Nice Guy Album Credits

Produced by F. Reid Shippen and Eric Paslay

Boat In A Bottle produced by Tofer Brown.  Additional production by F. Reid Shippen and Eric Paslay.

Engineered by F. Reid Shippen at Sound Emporium Studios, assisted by Zaq Reynolds.

Additional engineering by Michael Mechling at Southern Ground Studios and FourtyOne Fifteen.

Boat In A Bottle engineered by Tofer Brown at Ivory and Rye and F. Reid Shippen at Addiction Sound Studios.

Mixed by F. Reid Shippen at Robot Lemon, assisted by Michael Mechling

Production Coordination by Alena Moran

Album artwork by Thinkswell

HEARTBEAT HIGHER (feat. Sarah Buxton)

You’re the kind of rush the buzz is all about
You’re the kind of sweet dream the night can’t do without
Baby fan the fire, come on, come on, come on
Take my heartbeat higher, come on, come on

I get to you, you get to me
Can’t help but chase the mystery
Let’s turn a sunset kiss into a midnight choir
Light finds the day, night finds the moon
I wanna find me next to you
Aww baby baby ooh, takin’ my heartbeat higher
Takin’ my heartbeat, takin’ my heartbeat higher
Takin’ my heartbeat, takin’ my heartbeat higher

Flying next to you, heaven underneath
Close enough to feel, nothing in between

CHORUS

Baby fan that fire, come on, come on, come on
Take my heartbeat higher, come on
Baby fan that fire, come on, come on, come on
Take my heartbeat higher, oh

CHORUS

Takin’ my heartbeat, takin’ my heartbeat higher
Takin’ my heartbeat, takin’ my heartbeat higher

Written by Eric Paslay, Sarah Buxton, Zach Crowell

Acoustic Guitar, Electric Guitar: Tom Bukovac | Strings: Tim Lauer | Keys: Tim Lauer, Mike Rojas, F. Reid Shippen | Percussion: F. Reid Shippen | Bass: Craig Young | Drums: Chris Powell | Background Vocals: Sarah Buxton, Eric Paslay

© 2020 Five Stone Publishing (ASCAP), Who Wants To Buy My Publishing (ASCAP), Songs of Southside Independent Music Publishing (ASCAP), All rights on behalf of Five Stone Publishing, Who Wants To Buy My Publishing and Songs of Southside Independent Music Publishing administered by WC Music Corp., Round Hill Works (BMI), Big Red Toe (BMI), Bux Tone Music (BMI), All Rights Administered By Round Hill Works., External Combustion Music, Songs of Southside Independent Music Publishing, Who Wants To Buy My Publishing / One77 Songs (ASCAP), All rights administered by Kobalt Music Publishing obo External Combustion Music and One77 Songs and by Songs of Southside Independent Music Publishing obo itself and Who Wants To Buy My Publishing

BOAT IN A BOTTLE

On a boat, in a bottle, in a blue water bay
Troubles get smaller, clear skies every day
The rain can’t find you, the world stays the same
On a boat, in a bottle, in a blue water bay
On the edge of the world, gettin’ high with the tide
A little sand, a little sky, a lot of you and I

May the wind float our hearts on forever
We’re all in this together
It don’t get any better than this
I wish we could bottle up this feeling
Live in this summer dream and we could just stay
On a boat, in a bottle, in a blue water bay. Hey!

On a boat, in a bottle, in a blue water bay
You just rock through the weather, and you roll with the waves
Love never runs, hearts never break
You just float through the rum on a blue water bay

CHORUS

Oh, oh, oh (x 6)

On the edge of the world, gettin’ hight with the tide
A little sand, a little sky, a lot of you and I

CHORUS

On a boat, in a bottle, in a blue water bay. Hey!

