But with “World War Me,” all of Smith’s authenticity, resilience and optimism combine for an introspective country masterpiece. Featuring a stormy sonic soundscape, battle-hardened wordplay and all the wounded soul his voice can muster, the song speaks to Smith’s decade-long battle with anxiety – and his drive to be an example for others.
Proving you can achieve your dreams even as you work on yourself, Smith says the song began one particularly bad day, when “That dark voice of ‘You’re not good enough’ was really there.”
“I was just accepting it, but then as I was driving to a co-write, I was like ‘Nah. I don’t accept that. I am supposed to be here and I am worthy,’” Smith says. “I stood up against the dark thoughts, and it was like ‘That felt good. Why am I letting these take over my life?’”
Smith has been standing up like that ever since, and it’s led him to the batch of music he was born to create. Tested by wildfire and challenged by inner demons, he refused to stay knocked down, and something else won out.
“If I could sum everything up in one word, it’s hope,” he says. “We all go through things, we really do. But I truly believe the world is trying to bend in your best interest. I really believe that with my whole heart.”
Whiskey On You
Nate Smith Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Ever since you left, trying to figure this out
This Jack I've been drinking's been wasted on thinking
Now I got a new reason for throwing 'em down
Line 'em up (line 'em up), pour 'em tall (pour 'em tall)
Here's to us, happily never after all
Ain't gonna waste one more night missin', wanting you back
You didn't waste any time finding somebody new
So, I ain't gonna waste another drop of whiskey on you
No, I ain't
To hell with the lonely and the why don't you want me?
Yeah, bartender pour me a farewell round
Line 'em up (line 'em up), make 'em strong (make 'em strong)
Tell the band that I need me a drinkin' song
Ain't gonna waste one more night missin', wanting you back
No, I ain't gonna cry another tear in this glass
You didn't waste any time finding somebody new
So, I ain't gonna waste another drop of whiskey on you
No, I ain't gonna waste another drop of whiskey on you (yeah)
No, I ain't, no, I ain't
Ain't gonna waste another drop of whiskey on you, no
Ain't gonna waste another drop of whiskey on you
Line 'em up (line 'em up), pour 'em tall (pour 'em tall)
Here's to us happily never after all
Ain't gonna waste one more night missin', wanting you back
No, I ain't gonna cry another tear in this glass
You didn't waste any time finding somebody new
So, I ain't gonna waste another drop of whiskey on you
No, I ain't gonna waste another drop of whiskey on you
No, I ain't (ain't gonna waste another drop of whiskey on you), yeah
No, I ain't (ain't gonna waste another drop of whiskey on you), yeah
Ain't gonna waste another drop of whiskey on you
No, I ain't gonna waste another drop of whiskey on you
No, I ain't
No, I ain't gonna waste another drop of whiskey on you
In "Whiskey on You," Nate Smith sings about a broken heart and the lengths he's gone to numb the pain. He admits to wasting a paycheck on whiskey and longnecks ever since the person he loved left him. He tries to figure out the situation by drinking Jack. However, it never helps to ease his pain as he has a new reason for throwing 'em down. Then he finally decides that he is done crying and missing that person. He won't shed another tear in this glass or waste a drop of Jack on someone who didn't value his love. Regardless of what his former love does, he is done wasting time and energy on it. The chorus proclaims his newfound resolve to never waste another drop of whiskey on his ex.
The song expresses a very relatable human emotion of throwing oneself into bad habits such as drinking to avoid dealing with heartbreak. It's a song about learning to move on and picking yourself up after a heartbreak. The line, "To hell with the longing, and the why don't you want me," perfectly summarizes the feeling of being tired of chasing after someone who doesn't reciprocate your feelings.
