Free and Clear Ain't Free

ABOUT THIS SONG

You can pay it off fair and square, and somebody still has a hand out.

LYRICS

Walked in that dealership on Four Thirty-One
Laid down the cash when the deal was done
Shook the man's hand, drove home that night
No bank, no note, she was mine outright

Then the county sent a bill my way
Tags and taxes I still had to pay
That's when I learned, sitting in that chair
You can pay in full and still owe your share

Free and clear ain't free at all
There's always one more hand held out
One more tax, one more fee
On something that belongs to me
You can own it fair and square
But you keep on paying for free and clear

Bought some land near Union Grove
A little piece to call my own
But every year, they charge me more
Like I'm paying rent on what I bought before

Every election, they shake my hand
Promise to help the working man
Then they head on back to Montgomery
And forget all about folks like me

Free and clear ain't free at all
There's always one more hand held out
One more tax, one more fee
On something that belongs to me
You can own it fair and square
But you keep on paying for free and clear

If I hired a man to paint one room
And he charged for three when the job was through
I'd show him the bill, then show him the door
So why keep hiring the same ones for more?

Free and clear ain't free at all
There's always one more hand held out
I paid for the truck, I paid for the ground
Still another bill keeps coming around
You can own it fair and square
But you keep on paying
Yeah, you keep on paying
For free and clear

Free and clear ain't free at all

CREDITS

Written & Performed by Chad Sanders
Recording, Engineering, Mixing & Mastering by Chad Sanders
Guitars, Keyboards & Programming by Chad Sanders
Instruments: Fender Telecaster • Yamaha Keyboard & additional instruments
Software: Ableton Live • ACID Pro multitrack • Sound Forge Studio

ABOUT "FREE AND CLEAR AIN'T FREE"

"Free and Clear Ain't Free" is an original country dance song written and recorded by Chad Sanders, an independent country music artist and songwriter from Alabama.

You can pay it off fair and square, and somebody still has a hand out.

Fans of working man country song and country truck song will find something real in this track, the kind of honest storytelling Chad Sanders is known for across his original catalog.

Chad Sanders writes and records from the perspective of someone rooted in North Alabama, North Alabama specifically, in the heart of Marshall County. His music reflects life as it actually is in small-town America, not as it's packaged for radio.

Released in September 2026, "Free and Clear Ain't Free" is available to stream on Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, and YouTube Music. Preview it here at ChadSandersOfficial.com before you stream.