Aaron Watson is readying the release of his 11th studio album, and he's letting Taste of Country readers get an exclusive first listen to one of the new tracks, "They Don't Make Em Like They Used To."

Watson's new album, Vaquero, is due out Feb. 24. The singer-songwriter co-produced the record with Marshall Altman (Frankie BallardEric Paslay). Watson wrote or co-wrote all of the project's 16 songs, working with hitmakers Leslie Satcher, Kendell Marvel and Mac McAnally, among others.

Watson calls "They Don't Make Em Like They Used To" his best-written song on the album. The descriptive track tells the story of the good ol' days, using references to Patsy Cline and John T’s Country Store to paint a picture of a beautiful and simple childhood.

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"So often when I turn on the news these days, I am saddened by the way so many people are treating each other," Watson tells Taste of Country. "I reflect back on my life; I think about my grandparents, my mom and dad, and the unconditional love and respect that they showed not only to me, but to others as well. I can’t help but think, 'They don’t make 'em like they used to.'"

Watson adds that he aspires to make the world a better place for his own children, a sentiment that inspired him on "They Don't Make Em Like They Used To."

The song "is a challenge to all of us," he says. "It’s a challenge to live such good lives, full of love, grace, kindness, and forgiveness, a call to live the kind of lives so that someday, our children and our children’s children will reflect back on us and also say, 'They Don’t Make Em Like They Used To.'"

Listen to the premiere of "They Don't Make Em Like They Used To" below. Watson will perform the track live for the first time on Friday (Feb. 10) during his performance on the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville. To pre-order Watson's album Vaquero, visit iTunes.

The singer is supporting the new album with a string of tour dates that began in late January and run through May, with festival dates scheduled further into the summer.

Listen to Aaron Watson, "They Don't Make 'Em Like They Used To"


"They Don’t Make Em Like They Used To" Lyrics:

Bluebonnets down a long stretch of hill country highway / Windows down, radio up, riding shotgun next to you / You were smoking Camel Lights behind the wheel I can still hear you say / Three hundred thousand miles you can’t beat an ol' beat up Chevrolet

Well Granny’s in the kitchen smell of fried chicken frying / She’s cooking in her apron singing along with Patsy Cline / Playing ball in the front yard little sister runs in crying / She climbs up in her arms I hear her laughing through the old screen door

Chorus:
They don’t make 'em like they used to / They don’t make 'em like they used to / They don’t make 'em like you anymore / They don’t make 'em like they used to / They don’t make 'em like they used to / They don’t make 'em like you anymore

Well the days have changed since the golden days in some ways we’ve come so far / But I never dreamed we’d trade the American dream for a fancy foreign car / Have we sold our souls to save a buck traded hard work for dumb luck / And those old country songs are sounding better than ever before

Repeat Chorus

So you live the kind of life so long after you’re long gone / You’ll always be there in their hearts and your love light will shine on / And someday they’ll sit around down at John T’s Country Store / They’ll be laughing over stories you told a thousand times before saying / They don’t make em like you anymore / They don’t make em like you anymore

Repeat Chorus

Well no news is good news, tell me whose news really tells the truth / The death toll rises high as gas prices shoot straight through the roof / Meanwhile politicians preach while some preachers politic / What we need is lots of love, yeah lots of love might do the trick

Instead we criticize, we glamorize who’s right or wrong, who’s left and right / Missing out on so many beautiful colors fighting over what’s black and white / We’ve gotta forgive, gotta learn to live together make the world a better place / And just maybe someday somebody somewhere will look back on today / And look back on us and say

Repeat Chorus

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