Line by Line Meaning
Now I've wasted a paycheck on whiskey and longnecks
I've spent a lot of money on whiskey and beer since you left me
Ever since you left, trying to figure this out
I've been trying to understand why you left me
This Jack I've been drinking's been wasted on thinking
I've been drinking Jack Daniels while thinking about you, but it's not helping
Now I got a new reason for throwing 'em down
But now I have a new reason to drink and party - moving on from you
Line 'em up (line 'em up), pour 'em tall (pour 'em tall)
Let's order more drinks and fill up our glasses
Here's to us, happily never after all
Here's to us, even though we didn't have a happy ending
Ain't gonna waste one more night missin', wanting you back
I'm not going to spend another night missing you and wanting you back
No, I ain't gonna cry another tear in this glass
I won't cry any more tears while drinking
You didn't waste any time finding somebody new
You found someone new very quickly after we broke up
So, I ain't gonna waste another drop of whiskey on you
So, I'm not going to waste any more whiskey on you
To hell with the lonely and the why don't you want me?
I don't care about being lonely or why you don't want me anymore
Yeah, bartender pour me a farewell round
Bartender, give me one last drink before I move on
Line 'em up (line 'em up), make 'em strong (make 'em strong)
Line up more drinks, and make them strong
Tell the band that I need me a drinkin' song
Ask the band to play a song about drinking to keep the party going
No, I ain't gonna waste another drop of whiskey on you (yeah)
I'm definitely not going to waste any more whiskey on you
Ain't gonna waste one more night missin', wanting you back
I won't spend any more nights missing you and wanting you back
No, I ain't gonna cry another tear in this glass
I'm done crying while drinking
No, I ain't (ain't gonna waste another drop of whiskey on you), yeah
I'm telling you again that I'm not wasting any more whiskey on you
Ain't gonna waste another drop of whiskey on you
I'm really not wasting any more whiskey on you
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Lindsay Rimes, Nate Smith, Russell Sutton
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@andreatunaman
Now I've wasted a paycheck on whiskey and longnecks
Ever since you left trying to figure this out
This Jack I've been drinking's been wasted on thinking
Now I got a new reason for throwing 'em down
Line 'em up (Line 'em up), pour 'em tall (Pour 'em tall)
Here's to us, happily never after all
Ain't gonna waste one more night missing, wanting you back
No, I ain't gonna cry another tear in this glass
You didn't waste any time finding somebody new
So, I ain't gonna waste another drop of whiskey on you
No, I ain't
To hell with the lonely and the why don't you want me
Yeah, bartender pour me a farewell round
Line 'em up (Line 'em up), make 'em strong (Make 'em strong)
Tell the band that I need me a drinking song
Ain't gonna waste one more night missing, wanting you back
No, I ain't gonna cry another tear in this glass
You didn't waste any time finding somebody new
So, I ain't gonna waste another drop of whiskey on you
No, I ain't gonna waste another drop of whiskey on you
No, I ain't
No, I ain't
Ain't gonna waste another drop of whiskey on you, no
Ain't gonna waste another drop of whiskey on you
Line 'em up (Line 'em up), pour 'em tall (Pour 'em tall)
Here's to us happily never after all
Ain't gonna waste one more night missing, wanting you back
No, I ain't gonna cry another tear in this glass
You didn't waste any time finding somebody new
So, I ain't gonna waste another drop of whiskey on you
No, I ain't gonna waste another drop of whiskey on you
No, I ain't, yeah (Gonna waste another drop of whiskey on you)
No, I ain't (Gonna waste another drop of whiskey on you)
Ain't gonna waste another drop of whiskey on you
No, I ain't gonna waste another drop of whiskey on you
No, I ain't
No, I ain't gonna waste another drop of whiskey on you
@pauledward7023
Ok you got me, I'm 63, and caught in the moment of a great song that fit my life. God bless you son.
@pauledward7023
@Three Aces nice
@normaidaliaquiroz3029
Time to drive to the beach with this blasting with the windows down 👏👏 BADASS SONG!!!! Worth the wait!!!
@timothybrown2581
Lol
@kencanning5069
I totally agree I couldn't have said it better
@natesmith1563
I Bless your generosity, my highest gratitude and appreciation for all the love and support you have been showing me and my music, I'm so grateful 💕🙏
@battphone
"Here's to us happily never after all" Love that hook!
@thnks4playinJulz
HELLS YEAHHHH!!! Worth the wait!!!
@sidthesloth9094
This has been on repeat ALLLLLLL day. Absolute banger!
@Backwood865
This is my favorite song