Here Are the Lyrics to Blake Shelton’s ‘Minimum Wage’

The lyrics to Blake Shelton's new song "Minimum Wage" tell a classic country story of love conquering all. Think "Millionaire" by Chris Stapleton with more country grit and less Memphis soul.

Nicolle Galyon, Corey Crowder and Jesse Frasure wrote the lyrics to Shelton's "Minimum Wage," a song that (as it turns out) has nothing to do with the minimum wage at all. The new song isn't a blue-collar anthem or even a workingman's plight — Shelton is using being broke as a part of his metaphor to describe how the love of a woman makes him feel. Sonically, it's an uplifting bop a la "Happy Anywhere" with shades of "God's Country" mixed in to differentiate it from some others in his catalog.

This is the first song Shelton has recorded that was written by any of the three songwriters — something surprising given how proficient each is in Nashville writing circles. The Oklahoma resident found himself having to defend the lyrics after debuting the song on New Year's Eve: Some on social media thought it was tone-deaf that a multi-millionaire would be singing about minimum wage when so many people are struggling to pay bills during a pandemic. It took two weeks, but on Jan. 14, he finally defended the song, telling CMT that those people aren't really listening.

Listen to Shelton's "Minimum Wage" as you explore the lyrics below. It hasn't been revealed how or if the singer will package the song moving forward, be it on an EP, full-length album or otherwise.

Blake Shelton's "Minimum Wage" Lyrics:

Yeah, I met you before anyone knew my name / Playing for pennies on the dive bar stage / Split an all-star special on our first date in a Waffle House booth / Your daddy was crying when he gave you away / 'Cause all those country songs I played / They didn't come with a 401k / But, hey, I had you

Chorus:

You can make a six-pack on the carpet / Taste like a million-dollar bill / You can make a one bedroom apartment / Feel like a house up on the hill / You can make my truck out in the driveway / Roll like a cleaned-up Cadillac / Girl, lookin' at you lookin' at me that way / Can make a man feel rich on minimum wage

Girl, your love is money, your love is money / Yeah, your love can make a man feel rich on minimum wage / Girl, your love is money, your love is money / Yeah, your love can make a man feel rich on minimum wage

You can give me a tab that's always open / Give me a yacht parked out in the ocean / But all that keepin' up with the Joneses / It just ain't my style / Just give me some lights strung out in the yard / Give me a lawn chair under the stars / The top of the world's right where you are / 'Cause every time you smile

Repeat Chorus