Born and raised near Nashville Tennessee, Austin wrote his first single "Are You Really Gone" at 16 with co-writer Darryl Miller, and is proving to be a hit online with 275,000 followers and 15 million views.
Austin covers the song originally from Whiskey Myers. The song seems to be reflective which is further enhanced by the stripped back acoustic rendition of the song.
"If I die young, write my mother
Tell her that I love her but my soul's gone home
Take my vessel to Anderson County
Drive real slow and take the long way home"
The song starts from an interesting perspective, one where a child dies before their parents, the circumstances around this not yet explored. The verse does however portray a close bond with parents, especially their mother. The verse then loosely references a funeral and 'the long way home'.
"Tell my kin to pick up a shovel
Wrestle that sugar sand and bury my bones
Won't you bury my bones beneath these pines
When it comes time for you to bury my bones."
This part of the verse clearly denotes wanting a burial as opposed to a cremation. The remainder of the verse proceeds to instruct where they'd wish to be buried.
"Don't throw me no funeral, sister don't cry
Saw that fiddle brother pass that shine
Deep down in the hollow pick the tallest pine
Dig it real deep where the roots touch mine
Cross the red river where it opens wide
The heroine sails to the Choctaw side
And follow my trail to the silver stone
And gather my body when you bury my bones
Won't you bury my bones."
Not wanting to have a funeral suggests not wanting to fully accept that they've gone, or perhaps to spare the family the added grief. Reference to the tallest tree and digging it deep is an powerful image that is portrayed, suggesting perhaps that you still want to dominate and tower over those you've left behind. I find the lyric about roots touching very powerful indeed, reminding us that we are part of nature. Just like trees, we make roots, we grow baring leaves (memories) and fruit (children) and the taller the tree, the more advanced in years you'll likely be.
The red river could be suggestive of the veins, whilst reference to 'silver stones' are synonymous in the spiritual world as mirroring the soul, helping us to see ourselves as others do. It could conversely be talking about the head stone.
The song returns to the chorus whilst almost seems to document a sinister headspace, or perhaps one that needs more thought and discussion on.
'Bury My Bones' is out now to stream and download from your usually music platforms and services.
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