Oh, oh, oh (x 6)

I TOOK A PILL IN IBIZA

I took a pill in Ibiza
To show Avicii I was cool
And when I finally got sober, felt ten years older
But screw it, it was something to do
I’m living out in LA
I drive a sports car just to prove
I’m a real big baller ‘cause I made a million dollars
And I spend it on girls and shoes

But you don’t wanna be high like me
Never really knowing why like me
You don’t ever want to step off that roller coaster and be all alone
You don’t wanna ride the bus like this
Never knowing who to trust like this
You don’t wanna be up stuck up on that stage singing
Stuck up on that stage singing
All I know are sad songs, sad songs
Darling, all I know are sad, sad, sad songs

I’m just a singer
Who already blew his shot
I get along with old timers ‘cause my name’s a reminder
Of a pop song people forgot
And I can’t keep a girl, no
’Cause as soon as the sun comes up
I cut ‘em all loose, and work’s my excuse
But the truth is I can’t open up

CHORUS

I took a plane to my hometown
I brought my pride and my guitar
All my friends are all gone, but there’s manicured lawns
And the people still think I’m a star
I walked around downtown
I met some fans on Lafayette
They said tell us how to make it, ‘cause we’re getting real impatient
So I looked them in the eye and said

CHORUS

OFF THE EDGE OF THE SUMMER

We whispered wishes into wine bottles
And we threw them into the ocean
Did yours come true? I wished for you

A band was playing in the distance
Somewhere across the water
We didn’t know the song, so we hummed along

Dancin’ off the edge of the summer
Watchin’ it float away
Didn’t know if we’d ever get another
So we couldn’t just let it fade
Didn’t know what it was
But it sure felt right
Back when we thought love
Was a party all night
We were holdin’ on to each other
Dancin’ off the edge of the summer
Of the summer
Of the summer

You said you’d write me a postcard
When you got back to your mother’s
I miss that view, you wrote in blue

I keep it in my closet
In a box under some covers
I hate the truth, I still miss you

CHORUS

We whispered wishes into wine bottles
And we threw them into the ocean
Did yours come true? I still miss you

CHORUS

Dancin’ off the edge of the summer
Of the summer

JUST ONCE

Just once, I wanna sleep ‘til I wake up
On a beach of oceanfront
Where no one needs a clock
Just once, I wanna lose all track of time
I wanna leave the past behind
And be good with what I got

But do you think about me
Like I think about you

Just once, did you take a double take on us
Just once, did you wish that we could make up
Just once, ‘cause I do, I do, I do believe
You only fall in love like us, just once.
Oh yeah, yeah, yeah
Just once

Just once, I wanna party in a penthouse
With the Rolling Stones on my couch
Still passed out ‘cause we rocked out to get over you for once
I don’t wanna wake up with you
Only in my head to miss you
Knowing that my heart can’t have you, can’t kiss you

Just once, did you take a double take on us
Just once, did you wish that we could make up
Just once, ‘cause I do, I do, I do believe
You only fall in love like us, just once.

Once upon a time I kissed your lips, you kissed me back
Once upon a time I had the best I’ve ever had
Once upon a time I let a perfect angel go
Once upon a time I told myself I told you so

CHORUS

You only fall in love, only fall in love like us, just once
Just once

NICE GUY

I’m gonna stop usin’ my manners
Gonna start sendin’ mean tweets
Gonna start actin’ as if I’m God’s gift
To everybody I meet

I’m gonna stop kissin’ on one girl
Mess around with a few
Put a bumper sticker on my Bentley says evidently
Jesus loves me a lot more than you

It don’t pay to be a nice guy in a bad guy world
It don’t pay to be a nice guy when the bad guy always gets the girl
You gotta be an a-hole if you wanna bank roll
Maybe that’s why I’m poor
What can I say, it just don’t pay to be a nice guy anymore
What can I say, it just don’t pay to be a nice guy anymore

I’m gonna do my best to get arrested
Take a drunk mug shot
When I go out clubbin’
Gonna roll these hubs right up in that handicap spot

Gonna fill a bunch of YouTubes up
Doing somethin’ obscene
Do whatever it takes to get my irritatin’ face
On the cover of a Hollywood magazine

CHORUS

Hey, it don’t pay, it don’t pay to be a nice guy anymore
Nice guy anymore
Hey, it don’t pay, it don’t pay to be a nice guy anymore
Nice guy anymore

