It’s going to be difficult to find a vocal performance as honest as Jelly Roll and Lainey Wilson’s throughout “Save Me,” the newest single from Whitsitt Chapel.

There’s a dark cloud over the song that represents Jelly Roll’s troubled past and some still-to-be-learned torment from Wilson’s. Both understand that by accessing those memories, they’ll be able to free fans from some amount of pain and suffering.

It’s been happening since he dropped the song as a solo track in 2020. This new version is even stronger.

There’s familiarity in the way Jelly Roll pleads “Somebody save me” before later insisting he’s a lost cause. In the second verse, Wilson tries something like hope when she wonders what the world would be like without the object of her affection. Then, she gives in to her vice.

Addiction is real. Depression is real. “Save Me” is a very real representation that becomes an inspiration because we can see how the story goes. He’s overcome so much, why can’t his fans? That’s the conclusion being drawn through teary eyes at every live show this summer.

Related: Top 40 Country Songs for August 2023, Power Rankings

Did You Know?: Jelly Roll originally released “Save Me” in June of 2020 and included it on his Self Medicated album.

Listen to Jelly Roll and Lainey Wilson, “Save Me”:

Jelly Roll and Lainey Wilson, “Save Me” Lyrics:

Jelly Roll:
Somebody save me, me from myself / I’ve spent so long living in Hell / They say my lifestyle is bad for my health / It’s the only thing that seems to help / All of this drinkin’ and smokin’ is hopeless / But feel like it’s all that I need / Somethin’ inside of me’s broken / I hold on to anything that sets me free.

Chorus:
I’m a lost cause / Baby, don’t waste your time on me / I’m so damaged beyond repair / Life has shattered my hopes and my dreams / I’m a lost cause / Baby, don’t waste your time on me / I’m so damaged beyond repair / Life has shattered my hopes and my dreams.

Lainey Wilson:
What if the night sky was missin’ the moon / There were no shootin’ stars to use wishin’ on you / And all of my sorrows, I’d just wash them down / It’s the only peace, I’ve ever found.

Jelly Roll and Wilson:
All of this drinkin’ and smokin’ is hopeless / But feel like it’s all that I need / Somethin’ inside of me’s broken / I hold on to anything that sets me free.

Repeat Chorus (Jelly Roll and Wilson)

10 Things You Didn’t Know About Jelly Roll

The Jelly Roll: Save Me documentary on Hulu tells Jelly Roll’s complicated life story and spares no details. He’s shockingly honest about addiction, prison, his childhood and his insecurities. Here are 10 key takeaways from the project.

Matt Winkelmeyer, Getty Images

Jelly Roll is a college graduate

Jelly Roll always talked about dropping out of school before he could legally drive, so when he told Bobby Bones that not only did he get his GED in jail, he got an associates degree afterward, it was shocking. The singer has an associates in sociology from Volunteer State University. Go Pioneers!

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Jelly Roll’s nickname is funny, but a little sad

Jelly Roll’s real name is Jason DeFord, but when he was young, his mother nicknamed him “Jelly Roll” because he was a “pudgy kid.” Sadly, he shares that all of his mental health struggles stem from obesity, making the name Jelly Roll a kind of double-edged sword.

Theo Wargo, Getty Images

Jelly Roll says weed kept him sober

Talking to Taste of Country in May of 2024, Jelly Roll said smoking marijuana has kept him sober: “I think a world without weed, Jelly Roll’s drinking codeine and popping Xanax and snorting cocaine again, but a world with weed, I’ll be alright.”

Tasos Katopodis, Getty Images

Jelly Roll golfs!

It’s not clear how sharp Jelly Roll is on the golf course, but he’s confirmed that he plays.

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The Rock is a fan

When Jelly Roll dropped the Whitsitt Chapel album, he got a great review from the Rock, who shared that, “Many years ago, before (Jelly Roll) blew up, his music helped me get through a rough patch in my life. I’ll never forget it.”

