Trace Adkins thinks of new song as political anthem

(CBS/AP) Trace Adkins is one of the latest stars jumping on the presidential race bandwagon. The country singer thinks of his new song "Tough People Do" as a political anthem.

He recently tested it in front of a friendly crowd outside the Republican National Convention. Even though Adkins is conservative, USA Today reports that he thinks both parties could use the message that "tough times don't last, but tough people do."

The 50-year-old country singer said if a liberal politician is OK with the lyrics, "Tough people pull themselves up by the bootstraps when they hit hard luck/And they stay strong and keep fighting like they don't know how to lose," then by all means, play the song.

Adkins recorded "Tough People Do" for his upcoming album, but it will soon be available on iTunes. Inspired by his grandmother, the track follows economic difficulties through the years, beginning with a woman who raises four children during the Great Depression.

"My grandma was the toughest old woman that I ever saw in my life," he told USA Today. "She'd still work in the garden with an old push-plow until she was in her late 70s. Just the toughest old woman that I ever knew and, at the same time, the godliest creature that I ever knew."