CHORUS

UNDER YOUR SPELL

All day, all night
Everywhere and all the time
I’m caught up in it
Everything around me spinnin’

Inside out, I’m turned around
And I’m upside down
I’m hypnotized oh every time oh

I look in your eyes I’m under your spell
Your spell oh I
Leaned in for your kiss baby
I fell, I fell under your spell

Gotta have it
Everything you do is magic
You move me, consume me
Oh you send a shock right through me

Stop my soul I
Fall apart and I lose control
I’m paralyzed I lose my mind when

CHORUS

Oh you got me
Oh where you want me

CHORUS

CHORUS

CHORUS

FINGERTIPS

So many dreams to reach for
So many stars up in the sky
So many hearts to break yours
My oh my

So many stories waiting
For you to make your way to them
How you choose to tell them
Well, the pen is in your hand

Baby, don’t be afraid to chase the great unknown
Between love and God and me you’ll never be out there alone
The greatest power that you hold is not to forget
You got the whole wide world there at your fingertips
Yeah, you got the whole wide world there at your fingertips
Oh, keep believing, yeah, keep believing

I can’t wait to see you flying
Can’t wait to watch you learn to land
Don’t let ‘em get you second guessing
If you can

Find your truth and turn it up
Let that doubt turn into dust
When the road is hard and the odds are stacked
I’ll be right here when you look back

CHORUS

Let your faith be a child in a Radio Flyer
Let the light in your heart set the darkness on fire

CHORUS

Let your faith be a child in a Radio Flyer
Let the light in your heart set the darkness on fire

WILD AND YOUNG

Smilin’ child, king cake on your face
Wavin’ at the giants in a Mardi Gras parade
Confetti in the air, like time passing by
You’re older now, but there’s still magic in your eyes

Time flies, stars fall
The world comes undone
But somehow you stay
Wild and young

You were born with a gypsy poet soul
Pop rocks in your shoes and freckles on your nose
A song on your lips and wonder in your heart
Faith like a river winding through the dark

CHORUS

Oh, wild and young

When your mind wanders and your hair goes grey
Eyes dim and bones ache
I’ll still see you as I do today
’Cause your spirit’s never looked its age

CHORUS

When the time comes and Heaven calls
And it’s all said and done
I know you’ll smile a smile
That’s wild and young

ENDLESS SUMMER DREAM

Sippin’ on a little sweet
Heaven underneath our feet
Good vibes seaside
Shadows on a barefoot beach

Take a picture of you and I
In a postcard paradise
Don’t have to wish that we were there
Yeah, ‘cause we were here

Soakin’ up that sunset sinkin’
Lighters up while the band is singin’
Let’s live forever baby young and wild and free
Rockin’ on while the waves are rollin’
Gonna keep a good thing goin’
Let’s live forever in this endless summer dream
Let’s live forever in this endless summer dream

Floatin’ on a feel good song
Baby and the beat goes on
All night, all right
Right where we belong

Between the sunshine and the moon
Holdin’ me girl, Holdin’ you
Every memory that we make
Just gets better baby

CHORUS

Forever endless summer dream
Forever endless summer dream
Endless summer dream baby
Endless summer

CHORUS

Forever endless summer dream
Forever endless summer dream
Forever endless summer dream
Forever endless summer dream

ON THIS SIDE OF HEAVEN

I close my eyes and we’re dancing
I close my eyes, but I can’t sleep
I pray I drift away before the sunrise
So I can hold you for a minute in my dream

Oh what I’d give
To kiss your lips
And spin you around one more time

I’m still holding on, still holding on
To the moments we were given
I miss your love, I miss your light
Shining in the kitchen
Baby this house, yeah this whole town
A’int the same without you in ‘em
Without you here I’m going through hell
On this side of Heaven

You were the angel sent to save me
You made every street turn to gold
My paradise, my sweet by and by
If time heals all then tell me why

CHORUS

Still in my head, still in my heart
On this side of Heaven
Without you here, I’m falling apart
On this side of Heaven

