Montgomery Gentry‘s ‘So Called Life’ lyrics were crafted close to five years ago by songwriting pals Bruce Wallace and Sean Patrick McGraw. The birth of the song — which is a new single for the duo — was the start of a strong friendship for the writers.

“If I recall correctly, I think this was the first song we ever wrote together,” Wallace tells Taste of Country of the recent Montgomery Gentry hit. “We got together, and Sean and I have a disagreement about this … I think he played the guitar riff first, and he thinks I did. I’m trying to give him credit, and he’s trying to give me credit, but I stand behind my side of it. I think he played it first. Then he started singing the first couple of lines of the chorus. He got the ball rolling.”

This ain’t no rodeo / No dog and pony show / Ain’t no roller-coaster ride / Ain’t no highway / Sure ain’t no river, baby / It’s just my so called / Just my so called life,” they wrote in the lyrics to the ‘So Called Life’ chorus.

“We had a great time writing this song, and we obviously hit it off,” says Wallace. “We really loved the song. It’s been one of my favorite songs ever since we wrote it because it’s about survival and not giving up. And being in the songwriting business …? People ask me all the time what business I’m in. I tell them I’m in the 90-percent rejection business [laughs] … that’s what I work in. You get your hopes up, and you get let down. You try really hard, and you go through these stretches where nothing is really happening, but you still have to get up every day and show up. You’ve got to be in it to win it. This song is about keeping your hopes up.”

Some days I own this town / Other days it shoots me down / As long as I’m still hangin’ ’round / I’m holdin’ on to hope / Faith is a powerful thing / Chasin’ after the big brass ring / Might be a pocket full of jing-a-ling / But there’s one thing that I know / Ya just gotta keep keepin’ on doin’ like ya do,” they wrote in the lyrics to the second verse.

“If you can get up and do that, your chances are better at winning I think,” Wallace says.

“Honestly,” adds McGraw, “if any act captured the essence of this song, it is Eddie and Troy. I am honored and loving that these two made it their own, yet share the same vibe of the song as I do.”

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