Whiskey Myers’ sixth studio album Tornillo is finally HERE.
Of course, there’s a ton of great stuff on the 12-song tracklist, and you’d be remiss not to put the whole thing on repeat and dive into what’s already one of my favorite albums of the year.
Really, though… it’s complete fire:
And overall, it’s a pretty upbeat record, but there are definitely a couple heart-wrenching moments that stopped me in my tracks the first time I heard a few songs in particular, especially “For the Kids.”
A solo write by frontman Cody Cannon, it offers a unique perspective on a topic that I’ve always thought we needed more of in the country genre. I mean, heartbreaking sad songs are a country music specialty, but it seems like there aren’t many “divorce” songs, if you will… at least relative the people who experience it.
The opening verse explains that, while one party in the marriage clearly feels like it’s over, it sounds like the story is being told from the man’s perspective, who doesn’t really know what went wrong and where:
“There’s a light
It’s burning in your eyes tonight
You’re doing more than killing time
Did our dreams
Simply burn out like kerosene
Chasing the ghosts from another life
I know you’re gonna go away
Before you do I got something to say”
Of course, plenty of people will relate to the sentiment of ending a relationship that has simply fizzled out, but it gets much more complex when you talk about divorce and have to factor young children into the equation.
That’s never any easy decision for any parent or couple, and I think we’ve all experienced firsthand, or know someone who has, just how devastating breaking up a family that way can be.
He continues to question if his wife’s freedom in getting out of the marriage is “worth the price” of what it will cost and how it will effect their kids both now and down the road, and urges her to “think about them before you go.” He follows it up by adding that he can’t do it alone, and needs her to be there for the kids aside from just being a wife.
Ultimately, he begs her to stay for a few more years until the kids get older and can understand more of what’s going on, though he’s fully aware that they got together when they were too young and it’s not ultimately in the cards for them to stay together forever:
“I know love has a way of losing its shine over time
You were young and so was I
If we could stay together for the kids it’ll be enough
This ain’t about love
It ain’t about us
We don’t have to be happy”
It’s like a punch to the gut every time he sings “we don’t have to be happy,” and in a world where it seems like people tend to have a pretty flippant view of what divorce really means for a family, this song is incredibly unique in its perspective and take on a very sensitive subject.
Of course, there are endless reasons for why people decide to get divorced, whether they have kids or not, and it is the right decision for a lot of people, but I find Cody’s ability to find subject matter and topics most people don’t wanna touch with a ten foot pole and create a masterpiece like this song so incredible.
I think a lot of people who have kids and are contemplating a divorce or have gotten divorced have probably felt this way or considered this idea at some point in the process, but it’s something you really hear said out loud, which is what makes this song so refreshing, sad as it may be.
For me, this is an easy standout on the stellar new record that doesn’t have a bad song (or anything close to a bad song) on it, and I have a feeling it will be ripping hearts out for years to come:
