A master of the guitar, banjo, and mandolin, Strings is a singer and instrumentalist whose music starts with the sound and speed of bluegrass and folds in elements of rock, jazz, and psychedelia. Strings deals in acoustic music, but his lyrics are rooted in contemporary issues ("Dust in a Baggie" sounds like a classic bluegrass breakdown, but the lyrics deal with crystal meth addiction), and the music reinforces this fusion of past and present, melding modern melodic frameworks with fiddles and banjos. Strings's music was presented in its most traditional form on his 2016 self-titled EP, 2019's Grammy-winning Home added a more rock-oriented production style and extended jams to his formula, and 2021's Renewal featured some of his most personal songwriting and ambitious music to date.
Born in Lansing, Michigan, his family relocated to Morehead, Kentucky, for a spell before later settling in Muir, a small town in Michigan. Billy's father and uncle were both accomplished musicians, and the youngster was surrounded by acoustic music practically from birth. At the age of four, Billy asked his father for a guitar, and he was soon learning to play a second-hand instrument that cost 25 dollars. By the time he was six, he was good enough to join his dad for bluegrass picking parties, and his aunt nicknamed him Billy Strings. By the time he was in middle school, he had picked up an electric guitar and was playing in a heavy metal band. However, it led him into a circle of friends who were abusing drugs, and Strings believed it was leading him into a dark place.
Determined to find a better path, Strings returned to playing bluegrass, and after completing high school, he moved to Traverse City, a city in Northern Michigan with a lively music and art scene. When Strings performed at an open-mike night at a club called the Hayloft, local pickers were impressed with his skills, and he soon found a mentor and picking partner in mandolinist Don Julin, who recorded a duo album with Strings titled Rock of Ages. (Strings also independently released a home-brewed solo album in 2014, Fiddle Tune X.) He also played with a bluegrass combo called M-23 Strings, and earned a reputation as one of the most promising talents in the Mitten State.
In early 2016, Strings left Traverse City for Nashville, where the talented newcomer did not go unnoticed. In September 2017, he released Turmoil & Tinfoil, an effort that found him adding a wider variety of sounds and influences to his music. The album was produced by Glenn Brown, who had previously worked with Greensky Bluegrass and Luke Winslow-King. After landing a deal with roots music specialists Rounder Records, Strings returned in 2019 with his second solo outing, Home. It won a Grammy Award for Best Bluegrass Album. Due to the COVID-19 shutdown of 2020, Strings had more time to devote to his songwriting, and 2021's Renewal found him exploring darker and more personal themes as well as broadening the instrumental palette of his band.
Biography by Mark Deming
Running
Billy Strings Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'm running I'm running from all the things I know
I had to leave it somewhere so I left it far behind
I had to get away from all the trouble I might find
Run to the river
Run to the sea
Run from the evil that's been calling you and me
Right out of town
We'll reach the promised land before they tear it down
I'm running I'm running just like a fast mail train
I'm running I'm running and I won't be back again
Nobody ever told me I'd be riding on the blind
The rumble and the rattle seem to ease my worried mind
Run to the river
Run to the sea
Run from the evil that's been calling you and me
If we keep rolling
Right out of town
We'll reach the promised land before they tear it down
In Billy Strings's song "Running," the singer is running away from something, or someone, and is desperate to escape. The first verse makes it clear that the singer is running away from things he knows, but also hints that there may be troubles he is trying to avoid. The second verse reveals a bit more about the singer's situation. He is riding on the "blind," which is a term used to describe a train that is moving without a crew on board. This is an extremely dangerous and risky thing to do, and it highlights the desperation and urgency of the singer's situation.
The chorus sees the singer urging someone else, maybe a friend or a loved one, to run with him. He wants to keep running, away from the evil that is calling them. The repetition of the phrase "Run to the river, run to the sea" reinforces the idea that the singer is trying to get as far away from everything as he can. The final line of the chorus, "We'll reach the promised land before they tear it down" suggests that the singer believes that there is something better out there for him, but that he needs to move quickly to get to it before it is destroyed.
Overall, the song is a powerful expression of desperation and the need for escape. It is not clear what the singer is running from, but it is clear that he feels that he has no choice but to keep running. The repetition of "I'm running" throughout the song gives it a sense of urgency and anxiety, perfectly capturing the emotions of the singer.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm running I'm running as fast as I can go
I am hurrying away quickly from my problems as much as possible.
I'm running I'm running from all the things I know
I am escaping from everything I am familiar with because of the problems attached to them.
I had to leave it somewhere so I left it far behind
I had to abandon something because it was causing issues, so I left it far away from me.
I had to get away from all the trouble I might find
I had to put distance between me and the possible complications I might encounter along the way.
Run to the river
Flee towards the river.
Run to the sea
Escape towards the sea.
Run from the evil that's been calling you and me
Escape from the wicked behavior that has been luring us into negative situations.
If we keep rolling
If we continue on our current path
Right out of town
Leaving the city completely
We'll reach the promised land before they tear it down
We'll get to our destination before it's ruined or destroyed.
I'm running I'm running just like a fast mail train
Like a fast train that doesn't stop, I'm in a hurry to move on from this location.
I'm running I'm running and I won't be back again
I'm leaving, and I'm not going to return anytime soon.
Nobody ever told me I'd be riding on the blind
Nobody tells people what may happen when they journey towards the unknown.
The rumble and the rattle seem to ease my worried mind
The sound of the train moving is comforting to me and helps me to forget about my problems.
Writer(s): Apostol William, Weisberger Jonathan David
Contributed by Kennedy D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
wkowalski
This should have 500,000 views already and you should have over a million subscribers. Keep at it, you will soon enough. Amazing stuff. I feel lucky to be getting in on the ground floor. :D
Big Link
Me too
alan4sure
Not quite on ground floor, Billy has been pickin on youtube for a few yrs already.
kp62purp starlet
Whoever does your art is amazing! And trippy as fuck! I love ya both
Gramps Ramblings
I love bluegrass & old time country. Thank you young man for keeping it alive, this is real music.
Emmet Griffin and gas and grooves!!!
Love it it’s on my list to learn🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉❤
scienceguylabs
Killer stuff. 👍
Bret Glissmann
I listen to Hip-Hop, Rap, Electronic Music, and Bluegrass. This is awesome.
Cody Martinez
Im losing my mind listening to you. What an inspiration.
Abe Culbreath Guitar
It takes and expert to make up a song like this, it takes a master to play it perfectly, keep it up!