Don’t Just “Get By”

Have you heard the song “Get By”, performed by country music star Jelly Roll? This song was just released a few months ago and has already been chosen for the 2024-2025 NFL season game day anthem. I happened to listen to it the other day on a randomly curated playlist and I couldn’t help but notice a problematic message—but it’s not what you think.

The chorus goes,

I might drink a little

I might smoke a lot

Counting down the good times

Staring down the clock

Throw some hallelujahs

To the big man in the sky

Show up Sunday morning

Looking just like last night

Yeah, that's how I get by

Oh, that's how I get by

This catchy song is both catchy and relatable: after all, what’s wrong with a glass of wine to relax after a difficult week, especially when you “throw some hallelujahs”, because isn’t religion supposed to encourage you to come as you are? Or what’s wrong with showing up to church a little bit ragged; isn’t the important thing that you went to church?

Before you embrace this song as your new life anthem, let’s look a little deeper into the worldview presented. I’m not hating on the artist (I know next to nothing about Jelly Roll), or the song (it’s representative of the entire Country music genre). But there’s a message here that we might miss if we aren’t careful.

Everyman

“Get By” celebrates the everyman who is in-between; the person who doesn’t quite have his life together yet, but is trying as hard as he can. He is simply “getting by”. He’s made mistakes, but he’s also worked hard to survive. His past might come back to haunt him, but he will get by with a drink or smoke here and there—plus a few hallelujahs and prayers for good measure. The song seems to suggest that we’re all trying to do the best we can. Sure, we might struggle with a few vices here and there, but surely the big man in the sky can see us trying?

Set Free From Ourselves

This worldview is certainly one that our culture promotes, and the song might be relatable for those living this type of lifestyle. Many of us are there or have been there. But I question if it lines up to what the Bible says about life. In the first verse of the song, the lyrics go, “It takes more than an offer now to set this sinner free”. Get By is a song about one man’s dependance on himself. I’m not sure if the songwriters were referring to the free gift of salvation or the Gospel when they wrote that line, but the point is that the man in the song relies on himself, and nothing, good or bad, can change that.

The Bible says that God offers spiritual freedom: “So if the Son sets you free, you really will be free.” (John 8:36). This freedom does not come from anything we do or can earn. Titus 3:5 says, “He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we did in righteousness, but in accordance with His mercy…” The Gospel is the good news of salvation: Jesus Christ became man, died on the cross to take the punishment for our sins, and rose again. This gift of salvation is just that: a free gift.

Salvation requires reliance on God, not ourselves. This is contrary to the message of the song, but more importantly, contrary to our entire culture where a person must work to earn anything. The country music genre is full of songs like this that reflect on hardworking men and women who build their life from scratch and out of hardship, trusting no one but themselves. There’s nothing wrong with hard work, but the stubborn attitude described in the song is not required for spiritual freedom; in fact, it may actually hinder it.

God is more than an impersonal “big man in the sky”. In fact, nothing can be further from from the truth! Exodus 15:11 put it this way: “Who is like You among the gods, Lord? Who is like You, majestic in holiness, Awesome in praises, working wonders?” God is powerful, just, all-knowing, powerful, loving—and very much a personal God. He knows everything about you, including whatever you do to ‘get by’. The flippant attitude towards God in this song is revealed in these lines; God isn’t a forgetful old man who sits, passively waiting for a few “hallelujahs”. This is a God of justice, but also a God of mercy who offers us salvation, even though we don’t deserve it.

A Different Way to Cope

So, we know that through the Gospel, spiritual freedom is available. But let’s revisit the song’s chorus. Does this mean that we don’t drink alcohol, smoke, or have a good time? After all, as a conservative Christian, shouldn’t the mention of drinking and smoking be the problem that I might have with this song?

Actually, no. But it’s important to note that drinking alcohol and smoking aren’t necessary to enjoy life, or even to survive it. And that’s the point I’m getting at: these habits are how the singer copes with life; this is how he “gets by”. Pair that with going to church or saying a few prayers, and this is the lifestyle that he thinks is helping him survive the trials of life.

When I heard this part of the song, i immediately thought of a hypocrite. After all, when people are wounded by hypocrites, it’s usually because they’ve observed religious people acting one way during the week, then another way on Sunday morning. That seems a little bit like the person this song is describing: someone who might show up to church, but is engaging in a different lifestyle during the week. Why is it that this dichotomy is encouraged and promoted in a song, but in real life, we call it hypocrisy?

There’s a phrase floating around Christian culture that goes something to the effect of, “Come as you are, but don’t stay as you are.” It’s true that God welcomes each of us in our self-made, disgusting mess of sin. But we also need to recognize the problem of sin and of ourselves that is just that: a problem. We can’t live our lives treating ourselves as master while also claiming Jesus Christ as our Lord. This isn’t about drinking or smoking; it’s about who you submit to and who you live your life for.

Hypocrisy aside, please understand that I’m not saying that a Christian can’t enjoy a glass of wine or have fun. But let’s look at the deeper meaning here: it’s problematic when these things are how we cope with life. The Christian who has put his trust in Christ Jesus doesn’t need to soften the difficult blows of life with alcohol or drugs. In fact, he doesn’t have to “just get by” anymore. After all, in Christ we have abundant life (John 10:10), purpose in our trials (James 1:2-4), and an eternal perspective (Colossians 3:1-4). The world can give you none of these things, and when the hangover wears off, your problems are still there—unsolved. With Christ, we don’t need to grasp at temporal habits to avoid our pain. We don’t need to cling to our own efforts, because we can abide in Christ’s strength instead of our own. We don’t have to pray enough prayers or attend church the right amount of times to cancel out our mistakes. Instead, we live and thrive in an abundance of grace and mercy.

With Christ, we don’t just “get by”. We grow in Him and we are transformed by Him. This is freedom!

Get By is a catchy song that you might enjoy, but the message of trying to “Get by” with self-reliance and an impersonal god should make Christians grieve. Don’t adopt the worldview that exists behind this song and so many others. Realize that there are people who do live life in this way, and use it as an opportunity to share the truth with them. Most of all, dig deep into God’s Word and enjoy the abundant life found only through Him!