Fresh from helming Turning Point USA’s ‘alternative' half time Super Bowl show alongside Lee Brice, Brantley Gilbert and Gabby Barrett, Kid Rock has released his own version of Cody Johnson’s “‘Til You Can’t”.
Slowing the song down and augmenting the fiddle, Kid Rock initially brings a haunting and spiritual feel to the song which promises moving moments to come but as soon as his gruff, flat vocals kick in the whole thing goes to hell in a handcart.
The biggest mis-step in this saccharine covered schmaltz fest, though, comes with the addition of an extra verse which Kid Rock explains in the song as coming to him in some sort of dream! He literally claims the voice of God or some such higher power told him he needed to write an extra verse!!!! Don’t people get therapy for stuff like that? Rock then goes on to espouse reading the bible and urges people to accept Jesus in their lives – this level of pandering to the Christian right is hard to take from a man of Kid Rock’s standing and history and is, let’s just put it bluntly, an affront to all moderate and tolerant Christians everywhere. It renders the song, which was about seizing opportunities, love and life in all of life’s moments before they are gone, unlistenable. Changing a relatable song with a reach beyond the boundaries of Country music into something much more insular and religious – doesn’t singing about the existence of God and an afterlife negate the ‘seize the moment’ message of the original song?
Let’s not forget this is the same artist that once released the song, ‘Cool, Daddy Cool', which contains the lyrics, ‘Young ladies, young ladies, I like ’em underage, see some say that’s statutory (but I say that’s mandatory)'. Christians everywhere must be thrilled to be linked with such a fine and morally upstanding artist. He’s now one of their own.
Rarely has a song been butchered beyond what its original tone and message was intended to be, so for that Kid Rock needs applauding – its takes fine effort and some degree of skill to produce something so awful and indelibly rotten to the core.
Track list: 1. ‘Til You Can't Record label: Top Dog Records Release date: 9th February 2026
