Track 7: Time and a Half
From The Jacked Up Life Soundtrack | Based on Chapter 7: “The Jacked Up Workplace”
They say country music is three chords and the truth.
But if you’ve ever worked an underappreciated job with dirt under your nails or burnout behind your eyes, you know that truth goes deeper than a steel guitar and a clever turn of phrase.
I lived in Nashville for 20 years. And while the skyline changed and the honkytonks got shinier, one thing stayed the same: the stories in country music still know how to make you laugh, cry, and think; sometimes all in the same chorus.
That spirit lives in Track #7: Time and a Half. It’s a sonic departure from the more contemporary Christian and pop sounds of the rest of The Jacked Up Life Soundtrack. From the opening slide guitar to the boots-on-concrete rhythm section, this song sounds like it belongs right into the neon glow of downtown Lower Broadway. Yet the lyrics represent Mondays in every day, anytown life. And that’s exactly where it needs to be.
“Five AM, boots hit the ground, no halo in this hard hat town
Coffee brews and the day starts slow
Steel toes waiting for payroll…”
Chapter 7 of The Jacked Up Life explores the complicated relationship we have with work; not just jobs, but vocations, expectations, hustle culture, and the quiet ache for something meaningful. Whether you’re a barista or a business analyst, a roofer or a retired teacher, chances are you’ve asked: Does what I do matter to God?
And this track answers with a grin and a gospel hook:
“Nine to five and barely alive—where’s the mission in this?
There’s a gospel in the grind, and a Savior on the shift…”
There’s a lot of theology in country music if you’re listening closely. And while this song has fun with wordplay (including my personal favorite lyrical hook of the whole album: “When it comes to grace, I get time and a half”), the message is rooted in something deeply biblical:
Work is worship.
Even when it’s weary.
Even when your boss doesn’t see your effort.
Even when you’re punching a time clock and wondering if your faith has anything to do with spreadsheets or scaffolding.
This track is for the UPS drivers and line cooks, the overworked teachers and underpaid artists, the stay-at-home parents and shift workers on their third cup of coffee before 7 a.m.
It’s for everyone who’s ever asked, “Is there a point to all this?”
And it answers, Yes.
There’s a Savior on your shift.
If you’ve read The Jacked Up Life, you know that I don’t believe in clean-cut, easy answers. But I do believe that the Kingdom of God shows up in break rooms, boardrooms, and barns.
And when we offer our ordinary days to Him, our timecards, spreadsheets, invoices, and inventory, He shows up. Sometimes subtly, sometimes miraculously. But always faithfully.
“We give our work to the Father’s plans,
He builds through laptops and calloused hands…”
So whether you’re on your feet or at your desk, stuck in traffic or stuck in another Zoom call, know this:
Your work matters.
Your weariness matters.
And grace?
Grace is generous enough to pay overtime.
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My wife Hayley shakes her head whenever she hears this track; she says it sounds the most “radio-ready” on the album and asks, “why didn’t you start doing this sooner?” It would mean a lot to me if you would share the song (or this post) with someone you think it might resonate with; sharing is a way of supporting what I do. Thank you!
Next up: Track #8 “Where Do I Stand” pulls us off the job site to look at Chapter 8 and the bigger question of “how do we live in a jacked up world?”