Where has the time gone?
It’s been nearly 10 years since Eric Church surprise-released his fifth studio album, Mr. Misunderstood.
You probably remember the story, but Church kept the album a secret from…well, pretty much everybody, even going so far as to buy a record pressing plant in Germany so that his label didn’t find out about it. And then he mailed a copy of the album to every member of his fan club before announcing its release at the 2015 CMA Awards.
To this day it may still be my favorite Eric Church album, with songs like “Mistress Named Music,” “Round Here Buzz,” “Holdin’ My Own” and “Knives of New Orleans.” But the last track on the album holds a special significance for Church himself.
“Three Year Old” is no doubt a song that resonates with any parent who hears it, as Church lays out the simple lessons he’s learned from his young son:
“Use every crayon, color that you’ve got
A fishing pole sinks faster than a tackle box
Nothing turns a day around like licking a mixing bowl
I learned that from a three year old
A garbage can is a damn good spot to hide truck keys
Why go inside when you can go behind a tree?
Walking barefoot through the mud, will knock the rust right off your soul
I learned that from a three year old
You can be a cowboy on the moon
Dig to China with a spoon
Talk to Jesus on the phone
Say “I love you” all day long
And when you’re wrong, you should just say so
I learned that from a three year old”
Church wrote the song when his oldest son, Boone McCoy Church, was just…well, three years old. And on Friday, Boone was at his dad’s show at Rupp Arena on his 14th birthday, when Church took a minute to recognize his now-teenager and break out the deep cut that he inspired.
The country music outlaw became emotional as he asked the crowd to bear with him as he broke out the rarely-performed song:
“If you’ll indulge me, I’m trying to figure out how to do this the right way.
I wrote this song when my oldest boy was three years old. He is 14 years old today. I haven’t done it in a long time, and I’m not even sure if I can, but I just want to say I love you very much.”
Boone had brought a group of friends to the show that was just a few hours from home, and midway through the song you can hear a fan scream out “Happy birthday Boone!” And according to the official show recap posted to Church’s website, that resulted in yet another cool moment for the 14-year old:
“A fan who unknowingly was just a couple rows away from the former three-year-old yelled, “Happy birthday, Boone!” The warmest, most genuine smile broke across Boone’s face, and his friends threw an arm around him, and if that song is never performed again, it’s because it already reached perfection at that exact moment.”
That’s what it’s all about.
