What Cole Swindell’s lyrics mean in tribute to dads, NASCAR legend

Country music star Cole Swindell has a tendency to deliver poignant lyrics to his listeners.

That’s as true as ever on one of his newest hits. The song titled ‘Dale Jr.’ pays tribute to a NASCAR legend and to fathers everywhere.

In it, Swindell tells the true story of meeting Dale Earnhardt Jr. at a concert. But they didn’t talk about one another. They just talked about their dads.

What do Cole Swindell’s Dale Jr. lyrics mean?

Cole Swindell wrote this song to exhibit human connections.

When he met the great NASCAR driver Dale Earnhardt Jr., they didn’t connect over anything either of them was doing.

Instead, they connected because Swindell’s father was a huge fan of the late, great Dale Earnhardt Sr.

“I’m just like, obviously, we lost our dads, but his dad’s Dale Earnhardt, and I’m just like, ‘Oh my gosh. My dad would think that’s the coolest thing in the world,'” Swindell told Music Mayhem Magazine. “Although it’s such a terrible club to be in that we connected over something tragic, everybody knows his dad. The people who knew mine loved him, but he wasn’t in the spotlight. He wasn’t Dale Earnhardt, but to Dale Jr., that was his dad. You know what I mean?…. In those moments, you wish you could pick up the phone and tell him, I can imagine being like, ‘Dad, you will not believe who I hung out with last night.’ And that’s how we wrote the song.”

Who is Cole Swindell’s dad?

Cole Swindell’s father was named William Keith Swindell.

William Swindell died on Feb. 2, 2019 after battling lung cancer.

“It’s a song that really has nothing to do with NASCAR or any of that,” Swindell told American Song Writer. “It’s just about real-life situations and how two people that may be in the spotlight related to something that wasn’t so great. I think we feel the same. We were lucky to have our dads as long as we did.”

Dale Jr. lyrics

These are the full lyrics to Cole Swindell’s song, Dale Jr.:

Last night in Carolina, I went back to Daytona beach
A Sunday in ’98, watchin’ you watch number 3
And dad, I’ve played some damn cool places I wish you coulda seen
But I know you were up there with a racin’ heart like me

‘Cause last night I met Dale Junior, backstage at a show
We drank a few Bud Heavy’s
And he said, “Man, you know who should be here right now”
With his arm ’round my back
We didn’t talk about gold records or all of his checkered flags
Nah, we just did what missin’ dad son’s do
Yeah, last night I met Dale Junior
And all we talked about was Senior and you
Yeah, Senior and you

Yeah, I said, “I’ma go ahead and tell you sorry for
The way my old man gave your old man hell in Heaven for not drivin’ a Ford”
And I know you woulda asked him ’bout the new motors in the cars
But while the band was breakin’ down
We had a broken heart to heart

Last night I met Dale Junior, backstage at a show
We drank a few Bud Heavy’s
And he said, “Man, you know who should be here right now”
With his arm ’round my back
We didn’t talk about gold records or all of his checkered flags
Nah, we just did what missin’ dad son’s do
Yeah, last night I met Dale Junior
And all we talked about was Senior and you

We took a picture on my phone
And I wanted to send it to
The biggest number 3 fan I knew
Yeah, dad, that’s you

Last night I met Dale Junior, backstage at a show
We poured out two Bud Heavy’s for the two best men we know
Yeah, who should be here right now
With their arms ’round our backs
We didn’t talk about gold records or all of his checkered flags
Nah, we just did what missin’ dad son’s do
Last night I met Dale Junior
And all we talked about was Senior and you
Senior and you

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