A Man Who Was Gonna Die Young

Album: The Outsiders (2014)
Charted: 89
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Co-written with "Hell on the Heart" collaborator Jeremy Spillman, this sparse acoustic ballad finds Church mulling over reaching the second half of his thirties and outliving both Jesus and Hank Williams. "You look in the mirror for the first time and there's a couple gray hairs around your temple and you think back to when you were 25," he told Billboard magazine. "I didn't think I'd live long enough to have gray hair. We've been doing this for awhile. Fans have been growing with me. I'm not afraid of the fact that I'm 36. I'm proud."
  • This is one of the most honest tunes that Church has ever written. He told Radio.com: "That song talks about turning 36, it talks about finding your first gray hairs. And the honesty there - I think too many people, if you are 46 you want to look 36, and if you're 36 you want to look 26. I didn't want to do that. I've earned the gray hairs. So I wanted to show that level of honesty."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Yacht Rock Quiz

Yacht Rock QuizFact or Fiction

Christopher Cross with Deep Purple? Kenny Loggins in Caddyshack? A Fact or Fiction all about yacht rock and those who made it.

Dean Friedman - "Ariel"

Dean Friedman - "Ariel"They're Playing My Song

Dean's saga began with "Ariel," a song about falling in love with a Jewish girl from New Jersey.

Concert Disasters

Concert DisastersFact or Fiction

Ozzy biting a dove? Alice Cooper causing mayhem with a chicken? Creed so bad they were sued? See if you can spot the real concert mishaps.

Michael Glabicki of Rusted Root

Michael Glabicki of Rusted RootSongwriter Interviews

Michael tells the story of "Send Me On My Way," and explains why some of the words in the song don't have a literal meaning.

Kevin Godley

Kevin GodleySongwriter Interviews

Kevin Godley talks about directing classic videos for The Police, U2 and Duran Duran, and discusses song and videos he made with 10cc and Godley & Creme.

Let Me Be Your Teddy Bear: Teddy Bears and Teddy Boys in Songs

Let Me Be Your Teddy Bear: Teddy Bears and Teddy Boys in SongsSong Writing

Elvis, Little Richard and Cheryl Cole have all sung about Teddy Bears, but there is also a terrifying Teddy song from 1932 and a touching trucker Teddy tune from 1976.