Palmetto State of Mind

This track comes from Aaron Stransky's core identity — Folly Beach roots, 843 area code, the raw unfiltered version. It tackles A love letter to South Carolina, the state flag, the resilience of the palmetto, and how Aaron found his identity here. The lyrics get specific — "With a Navy duffel bag and stories in my mouth" — because personal tracks on Majik's are personal for real, not performatively. The country production matches the energy of the confession. It hits proud and warm, in that order. Every personal track in the catalogue comes from a real moment, a real feeling, a real person. This one is no exception.

[verse 1] Crescent moon and a palmetto on the navy blue That's the flag that flies over everything I grew Into since I crossed the border heading south With a Navy duffel bag and stories in my mouth About a life up north that didn't fit quite right Like a uniform that's tailored for a different fight But South Carolina wrapped around me like the Spanish moss Hung heavy on the live oaks, covering the loss Of everything I left behind with something better A palmetto state of mind, come rain or heavy weather [chorus] Palmetto state of mind, that's where I'm living now Bent but never broken, like the tree that shows you how To weather every hurricane and still stand tall Palmetto state of mind through the spring and through the fall I'm a transplant rooted deep in Lowcountry soil Palmetto state of mind, this is home from all the toil [verse 2] The palmetto bent but didn't break, that's on the record British cannonballs bounced off the fort, that's why it's treasured And I feel that in my bones because I've been through storms That should have snapped me clean but I just changed my forms Like the palmetto, flexible but anchored down Now I'm CTO of a palmetto-shaded town Folly Beach, where the palm fronds frame the sunrise And the salt air is the best antidepressant, no surprise To anyone who's breathed it in at six AM When the beach is empty and the world's just you and them The pelicans, diving for their breakfast in the foam Palmetto state of mind, I'm finally home [chorus] Palmetto state of mind, that's where I'm living now Bent but never broken, like the tree that shows you how To weather every hurricane and still stand tall Palmetto state of mind through the spring and through the fall I'm a transplant rooted deep in Lowcountry soil Palmetto state of mind, this is home from all the toil [bridge] I didn't grow up here but I'll grow old here I didn't plant my roots but now I hold here To every tradition, every hey y'all, every sweetgrass basket Every boiled peanut stand, you didn't have to ask it I chose this life and this life chose me back Palmetto state of mind, there's nothing that I lack [verse 3] So when the hurricanes come knocking, and they do I board the windows up and ride it through Because that's what palmettos do, that's what we do Bend with the wind and start again brand new Aaron Stransky, Lowcountry by choice Navy veteran with a Southern voice Building tech in a town that runs on tradition That's my palmetto state, that's my condition And I wouldn't trade it for a zip code anywhere The crescent moon is up, the palmetto's in the air [chorus] Palmetto state of mind, that's where I'm living now Bent but never broken, like the tree that shows you how To weather every hurricane and still stand tall Palmetto state of mind through the spring and through the fall I'm a transplant rooted deep in Lowcountry soil Palmetto state of mind, I'm home from all the toil [outro] Bent but never broken Palmetto strong Carolina forever