They originate from Edmonton, Kentucky. Chris Robertson and John Fred Young, son of The Kentucky Headhunters' rhythm guitarist Richard Young, started to play music together early in their teens and Jon and Ben soon followed. Black Stone Cherry officially formed on June 4, 2001. They then took over the practice house that had been used by The Kentucky Headhunters since 1968 and began to record tracks. After the band finished recording, they returned to Edmonton for a homecoming gig in the gym of the local middle school, which was attended by 1500 people. After the band’s self-titled debut album was released, Chris's former school principal invited the band back to Edmonton to celebrate with a concert. As the band entered the town, the streets were covered with signs welcoming them back.
In July 2007, they released a second EP containing the song "Rain Wizard" along with two previously unreleased tracks.
The first live album by Black Stone Cherry was released on October 31, 2007 immediately following the concert at the Astoria in London. They joined Def Leppard and Whitesnake in the summer of 2008 for European dates.
On August 19, 2008 Black Stone Cherry released their second album, entitled Folklore and Superstition. Three singles from the album, "Blind Man", "Please Come In" and "Things My Father Said" have been released.
In May 2009, they supported Nickelback's Dark Horse tour.
The White Trash Millionaire Songfacts states that their third studio album, Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea, got an unexpected early release on the bittorrent tracker, Demonoid on May 27, 2011 due to an employee error at an unspecified Walmart. The official release date was May 31, 2011.
The band recorded a new album in fall 2013, through early 2014. Magic Mountain was released on 6 May 2014, reaching number five in the UK albums chart. The first single was "Me and Mary Jane"
On October 7, 2015, it was revealed that the band had signed to Mascot Label Group, and had begun recording the follow-up to Magic Mountain for a 2016 release. The album was recorded in the same location as the self-titled album; Glasgow, Kentucky. The album, entitled Kentucky, was released on April 1, 2016 and became their second consecutive #1 album on the Billboard Hard Rock albums chart.
In February 2018, the band released their first single, Burnin', from their new album Family Tree which released on 20th April 2018 through Mascot Records.
Black Stone Cherry's music style is often associated with bands like Lynyrd Skynyrd and the Black Crowes, and Led Zeppelin to a lesser extent. While there are clear influences in Black Stone Cherry’s music, they have created their own style to a great extent. The musical tone and composition of Black Stone Cherry is very comparable to that of Brand New Sin and Zakk Wylde's Pride and Glory.
The song writing of Black Stone Cherry is often praised for great storytelling and delivering a strong message. For example, the song "Lonely Train" is about the effect on families when a relative goes to fight in a war. The song "Rain Wizard" is about a local legend of mysterious wisemen who could bring the rain in times of drought. "Backwoods Gold" is about a local man who ran moonshine out of the hardware store in the middle of Edmonton.
Such a Shame
Black Stone Cherry Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Should daddy's little girl be out this late
She takes off her clothes and she closes her eyes
Tears start to fall and she looks at her life
It wasn't her fault that you weren't around
To keep her away from the things that she found
God only knows what else could go wrong
They found her body face down dead in the rain
Such a shame
Such a pretty face never should have felt this pain
Who's to blame, such a shame
Every young girl in this world needs love
Somebody to hold so they don't give up
It's our mothers and daughters and sisters you see
When your angel cries then you'll see what I mean
It wasn't her fault that you weren't around
To keep her away from the things that she found
God only knows what else could go wrong
Somebody come take this little girl home
They found her body face down, dead in the rain
Such a shame
Such a pretty face never should have felt this pain
Who's to blame, such a shame
There's a place in heaven for every little girl
Lord that gets taken in this dirty world
They found her body face down, dead in the rain
Such a shame
Such a pretty face never should have felt this pain
They found her body face down, dead in the rain
Such a shame
Such a pretty face never should have felt this pain
Such a shame
They found her body face down, dead in the rain
Black Stone Cherry's song "Such a Shame" tells a tragic story of a young girl who takes to the streets late at night, against the expectations of her family. She finds herself succumbing to a series of unfortunate circumstances that eventually lead to her untimely death. The song laments the lack of action and responsibility of those around her, from her absentee father to society at large. The lyrics point out that every girl deserves love and care, and if they do not receive it, they may succumb to the harsh realities of the world. The song emphasizes the necessity of support for young girls, as they navigate the complexities of life.
