Has it really been three whole years?
On this date in 2019, Texas-based southern rock band Whiskey Myers put out their very first self-produced, self-titled album.
It was their fifth studio album in total, following up fan-favorites like 2011’s Firewater and 2016’s Mud. Whiskey Myers debuted at #1 on the Billboard Country chart, in addition to peaking at #2 on the U.S. Billboard Top Rock Albums chart and #1 on the U.S. Billboard Independent Albums chart.
Of course, the 14-song tracklist is full of so many good tunes, and because of that, the record has quickly become another fan-favorite, arguably their very best album to date… but I’m not here to settle that debate today.
Because of the fact that they completely self-produced it, it feels like the most “Whiskey Myers” album they’ve put out, if you will, and they continued with that notion on their recent Tornillo album.
I mean, I could go on and on about how much I love songs like “Rolling Stone,” “Bitch,” “Houston County Sky,” and pretty much every other song on Whiskey Myers. For me, it’s one of those elusive, rare, no-skip records that music fans seem to be on a never-ending journey to find.
And there’s one song in particular that is an absolute stunner, which comes to us in the form of an impressive co-write by lead guitarist John Jeffers and Tennessee Jet called “Bury My Bones.”
It’s an anthemic ballad about being out on the road and doing what you love, but at the same time, eventually wanting to make your way back “to Anderson County,” or wherever home is.
It has a swampy, and almost gospel feel at times, as frontman Cody Cannon sings about the fragility of life and how he wants to be buried underneath a pine tree in Anderson county:
“Yeah, if I die young, write my motherTell her that I love her but my soul’s gone homeAnd take me back to Anderson CountyDrive real slow and take the long way homeAnd tell my kin to pick up a shovelWrestle that sugar sand and bury my bonesBury my bones beneath these pines”
There’s just somethin’ about this one that, pun very much intended, gets deep down in my bones.
Though the idea of wanting to be buried in the same place you come from seems quite simple, and mostly universal, on it’s surface, they layer the verses with so much nuance, as they add in touches of what home means to them, singing about fiddles and moonshine.
Even those details are something I connect with on a very personal level, and I suspect many of you do as well, and I’d be willing to say it’s one of my all-time favorite Whiskey Myers songs… which is saying a lot if you know their incredibly solid and vast catalog of incredible music.
And in honor of the three-year anniversary of Whiskey Myers, check out Cody and John’s stripped back perfomance of “Bury My Bones” that hits just a little bit harder than the studio cut.
I mean, seriously… when can we get an acoustic album from these guys? It’s a need:
And while we’re here, make sure you check another of my favorite’s from the record, “Bitch,” if you need a little extra motivation on this fine Tuesday morning:
“Bury My Bones”
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