Keith Urban recalls his first home with his father through “John Cougar, John Deere, John 3:16”
Sometimes, memories are not found in grand houses or glittering moments, but in an old home sitting quietly on a hill — holding a childhood, laughter, and the earliest lessons of life.
The early days with a quiet father Keith Urban grew up in Caboolture, Australia, in a modest house with his parents and older brother. His father, Bob Urban, was a craftsman and the one who introduced Keith to American country music. That home was more than a shelter — it was his first “stage,” where Keith strummed his guitar on the porch as the afternoon sun spilled through the wooden windows.
“John Cougar, John Deere, John 3:16” – A song of memories Released in 2015, the song was more than just a hit. It felt like opening an old photograph, bringing back the boy who listened to John Mellencamp (John Cougar), learned simple guitar chords from his father, and read the Bible verses his dad left for him. The lyrics carry both American cultural symbols and deeply personal family memories.
The house now only lives in memory Years later, after his career had taken him around the world, Keith returned to the old hill and found the house had changed. The paint was peeling, the garden overgrown, the wooden fence rotting away. Yet in his heart, everything remained intact: his father’s voice calling for dinner, the smell of fresh-cut wood from his father’s hands, and the proud look when hearing his son play a new tune.
Memories never get old Keith once shared that he didn’t want to write a sad song, so “John Cougar, John Deere, John 3:16” carries an upbeat rhythm. But behind its brightness, it remains a tribute to his father — the man who planted the seed of music and taught him how to live with kindness.
🎵 Suggested listening: “John Cougar, John Deere, John 3:16” – Keith Urban
I’m a 45 spinning on an old Victrola I’m a two strike swinger, I’m a Pepsi Cola I’m a blue jean quarterback saying “I love you” to the prom queen In a Chevy I’m John Wayne, Superman, California I’m a Kris Kristofferson Sunday morning I’m a mom and daddy singing along to Don McLean At the levee
And I’m a child of a backseat freedom, baptized by rock and roll Marilyn Monroe in the Garden of Eden, never grow up, never grow old Just another rebel in the great wide open on the boulevard of broken dreams And I learned everything I needed to know from John Cougar, John Deere, John 3: 16
Hey, hey Everything I needed That’s right
I’m Mark Twain on the Mississippi I’m Hemingway with a shot of whiskey I’m a TV dinner on a tray trying to figure out the Wheel of Fortune I’m a Texaco star, I’m a Gibson guitar I’m still a teenage kid trying to go too far I’m a jukebox waiting in a neon bar for a quarter
And I’m a child of a backseat freedom, baptized by rock and roll Marilyn Monroe in the Garden of Eden, never grow up, never grow old Just another rebel in the great wide open on the boulevard of broken dreams And I learned everything I needed to know from John Cougar, John Deere, John 3: 16
I spent a lot of years running from believing, looking for another way to save my soul The longer I live, the more I see it: there’s only one way home
And I’m a child of a backseat freedom, baptized by rock and roll Marilyn Monroe in the Garden of Eden, never grow up, never grow old Just another rebel in the great wide open on the boulevard of broken dreams And I learned everything I needed to know from John Cougar, John Deere, John 3: 16 And I’m a child of a backseat freedom, baptized by rock and roll Marilyn Monroe in the Garden of Eden, never grow up, never grow old Just another rebel in the great wide open on the boulevard of broken dreams And I learned everything I needed to know from John Cougar, John Deere, John 3: 16
Everything I needed (John Cougar, John Deere, John 3: 16) Everything I needed (John Cougar, John Deere, John 3: 16)
![Story Behind “John Cougar, John Deere, John 3:16″ [VIDEO]](https://townsquare.media/site/81/files/2015/08/Keith-Urban-630x354.jpg?w=780&q=75)