Brantley Gilbert went to Nashville as a songwriter, where he signed to Warner Chappell Publishing. He continued performing at local venues. In 2009, he released his debut album, A Modern Day Prodigal Son, under independent label Average Joes Entertainment. He followed with Halfway to Heaven in 2010.
In 2011, he signed with Valory Music Co., a division of Big Machine Records, who released a deluxe edition of Halfway to Heaven. The album was produced by Dann Huff. Its first two singles, "Country Must Be Country Wide" and "You Don't Know Her Like I Do", both went to #1 on the Hot Country Songs chart. After them, "Kick It in the Sticks" peaked at #34, and "More Than Miles" at #7 on Country Airplay. He won the ACM New Male Artist award in 2013.
Gilbert's second Valory album (third overall), Just as I Am, was released in May 2014. Its lead single, "Bottoms Up," also reached #1. The second single, "Small Town Throwdown," featured guest vocals from labelmates Thomas Rhett and Justin Moore. The third single, "One Hell of an Amen," became Brantley's fourth #1 hit in 2015. The album's fourth single was "Stone Cold Sober," released with the album's platinum edition.
Ahead of his fourth album, The Devil Don't Sleep, Gilbert released the single "The Weekend" as the album's leadoff single. Also included on the album is "The Ones That Like Me."
A deluxe edition of The Devil Don't Sleep includes ten bonus tracks: five demos, and five tracks cut from a live performance at the Red Rocks Amphitheatre.
In December 2018, Gilbert released a duet with Lindsay Ell, "What Happens in a Small Town", as the leadoff single to his upcoming fifth studio album, Fire & Brimstone. The album was released in October 2019. "Fire’t Up" was released as the second single off the album.
In June 2020, Gilbert released the single "Hard Days." The song was later included on a deluxe edition of Fire & Brimstone.
In June 2021, Gilbert released the single "The Worst Country Song of All Time", featuring Hardy and Toby Keith, and followed it up with the promotional single "Gone But Not Forgotten" in September 2021. In March 2022, Gilbert and Jason Aldean released another promotional single "Rolex® on a Redneck".
Gilbert released his sixth studio album So Help Me God on November 10, 2022 and announced "Heaven by Then", featuring Blake Shelton and Vince Gill, as the album's second official single.
I'm Gone
Brantley Gilbert Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
There's no saying goodbye.
Ain't no motor out there running, idling in the drive.
You don't have to keep on looking
For some proof your losing me.
You don't have to keep on waiting,
Afraid I'm gonna leave.
We both know it
Girl, I'm already there
It's been over, I don't know why
You're holding on when I'm not going
I'm not going, I'm not going, I'm gone.
What you're hearing is an echo
What you're seeing is a ghost
I'm just dust that hasn't settled
Back down on the road
I went there long ago
I'm not going, I'm not going anywhere
We both know it, girl, I'm already there
It's been over, I don't know why
You're holding on when I'm not going
I'm not going, I'm not going
Yeah all those times you didn't listen
I'm those words you can't take back, I'm gone.
Well, I'm gone
I'm not going, I'm not going anywhere
We both know it girl, I'm already there
It's been over, I don't know why
You're holding on when
I'm not going, I'm not going,
I'm not going,
I'm gone.
I'm gone
Yeah, I'm not going girl, I'm gone
The lyrics of Brantley Gilbert's song "I'm Gone" are a proclamation of the end of a relationship. Gilbert starts with the line "Well there's no suitcase by your front door, there's no saying goodbye" which paints a picture of a breakup not being traditional, where he's not packing up his bags and leaving. As the song progresses, Gilbert provides signals that he has already left and is not returning. Lines such as "What you're hearing is an echo, What you're seeing is a ghost, I'm just dust that hasn't settled" illustrate that he has moved on and is no longer a tangible part of his former partner's life. Gilbert is essentially telling his partner that she doesn't have to keep waiting for him to leave or running after him. He's not going because he's already gone.
Gilbert concludes the song with "Yeah all those times you didn't listen, I'm those words you can't take back, I'm gone," driving the point home that their relationship is over, for good. He's not going to come back, and his former partner needs to accept it and move on.
Line by Line Meaning
Well there's no suitcase by your front door.
There are no visible signs of me leaving, such as a packed suitcase by the door.
There's no saying goodbye.
I haven't had to say goodbye because I'm not leaving.
Ain't no motor out there running, idling in the drive.
There is no car engine running outside, waiting for me to leave.
You don't have to keep on looking
For some proof your losing me.
You don't need to search for signs that I am leaving you.
You don't have to keep on waiting,
Afraid I'm gonna leave.
You don't need to keep waiting for me to leave, because I am not going anywhere.
I'm not going, I'm not going anywhere.
I want to clarify that I am not leaving at all.
We both know it
Girl, I'm already there
It is already understood between us that I am here to stay.
It's been over, I don't know why
You're holding on when I'm not going
Our relationship is finished, but you're still holding on when there's nothing to hold onto.
Yeah all those times you didn't listen
I'm those words you can't take back, I'm gone.
When you didn't listen to me and hurt me with your actions, part of me left and will never come back.
Yeah, I'm gone
I am really gone and not coming back.
I'm not going, I'm not going,
I'm not going,
I'm gone.
I'm repeating myself to make sure you understand that I am not going anywhere, and I am already gone from our relationship.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: TONY MARTIN, WENDELL MOBLEY, BRANTLEY GILBERT
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind