Country music is littered with music about faith and religion, and Jelly Roll’s song, “Need a Favor,” is no different. However, this Jelly Roll track takes on a different perspective on religion as it focuses on someone who only turns to God when they desperately need it. In the song, the musician sings, “I only talk to God when I need a favor / And I only pray when I ain’t got a prayer / So who the hell am I, who the hell am I to expect a savior, oh / If I only talk to God when I need a favor? / But, God, I need a favor.”
In the song, Jelly Roll admits that he hasn’t been the most innocent person and has lived a troubled life. He sings, “I know amazin’ grace, but I ain’t been livin’ them words / Swear I spend most Sundays / Drunk off my a** than I have at church.” The musician gets vulnerable about how he is willing to pay for the sins he has committed, but the one thing he asks God to spare is the woman he loves.
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Jelly Roll confirmed on the country radio music show, “Big D & Bubba,” that “Need a Favor” is about his relationship with religion. He shared, “…it [Need a Favor] was a complete confession of a sin.” The sin in question is that the country musician seeks faith in the most desperate times.
