Paycheck Ain't Here Yet
A gritty Texas blues-rock song about a woman who stayed when there was nothing in it for her. Through empty cupboards, broken-down cars, failed plans and hard years, she never kept score or asked what she'd get in return. Now that better days have finally arrived, he hasn't forgotten who stood beside him when times were lean.
“Paying My Respects” isn't about buying loyalty—it’s about recognizing it. With dirty guitars, a hard roadhouse groove and a weathered male vocal, the song is a thank-you to the woman who gave without asking, stayed without surrendering her backbone, and deserves to share in every good thing that came afterward.
You can't buy the kind of loyalty that was there before you had anything to give.
Music video
Lyrics
When the rent came due on a Friday night
And my paycheck didn't stretch that far
You'd count the change on the kitchen table
While I cursed another broken-down car
You never told me I was always right
Hell, you knew damn well I wasn't
You'd cuss me halfway out the door
Then ask me what I wanted for supper
You never kept a ledger
Never told me what I owed
You just climbed into the passenger seat
Every time we hit the road
You stayed when the cupboard was empty
Stayed when the good times were gone
Never asked what you'd get for your trouble
Just put your boots on and carried on
Now there's money in my pocket
And a little daylight coming through
I ain't buying your loyalty, baby
I'm paying my respects to you
You wore that same old winter coat
Said another year would do
While every extra dollar that we had
Went to something we had to get through
And when my big plans hit the gravel
You didn't tell me, “Told you so”
You poured two cups of coffee
Said, “All right, where do we go?”
Folks see what I'm giving now
But they never saw back then
How many times you carried me
Till I could stand again
You stayed when the cupboard was empty
Stayed when the good times were gone
Never asked what you'd get for your trouble
Just put your boots on and carried on
Now there's money in my pocket
And a little daylight coming through
I ain't buying your loyalty, baby
I'm paying my respects to you
So take the keys, that one's yours
Yeah, I know the old one runs
And pack a bag for anywhere
You've talked about but never gone
Don't tell me that you don't need much
Girl, that's exactly why I do
Every good thing coming my way
Has got your fingerprints on it too
They see what I'm giving you now
They never saw what you gave me then
And if I had to walk those hard years twice
I'd want you beside me again
You stayed when the cupboard was empty
Stayed when the whole damn world moved on
Never asked for a medal or a promise
You just put your boots on and carried on
Now there's money in my pocket
And blue sky finally breaking through
I ain't buying your loyalty, woman
I'm paying my respects to you
No, love like yours ain't bought or sold
And I know damn well that's true
I'm just giving back a little
Of what life owes to you
Paying my respects…
to you.