Jelly Roll says Dwayne Johnson reached out to him in like 2017, and they’re legit friends. Like, he has his phone number and everything!

Agame/Crashout Music

Waffle House is not a fan of Jelly Roll

Around 2013, Jelly Roll was sued by Waffle House and had to pay $10,000 to settle. They had a case, legally speaking — here is the cover of his free mixtape called Whiskey Weed and Waffle House, later changed to Whiskey Weed and Women. They took exception to how he used the logo, to which Jelly Roll basically said, have you ever been in a late-night Waffle House?

Instagram/JellyRoll615

Jelly Roll has a son, too

Jelly Roll’s son’s name is Noah, and he lives with his mom, but Jelly is a part of his life. He shared that on vacations, they shoot pictures around him to respect his mother’s request, but from time to time she’s given the go-ahead to post photos or video. Bunnie Xo is often is the source for these.

Brian Douglas/Paramount+

Jelly Roll has tried acting

During Season 2, Ep. 2 of Tulsa King, Jelly Roll makes his acting debut. He plays himself, and in the episode, he’s just traveling through Tulsa to play an arena.

Somehow he hears about a party going down at Bhodi’s marijuana dispensary and joins in, soon singing a song for Dwight, Mitch and the gang.

Jelly Roll Mug Shot

Why did Jelly Roll go to jail?

Jelly Roll says he went to jail 40 times, mostly for drug-related crimes or petty robbery. At 16 he was slapped with strong-armed robbery and charged as an adult, which meant serious jail time. As he tells this story, one understands why he feels his life could have turned out differently if the judge would have showed leniency. In 2022 and 2023, he’s turned that regret into action by helping young men and women in his same position.

Theo Wargo, Getty Images

Jelly Roll’s “Save Me” was born from darkness

Jelly Roll dropped “Save Me” and didn’t spend a dollar on promotion. The song spread virally, and by 2021 he was fielding offers from every record label in town.

Lainey Wilson came to the radio single late, but the roots of this song go back to the pandemic. “I mean, we were spraying boxes with Lysol,” he told Apple Music. His father had died a year earlier and he was grieving that, plus being driven out of his mind with boredom. It was born from a very dark space and is still very difficult to sing.

Ed Rode, WireImage / Getty Images

Jelly Roll’s life could have gone much differently

Jelly Roll’s early years are described as fairly normal, but as he tells his mother’s story, it becomes clear how it bleeds into his own. Jelly Roll’s mom began to slip away before Jason was a teenager and would remain in one particular room of the house for days at a time. Doctors prescribed drugs for pain and anxiety, and this led to an addiction. Eventually his parents divorced and they lost the house. This, Jelly Roll says, is what started the spiral.

While Jelly Roll’s father died more than a decade ago, he still cares deeply for his mother. A poignant moment in the documentary comes late when he casually mentions that he’s always written songs for her.

Matt Winkelmeyer, Getty Images

Bunnie Xo’s real name is Alisa DeFord

Jelly Roll says that if anyone ever made a documentary about his wife Bunnie Xo, it’d blow your mind, and we don’t doubt it. She was raised in Las Vegas and was an escort for several years. Like Jelly, she’s battled addiction and helped people through it. Like Jelly, she uses a fake name.

It’s not clear how Bunnie Xo became Bunnie Xo, but her real name is Alisa, and she’s between 40 and 45 years old. They don’t use real names in their house, either.

Johnny Nunez, WireImages / Getty Images

About Jelly Roll and Bunnie Xo’s wedding night

Jelly Roll’s wife Bunnie becomes a main character during the second half of his documentary, with the last third zooming in on their love story. We learn they lived a wild life together early in their marriage, with her supplying him with drugs as he needed them. Jelly Roll was blackout drunk the night they got married, but they beat the odds to remain married and recognized that they needed to slow down. “It’s not a party if it happens every night. It’s an addiction,” she says.