CHORUS

I’m falling apart, falling apart
On this side of Heaven

WOMAN LIKE HER

She ain’t wallpaper, hidden in plain sight
Or an arm candy savior on a Saturday night
Her heart ain’t wired for a one night stand
A woman like her is good for a man

She ain’t a rebel, she don’t even smoke
But she’s the real reason they made rock and roll
She’ll test your temper just cause she can
A woman like her is good for a man

I’d be a walking disaster
An unhappily never after
If she hadn’t come and wrecked all my plans
A woman like her is good for a man
Yeah, a woman like her is good for a man

She loves the kitchen, but she hates to cook
She’s arms wide open, but she’s no open book
She’s a life-long riddle you’ll never quite understand
Oh, a woman like her is good for a man

CHORUS

She’s all kinds of pretty in all kinds of ways
She’s painfully honest but at the end of the day
She won’t ever say it, but it ain’t hard to see
I know I need her more than she needs me

I’d be a walking disaster
An unhappily never after
When you find the one, then you’ll understand
A woman like her is good for a man
A woman like her is good for this man

She won’t ever say it, but it ain’t hard to see
I know I need her more than she needs me

ERIC THANKS…

A lot of time, work, laughing, playing, cussing - you name it, it probably happened - went into the making of this record.  It was the most joyful recording experience I’ve ever had, and a lot of people were absolutely essential in making it happen.  

Thank you, family and fans.  Your support and enthusiasm are what makes this possible and I never take you for granted.  Sorry it took a minute to get the record out.  Sometimes business gets in the way of creativity, but I think this project is worth the wait.  At least that’s what Natalie keeps assuring me of.  Speaking of my fabulous wife…Babe, you already know that you and Piper are the backbone, backbeat & heart of all that I do, but I will always remind you.  You are the inspiration that shapes and reshapes who I am as a man, a dad, a writer and an artist.  I am indebted to you for more than I could ever say.  Love you forever! 

Thank you to all of my creative collaborators!!!  It all begins with a song, right?  I am so fortunate to write with the best songwriters in the world and to call many of them my friends.  It is a community I cherish, and I thank all of the people who helped me write these songs.  The studio musicians and singers whose immeasurable talents, ideas, personalities and hearts shaped and created each song on this record are irreplaceable. Thank-you to every player on this record.

Reid Shippen, having you at the helm gave me such peace of mind and freedom.  The fact that you have the skills to turn a vision into a reality is a gift to me and all who benefit from the magic in your hands!!  Gotta shout-out to Tofer Brown for being both a songwriting collaborator and producer!  Thank-you for letting us use your perfect “demo” of Boat in a Bottle instead of feeling like we were needlessly chasing it!

My videographer, Timothy Hiele has been so crucial in bringing these songs to life and adding depth to their stories.  Thank-you for traveling the world to catch and create some of the most important visual moments.

The Nice Guys- Thank you to my road warrior brothers who have been with me during the creation of this album. I love you guys.  Chris Roach, Dane Kinser, Josh Haselton, and every single person who I’ve been lucky enough to share the road with.

Thank you to all of my extraordinarily creative business partners!  The hours of work that you put into brainstorming, strategizing, encouraging, prodding, organizing & executing do not go unnoticed or unappreciated.  I realize I’d be totally lost without you and can’t tell you how much it means to have each of you at my side.  Thank you, Nick Hartley, Steve Bryan, Bergen Dougher and Lindsey Ray at Steadfast!  Thank you Lane Wilson and Michael Jasper at WME!  Thank you David Boyer, Marissa Bond and Pany Akhom at FBMM!  Thank-you Mike Milom at MHCKBS!  Thank you Jessie Schmidt at Jessie Schmidt Relations!

GOD!!!  Thank you for every song I get to write, record I get to catch, ear that listens, voice that sings along and show that brings it all together.  You are the greatest Creator and Conductor of all.  I love You!

Y’all, thank-you for listening (and reading.)  Be kind and love each other!
Eric