I’ve got plates for purple gas
‘Bout the only break I catch
But I am not the kind of man
To blame the dealer on a losing hand
Have a lone star in my eye
The darker the sky, the brighter it shines
Pumpjack checks and baler twine
A ton of grit or maybe it’s spite
And if I weren’t a flatland boy, I’d say I have a hill
A hill that I will die upon if the climb don’t get me killed
If there were such heights around here for a guy to lay his pride
Maybe I’d rest before I died if I weren’t a flatland boy
If I weren’t a flatland boy
I hammer down, hair straight back
World blurs past, tell me how’s it that
My horizon line’s static
I guess at least it’s a sure bet
Was taught to not throw the first fist
But if you take a hit, finish that son of a bitch
In a life having the upper hand’s a myth
Your only fighting chance is too stubborn to quit
And if I weren’t a flatland boy, I’d say I have a hill
A hill that I will die upon if the climb don’t get me killed
If there were such heights around here for a guy to lay his pride
Maybe I’d rest before I died if I weren’t a flatland boy
If I weren’t a flatland boy
Retired rail ties, point-nine wire
Neighbor kid on the fencin’ pliers
Fargo that turns over fine
At forty below if you cuss it right
A sly thumb of Rye sometimes
Keep a bottle hid with the Bio-Mycin
You can dull the edge, you can look ahead
But can’t get there, it goes on forever
Oh, it just goes on forever
You keep your head down, it goes on forever
But I’ve got plates for purple gas
I’ve got plates for purple gas
Life on the Flatlands: Grit and Resilience
In “Purple Gas,” Zach Bryan paints a vivid portrait of rural perseverance, drawing from the stark landscapes of the flatlands. The recurring imagery of “plates for purple gas” and references to pumpjacks and baler twine evoke a world tethered to hard work and tradition. The song’s narrator, a self-proclaimed “flatland boy,” confronts life’s unchanging horizon, finding pride and endurance in the face of adversity. Rather than romanticize struggle, Bryan’s lyrics embrace it—there’s no promise of victory, only the resolve to keep going. The motif of never having a hill to die on speaks to the endlessness of the prairie and the quiet strength it demands. With weathered wisdom and a touch of rye-fueled humor, “Purple Gas” captures the spirit of those who persist, not in search of glory, but because stubbornness is its own reward.
Song Credits
- Artist: Zach Bryan
- Songwriter: Zach Bryan