Behind the Meaning of “Out of That Truck” by Carrie Underwood

Carrie Underwood has no shortage of songs that bolster women in the wake of heartache. Her 2022 track “Out of That Truck” is one such song. Underwood reminds her former lover of all the memories that will stick around long after their breakup is finalized. Revisit the meaning behind this track, below.

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Behind the Meaning

Yeah, I bet that shotgun headrest still smells like my shampoo
That messed up tape deck’s still stuck playing that mix I made for you
Yeah, that’s my strawberry wine stain
My nail polish on the tailgate
So much of me left I bet you must get deja vu

This song makes use of the familiar country accouterment: the truck. Underwood reminds her former flame of the many rides they took together in the opening verse. I bet that shotgun headrest still smells like my shampoo / That messed up tape deck’s still stuck playing that mix I made for you / Yeah, that’s my strawberry wine stain / My nail polish on the tailgate, she sings.

When you’re runnin’ around in that stick shift Chevy
I bet it drives you crazy
Thinking about us on every
Other back road, baby
You got someone new on your bench seat
Trying to forget me lately
But my memory’s stuck
So good luck
Trying to get me out of that truck

Despite her ex having a new lover, she reminds him that he can’t fully escape her memory. My memory’s stuck / So good luck / Trying to get me out of that truck, she sings.

“It’s kind of like you just see fingerprints of people everywhere if it’s a familiar space,” Underwood once explained of the song. “So we kind of wanted to explore that in the song. And, if you’re spending a lot of time with somebody in a vehicle of some sort, especially if you do live out in the country … it definitely would be a space that, if you’re leaving your mark physically in that space, it would just make that person always think of you and your time together.”

(Photo by Mike Coppola/WireImage)