In the verses leading up to the chorus, Black Stone Cherry highlights the importance of family and the role it plays in keeping young girls safe. The girl's father was not around to protect her, and thus, it wasn't her fault that she found herself in trouble. The song calls for a paradigm shift in how society views its role in supporting its youth. It questions why young women are often made out to be responsible for their own mishaps when society should be stepping in to support and guide them. The chorus brings home the song's message of the sorrowful reality that an innocent life was lost due to inadequate protection.
Line by Line Meaning
Another late night on 14th and Main
The song opens with an introduction to the main character- a young girl- out late at night on the streets of the city, devoid of any guidance or protection.
Should daddy's little girl be out this late
The singer poses a rhetorical question, asking whether it is right or wrong for a young girl to be out so late without any supervision.
She takes off her clothes and she closes her eyes
The girl begins to undress, closing her eyes and trying to forget the harsh reality of her life, even though she is well aware of the danger she is exposing herself to.
Tears start to fall and she looks at her life
As she begins to reflect on her life, she starts to cry, realizing the direness of her situation and the helplessness she feels in the face of her circumstances.
It wasn't her fault that you weren't around
The singer asserts that it was not the girl's fault that she did not have anyone to look after her and protect her from the dangers of the world.
To keep her away from the things that she found
The girl's surroundings and circumstances led her towards harmful and dangerous things, and there was no one to steer her away from them.
God only knows what else could go wrong
The singer acknowledges that the girl's circumstances were already horrible, and things could have gotten even worse if fate had not interceded in the form of her untimely death.
Somebody come take this little girl home
The singer implores for someone to step forward and help the girl, to bring her to safety and a better life.
They found her body face down dead in the rain
The girl's story does not have a happy ending- the world was too cruel to her, and she met an untimely end, left lifeless and exposed in the rain.
Such a shame
The singer laments on the tragedy of the girl's story, that someone so young and innocent should have been subject to such a horrible fate.
Every young girl in this world needs love
The singer speaks to the universal nature of the girl's predicament, that every young girl in the world needs love and guidance in their lives.
Somebody to hold so they don't give up
Without someone to hold them and guide them, young girls like the main character may lose hope and fall prey to the dangers of the world.
It's our mothers and daughters and sisters you see
The call for love and guidance should be heeded by every member of society, for it is our own mothers, daughters, and sisters that we are looking after when we work to make the world a better place for young girls.
When your angel cries then you'll see what I mean
The singer appeals to the empathy of the listener, asking them to imagine what it would be like to witness the hardship and pain of someone they love, as if they were an angel in their life.
There's a place in heaven for every little girl
The singer rounds off the song with a message of hope, that even when we cannot protect every young girl on earth from the dangers they face, there is a place in heaven for them in the end.
Lord that gets taken in this dirty world
The singer acknowledges the imperfections and cruelties of the world we live in, where even the most innocent and pure are not always safe.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: BENJAMIN DANIEL WELLS, CHRISTOPHER ROBERTSON, CHRISTOPHER BRYANT ROBERTSON, JOHN FREDERICK YOUNG, JONATHAN MICHAEL LAWHON, RICHARD OREN YOUNG
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Ryan Brown
Such a shame that Black Stone Cherry is underrated
lia garcia
Ayyyyy
Darth Vader
SUCH A PRETTY FACE NEVER SHOULD HAVE SEEN THIS PAIN!
this song is just amazing i love it. i feel really bad for my friend who has depression. she doesn't deserve it, no one does =(
6LecraM9
No one.
JRenegade
such a awesome band ,very underrated ,great style and power in their songs
Jon Thompson
Great writing. What a great song, love the chest pumping bass line, raunchy guitars and Chris's sick vocals. One of the best BSC songs in my opinion. Amazing
mike lofton
Lzzy Hale on background vocals also.
Bailey Robinson
This song deserves to be one of the most viewed videos on youtube!! This song is beast!!
Jojosbutterfly
love this....always have to have it on repeat in my car (& try to sing along lol)
HollowedDollArt
can't help but cry when i hear this, but it's soooooo good!>3<