As the story goes, co-writer Shane McAnally's mom made used a curious phrase to describe a neighbor: "Well, I don't know if she's selling Mary K or Mary Jane." Musgraves and McAnally knew there was a song there.

"A deeper meaning came to life whenever we started really tossing the idea around," Musgraves told Radio.com. "We're all from small towns so we all can relate that way. It's just a special song about life in general and the patterns that you get into. I feel like it's something everyone can relate to."

Upon the song's early September 2012 release to country radio, Musgraves knew it was garnering airplay but had yet to hear it and was getting anxious. In an interview with Radio.com, she recalled the very first time she heard the song on the radio.

"It was September 17, I remember," Musgraves said. "I was just driving around in my car in Nashville. I was in the car with my sister and I hadn't heard it on the radio yet. I had people telling me all week, 'I heard it, I heard it.' And I was like, 'When am I going to hear it?'"