Ain’t What It Was

[Verse 1]
Zona used to be a Friday night
Couple chords and a neon light
Didn’t think twice ‘bout spendin’ a few
Just to hear somethin’ I just wrote come through

[Verse 2]
I’m still new, yeah I’ll own that truth
But I saw enough to see it move
Old crowd don’t hang ‘round much
Used to flood the feed, now it’s dried up

[Pre-Chorus]
Now every little thing’s got a price
Man, it changed overnight

[Chorus]
Zona’s gettin’ greedy, you can hear it in the sound
Used to be about the songs, now it’s dollars comin’ down
I ain’t sayin’ I’m done, I still love what I do
But I can’t keep up like I used to
I’ll slow it down, still play my part
Still write these lines from the heart
Yeah I’m still here, just not the same
‘Cause it ain’t what it was before the change

[Verse 3]
I picked Zona ‘cause it didn’t break the bank
Back when I didn’t have to think twice, man
Did the math, yeah it all made sense
Now I’m countin’ every dollar spent

[Pre-Chorus]
Me, I gotta pick my spots
Give it what I got

[Chorus]
Zona’s gettin’ greedy, you can hear it in the sound
Used to be about the songs, now it’s dollars comin’ down
I ain’t sayin’ I’m done, I still love what I do
But I can’t keep up like I used to
I’ll slow it down, still play my part
Still write these lines from the heart
Yeah I’m still here, just not the same
‘Cause it ain’t what it was before the change

[Bridge (stripped down)]
I’m still a Street Doll fan, that ain’t changed
Just don’t see ‘em like back in the day
I paid my way, I’ll stay a while
Just turn it down a notch or two now

[Break (kick + build)]
Ain’t walkin’ out that door tonight…
Just singin’ fewer lines

[Final Chorus (big)]
Zona’s gettin’ greedy, yeah it’s hard to ignore
Still got love for the music, that’s what I’m here for
I’ll keep showin’ up, just takin’ my time
Let the rest run ahead, I’ll walk that line
‘Cause it ain’t about the money in my heart
It’s about these songs and where they start
I picked Zona ‘cause it didn’t break the bank
Back when I didn’t have to think twice, man
Yeah I’m still here, I ain’t gone away
Just missin’ how it felt back in the day

[Hook Tag (band hits hard)]
Back in the day… yeah it ain’t the same
Back in the day… before the change
Back in the day… yeah I still play
Just missin’ how it felt back in the day

[Outro (fade or last hit)]
Yeah it ain’t what it was…
But I still got a song

Modern country, gritty male vocal, acoustic guitar, drums, bass, barroom energy, emotional hook, anthemic ending