Rod Picott, ‘Mobile Home’ – Exclusive Song Premiere

Rod Picott is getting ready to release a new album, and the Nashville singer-songwriter is giving readers of The Boot the first taste of his latest song, 'Mobile Home.'

Picott is no stranger to country fans. He's written songs for Ray Wylie Hubbard, Fred Eaglesmith and Slaid Cleaves, a childhood friend. He also used to work with his then-girlfriend Amanda Shires, who is now married to breakout Americana star Jason Isbell.

His latest album, 'Hang Your Hopes on a Crooked Nail,' was produced by R.S. Field, whose credits include Billy Joe Shaver, Hayes Carll and Justin Townes Earle.

The singer came by his populist streak honestly, spending 18 years of his life in construction. In sharp contrast to the typical fist-pumping working class hero songs that make it to country radio, Picott documents the unglamorous real lives of the struggling working class in his songs.

'Mobile Home' was inspired by an experience when he moved into a trailer park with his high school girlfriend.

He explains:

This one is right out of my life. I graduated high school a year early. I couldn't wait to get out and they couldn't wait to get me out. The school administration and I were motivated negotiators. A deal was struck. Details are sketchy. So I got out of school, borrowed some money, bought a trailer in a trailer park and my high school girlfriend and I moved in together. Marshwood Estates it was called. "Marshwood" was fitting." Estates" was stretching things just a bit. We lasted less than a year. It was a strange sort of life living in a little tin can next to all the other tin cans. We had crazy neighbors and nice neighbors -- like you do. A friend of mine from my job at a pre-fab house builder called New England Homes named Rebel helped us replace the carpets. He kept getting arrested so it took awhile to actually get him over there but he did a nice job once we got him there. The new carpet was rose colored. It looked good at the factory but it was pink to be honest. The writing was on the wall where the pictures should have been, but you can't hang any pictures up on the walls of a tin can. We lasted another couple months while the real world kept knocking on the door and eventually just let itself in and shut off the cable tv. We complied. She got in her Dodge Omni and drove away. I sold the trailer to a couple kids who looked just like us. Rebel really did a nice job on that carpet though, no wrinkles in the carpet. I stayed friends with the girlfriend. Rebel disappeared.

Keep up with Rod Picott at his official website here.

'Hang Your Hopes on a Crooked Nail' is set for release on Feb. 11. It is currently available for pre-order here.

Listen to Rod Picott, 'Mobile Home'