Elephant

Album: Southeastern (2013)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Jason Isbell told Uncut magazine about this defiant and intimate witnessing of a loved one dying of cancer, whose inspiration dates back to before he met his wife, songwriter/fiddler Amanda Shires: "I was living above this bar in Sheffield, Alabama, for a long time before I moved to Nashville with Amanda and I was dating this girl that worked at the bar," he recalled. "I told her she couldn't get too attached to the people sitting around the bar because they're all gonna disappear, and sure enough – within a couple of years, half the regulars were gone. It's hard for me to get through it some nights. It's a sad song."

    Isbell and Shires were married from 2013-2024.
  • According to Patterson Hood of Drive-By Truckers, a group that Isbell departed in 2007, this is the "best song of 2013."
  • "Elephant" topped Taste of Country's 2025 list of the most depressing country songs of all time. They said:

    "The song is extra impactful because its subject matter - cancer - touches so many lives, and so many listeners have experienced the futility of watching a loved one succumb to this terrible disease."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Philip Cody

Philip CodySongwriter Interviews

A talented lyricist, Philip helped revive Neil Sedaka's career with the words to "Laughter In The Rain" and "Bad Blood."

Michael Franti

Michael FrantiSongwriter Interviews

Franti tells the story behind his hit "Say Hey (I Love You)" and explains why yoga is an integral part of his lifestyle and his Soulshine tour.

Graham Parker

Graham ParkerSongwriter Interviews

When Judd Apatow needed under-appreciated rockers for his Knocked Up sequel, he immediately thought of Parker, who just happened to be getting his band The Rumour back together.

Dennis DeYoung

Dennis DeYoungSongwriter Interviews

Dennis DeYoung explains why "Mr. Roboto" is the defining Styx song, and what the "gathering of angels" represents in "Come Sail Away."

Chris Frantz of Talking Heads

Chris Frantz of Talking HeadsSongwriter Interviews

Talking Heads drummer Chris Frantz on where the term "new wave" originated, the story of "Naive Melody," and why they never recorded another cover song after "Take Me To The River."

Dar Williams

Dar WilliamsSongwriter Interviews

A popular contemporary folk singer, Williams still remembers the sticky note that changed her life in college.