… that determination morphs into profane threats and stalking: “‘Cause if you think you’re a bada– on a lady/Boy, you oughta see a grown-a– man on a a punk-a– joke like you.” (Elsewhere on the album, seven of 16 tracks include profanities such as “h-,” “a–” “d–n” and one use of the s-word.) “Bullet in a Bonfire” deals with domestic abuse as a battered woman finds love and security with a new man who’s determined to protect her. Another guy with a crazy streak is thankful for his lady’s unconditional love on “Outlaw in Me”: “That girl knows that she’s got me/And prays one day I’ll settle down/And I just thank God she loves me/Even when I don’t know how.” “Baby Be Crazy” finds a wild man longing to be tied down (metaphorically speaking) with a woman who’ll love him well: “Deep down, what I want/I want you to tie me down/I want so bad to trust you”). To his credit, that guy doesn’t have an affair (thus keeping the “bro code”), but tells his friend that he needs to get his act in order if he wants to keep his lady (“You better tell her you love her, you need her/’Cause if you don’t, she’s ’bout to be long gone, bro”).

“Bro Code” tells the story of a weary woman who seeks shelter in her man’s best friend’s arms. Church gets another positive nod on “The Weekend.” “You Could Be That Girl” references (albeit amid some significant problems) the need for a praying partner (“I need a girl who knows the good Lord/I need a girl who’s gonna pray for me”).

That song also emphasizes friendship, loyalty, trust and love. “The Ones That Like Me” paraphrases that idea (“I got a sinner’s mind, but I can fold my hands/I ain’t afraid to pray, and I do know who I am, yeah”).

“Rockin’ Chairs” talks of finding forgiveness after a wild night (“These are the Sunday mornings/We talked to the Lord, get right with the Man upstairs”). Album closer “Three Feet of Water” is about leaving guilt and shame behind in the waters of baptism: “As I hear the preacher say/’In the name of the Son and the Father/Who’d have thought I could leave it all/In three feet of water/Washin’ over me.” Next, “We Gonna Ride Again” imagines a deceased friend riding his motorcycle in heaven as Brantley playfully anticipates a future reunion there (“How’s that steel horse on the streets of gold?/ … ‘Cause brother, we gonna ride again”). Later, Brantley adds, “Heaven knows he’s hell-bent on me/ … Thank God that He can break me free.” He paraphrases John 10:10 (“He’ll lie, he’ll kill, he’ll win/Just ask me, I’ve been there”) before prayerfully crying out for God’s deliverance (“All you’ll have left is a desperate prayer/You pray to God He’ll save your soul/Like He has a thousand times before”). The title track, as mentioned, is about the wily ol’ devil’s wily ways: “Just when you thought you had him beat/He’s in your ear, he’s whisperin’/Lyin’ again and again and again.” But Brantley then veers into honest-to-goodness spiritual warfare territory. This massive 16-song effort concludes with three surprisingly spiritual songs, unusual even in a genre where shout-outs to Jesus are pretty common.

The devil dont sleep