The Story Behind “Truth’s Too Expensive (The World Buys Lies)” — Elvis Nash

By Elvis Nash

Truth used to mean something. At least that’s what we were told growing up. Tell the truth, work hard, do the right thing, and everything will somehow work out.

Well, I’ve been around long enough to know that’s not always how the world operates.

That’s where the idea for Truth’s Too Expensive (The World Buys Lies) came from.

We live in a world where a good lie can travel around the planet before the truth gets out of bed. Politicians sell promises they can’t keep. Advertisers sell happiness in a bottle. Social media sells perfect lives that don’t exist. And everybody seems to have their own version of the truth.

The strange part is, people aren’t always interested in hearing the truth. They’d rather hear something that makes them feel good, even if it isn’t real.

And that’s what interested me as a songwriter.

I didn’t want to write another song about how everybody lies. That’s been done a million times. I wanted to explore why people buy the lies in the first place.

Sometimes the truth costs you a friendship, a relationship, a job, or a few dollars. Sometimes telling people what they want to hear is a whole lot more profitable than telling them what they need to know.

There’s also a gray area. Not every lie is told to hurt somebody, and not every truth does somebody a favor. People lie to protect themselves, protect others, avoid trouble, or simply get through another day.

That’s part of the human condition, and songwriting is supposed to explore it, not pretend it doesn’t exist.

One of the ideas behind the song is that truth doesn’t necessarily win elections, sell records, or get applause. Sometimes the biggest liar in the room walks away with the biggest paycheck.

I write country music about the world I actually see, not the fairy-tale version somebody wants to sell me.

This isn’t a song about Republicans, Democrats, religion, or any particular group. Everybody gets a seat at this table. Nobody owns the truth, and nobody has a monopoly on lying.

After all these years, I’ve learned that the truth isn’t always popular, isn’t always profitable, and certainly isn’t always welcome.

But it still makes a pretty good country song.

Elvis Nash
Independent Country Songwriter
nashvillecalifornia.com