“Story of a messed up kid…”
Tanner Usrey coming in hot with the deep cuts, and I am HERE for it.
This is hands down one of Tyler Childers most underrated unreleased songs. In 2014, he sat down with his long-standing band, the Food Stamps, for a SomerSession performing a still unreleased track titled “Messed Up Kid.”
Whether you think you are familiar with the tune or not, if you are a Tyler Childers fan of any sort, there is a strong chance you have heard the opening lyrics a time or two.
That colorful first verse kicks it off:
“She likes stealin’ from Salvation Armies
She says it makes her feel like the movies
Battin’ her eyes with a crooked smile
Wonderin’ why the hell I’m pissed…”
Tanner Ursery shared a snippet of the tune today on Instagram, and holy cow, the power a full version of this single from Usrey would have. I had the Instagram Reel on loop the whole time writing this, and I never once got sick of repeatedly listening to the same lick.
Tanner reminds me a lot of younger Tyler with their songwriting style. It’s raw and genuine, sometimes making it a little rough around the edges, but it addresses struggles, vices, and big feelings everyone feels at some point, making them more than relatable to fans.
With that, it is no surprise that Tanner’s vocal style and take on the track blend seamlessly with what Tyler has shared.
Tanner did admit in the caption of the video that he changed the lyrics a smidge, but the slight word substitutions during the second verse and chorus fit Tanner’s style perfectly.
“Took some liberties on the lyrics, sorry, Tyler Childers.”
Tanner, if you’re reading this and Tyler is okay with your creative lyrical ability, ask him how he feels about cutting the song. It’s about damn time we got a studio version of this killer track.
Check it out:
