Jimmie Allen’s “Settle On Back” tells real-life stories about his bipolar disorder and his dad

Jimmie Allen’s Tulip Drive is his most personal album to date, and there’s no song on the track list more personal than “Settle On Back.” With lyrics that speak to his career as a busy touring artist, it stresses the importance of taking breaks from the road to spend time with the ones that know him best.

For Jimmie, there’s no one that knew him better than his late father, James “Big Jim” Allen.

“‘Settle on Back’ is a song I actually wrote about my bipolar disorder,” Jimmie reveals in a conversation with Today’s Country Radio With Kelleigh Bannen on Apple Music. “When my dad was alive, he was the person that could always pull me back.”

When Jimmie was in a bad mental place, his dad would take him hunting or fishing, he continues. “A lot of people with mental issues has one person in their life that they have the strong connection with,” Jimmie goes on to say.

“…So when that person’s gone, I’m kind of stuck,” he adds. Jimmie’s dad died in fall 2019 at the age of 65. “So for me now, that song, I wrote it about what I do now when I feel frustrated or the entertainment business is too much,” said Jimmie.

Tulip Drive came out late last month.