It’s about time to get on the Jesse Daniel train if you haven’t yet.
The guy is one of the best up-and-comers in the game, and if you want one song in particular that will have you listening to him non-stop in a heartbeat, it’s “Gray” from his 2021 Beyond These Walls album.
The song will literally stop you in your tracks, as it’s about watching a loved one fall deep into drug addiction, sharing the toll it takes on everybody surrounding them.
The lyrics paint the picture crystal clear:
“Your mother lives alone, your brothers have all grown
Your sneakin’ in, it scares her half to death
But she still takes care of you, she lets you sleep and brings you food
Her hair more gray with every shallow breath
I wish that you could see what I know you could be
It’s hard to watch, but I can’t look away
When we both were young Lord knows we had our fun
But aren’t you tired of fadin’ into gray?”
It’s a subject Jesse knows all too well, having struggled with addiction himself. But it’s a story that countless others will no doubt be able to relate to – especially for anybody who’s had to watch their own loved ones fall into the grasp of drug addiction.
Needless to say, it’s an absolute heartbreaker, one Daniel recently performed for an LR Baggs Session in Nashville.
It’s a gorgeous, acoustic rendition of the song, leaving those poignant words to do even more of the heavy lifting.
Check it out:
While you’re at it, check out “Looks Like Rain”
