This is why we love Toby Keith: his lack of sugar-coating.

So never mind that he’s won countless awards since he first showed up in Nashville more than 20 years ago, the one that was recently given to him is the one that matters the most.

When Keith called into country radio station WYCD in Detroit, he described his recent induction into the national Songwriters Hall of Fame “the only real award I ever won.”

In other words, it means a lot to Keith.

And when he was asked to name his favorite song he ever wrote, he had a tough time.

“They’re all like children,” he said of his vast collection of country tunes. “But the one that I have to put my hat on is ‘Should’ve Been a Cowboy.’ It put me on the map. So I gotta always give that one credit.”

That song, of course, was Keith’s debut single from his 1993 debut album. And even more than that, it was the most-played country song of the 1990s.

If you’re too new to country to know this one, watch the video and you’ll see why Keith deserves his new spot in the Songwriters Hall of Fame.