Jamey Johnson has a new song, “More Of What Matters,” out now. Written by Johnson, along with Keith Follese and Jon Stone in 2007, the Grand Ole Opry member never found the right time to release it. But after The Mavericks’ Raul Malo passed away in December, Johnson knew he wanted to share the song with the world.

“Back then, I wrote that from the perspective of somebody who needed to find more things that matter,” Johnson says. “Looking back on a perspective of 20 years down the road, that guy was naive and didn’t know the gravity of what he was writing. At this age, it hits home. It’s time.

“Raul Malo was a dear friend and passed away at 60,” Johnson continues. “There’s a clock ticking on my life too, and I don’t know when it will be over. I’ve got to reset my priorities and do what is important to me or I will be a life unlived. I don’t want to be too busy and distracted on the road to forget the things that really matter.”

Jamey Johnson Releases “Sober”

Johnson is no stranger to personal songs. He recently released “Sober,” a song from his Midnight Gasoline album. Written with James Slater, the song says in part, ““It ain’t easy on the wagon / Hell, I lost more of my mind than I have found / All these drinking songs we’re playing / Make it hard staying sober in this town

“It was pointed more towards me than anybody else,” Johnson, who has been sober since 2011, tells Saving Country Music. “I think that’s the whole perspective of being sober. You’re in charge of that vessel. I don’t know that it was as much a sermon to anybody as it was a confession from me. It’s hard.”

@everythingnash @JameyJohnsonOfficial tells us why he considers it such an honor to be a @Grand Ole Opry member. #opry100 #grandoleopry #opry #countrymusic ♬ original sound – EverythingNash

The Lyrics in “More Of What Matters”

Well, I woke up one morning with everything I own around me
I had a pocket full of money and a cold and empty heart
I spent a lifetime chasing rainbows, watching life go by through windows
And I bet a rich man’s fortune on this worthless house and cars

It took me way too long to find that the best things in life are free
And the rest ain’t worth a dime

I need more of what matters every moment that I have it
‘Cause it’s all that you take with you when you go
If spinning wheels and climbing ladders is all there is, well then, I’d rather
Go to Heaven empty-handed, knowing that I got it right
I need more of what matters, more of what really matters in my life

And it got me thinking
Hey, whatever happened to sunshine and roses
And walking down a dirt road on a lazy summer day
Or supper with the family after early church on Sunday
You know, ain’t all that funny how the time just slips away

Photo Credit: David McClister