The Osborne siblings strummed their first chords during those jam sessions. From the very start, TJ Osborne was the brother with the voice. He sang in a thick, low baritone, crooning like Johnny Cash long before he was even old enough to drive. Older brother John, on the other hand, was the family’s guitar shredder, his fingers capable of down-home bluegrass licks, arena-worthy rock riffs, country twang, and everything in between. Combined, the two Osbornes could play everything from traditional country music to rock & roll, creating a broad, full-bodied sound that would eventually fill the 11 songs on their major-label debut, Pawn Shop.
Like its title suggests, Pawn Shop offers a little bit of everything. There’s bluesy slide guitar, country duets, southern rock solos, harmonies, and plenty of groove. The hooks are big, the guitars are loud, and the songs — every last one of them co-written by the Osbornes, who reached out to award-winning songwriters like Shane McAnally and Ross Copperman for help — introduce a duo whose music bridges the gap between the mainstream and the alternative world. Some songs were written at home in Nashville, while others came together on the road, where the guys spent several years headlining their own club shows, touring the country with Darius Rucker, and playing some of the biggest arenas in America with fellow rule-breaker Eric Church.
“Most duos are built on singing,” says TJ “But John is an incredible guitar player, and this band is built on me singing and John playing guitar. It gives us two parallels that work nicely together.”
“It’s like an old-school rock approach,” adds John, who cites classic bands like Aerosmith and the Allman Brothers as influences on the duo’s dynamic. “Groups like that always had the lead singer as well as the sideman guitar player. That’s what we’re going for, too. We’re carving our own path in country music.”
That unique path has already led the band toward the upper half of the country charts. “Rum” got them there first, mixing the feel-good sunshine of a beach tune with a far more realistic storyline. There’s no actual beach in “Rum,” after all. Instead, Brothers Osborne turn the song into a tribute to the simple pleasures that their Maryland hometown offers: friends, good weather, and the occasional drink. They even filmed the song’s music video in Deale, filling the clip with footage of friends, relatives, and locals.
“Most people we grew up with don’t go to these beautiful beaches,” says TJ. “They can’t afford to do it. They don’t have the time for it. What we’re most familiar with is people going to the local bars and hanging out with each other.” John adds, “We tried to have the biggest time possible with what little we had. ‘Rum’ explains that.” The brothers agree, “We had to say it from our own perspective.”
A similar theme runs throughout “Dirt Rich” and “Pawn Shop,” two songs that stress the importance of appreciating what you’ve got. Pawn Shop dishes up plenty of love songs, too, from “Loving Me Back” — an old-school country duet featuring vocals from Lee Ann Womack — to “Stay a Little Longer,” the band’s biggest hit to date. While a three-minute guitar solo brings “Stay a Little Longer” to an epic, anthemic close, Brothers Osborne also devote time to more laid-back songs, from the nostalgic California country of “21 Summer” to the 420-friendly “Greener Pastures.”
Brothers Osborne, who co-produced the album with Jay Joyce (the award-winning producer behind Little Big Town’s Painkiller, Eric Church’s The Outsiders, and Carrie Underwood’s Storyteller), recorded most of Pawn Shop during breaks in their busy touring schedule, using members of their own touring band rather than session musicians from the Nashville community. The result is an album that’s stamped with the unmistakable mark of a band. It doesn’t sound like two singers, flanked by anonymous players. Instead, it sounds like a group of road warriors who’ve spent years sharing bus seats and hotel rooms, creating the sort of chemistry that can’t be faked. Pawn Shop is both raw and real, and Brothers Osborne — who, years after those household jam sessions in Deale, now have a handful of nationwide tours under their belts, songs on the charts, and a career on the rise — are no longer a family secret.
21 Summer
Brothers Osborne Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
When I see that chevrolet
That certain shade, of blue
I hear that song, the one we sang all summer long
And even though it's been so long it brings me back
Right back to you
I hope you find the storm that you were chasingHope your eyes are still as full of dreams
As they were that night when you slipped off those cut off jeans
When I hear the sound of high tide thunder
I can see your hair blowing in the breeze
I think about how you and that twenty-one summer made a man of me
Yeah you made a man of me
How yah been I'd love to hear 'bout how you been
You're the only broken heart I've ever had and love to have again
I hope you find the storm that you were chasing
Hope your eyes are still full of dreams
As they were that night when you slipped off those cut off jeans
When I hear the sound of high tide thunder
I can see your hair blowing in the breeze
I think about how you and that twenty-one summer made a man of me
Yeah you made a man of me
Yeah you made a man of me
The lyrics to Brothers Osborne's song 21 Summer speak to the memories of a past relationship, specifically a summer of young love. The singer is thinking back on a time when he was with someone they loved, when they see a blue Chevrolet or hear a certain song they sang that summer. The memories bring him back to that time with his former lover.
The chorus of the song expresses the singer's hopes for his former lover's future. He expresses that he hopes she found the storm she was chasing and that her eyes are still full of dreams as they were when she slipped off her cut-off jeans the night they were together. He also remembers the sound of the high tide thunder and the sight of her hair blowing in the summer breeze. He acknowledges that their summer, and specifically that woman, made him into the man he is today.
The bridge of the song takes on a more personal tone, with the singer expressing his desire to reconnect with this lost love. He still cares for her and wonders how she has been, suggesting that he wouldn't mind having her back in his life.
Overall, the song is a wistful reflection on past love and the ways in which those experiences shape us into the people we become.
Line by Line Meaning
Now and then I think about you now and then
Occasionally, my thoughts turn towards thoughts of you
When I see that Chevrolet, that certain shade of blue
Whenever I spot a blue Chevrolet car, it reminds me of you
I hear that song, the one we sang all summer long
Whenever I listen to the song which we sang during summer, it makes me recall those days
And even though it's been so long, it brings me back,
Right back to you
Although it's been a while, the memory of you makes me feel like it was just yesterday
I hope you find the storm that you were chasing
I wish that you are successful in accomplishing your missions and dreams
Hope your eyes are still as full of dreams
I hope your eyes still have the light of pursuing your aspirations
As they were that night when you slipped off those cut off jeans
Just as you radiated that confident outlook on the night you wore those cutoff jeans
When I hear the sound of high tide thunder
Whenever I hear the roar of the strong waves of the sea
I can see your hair blowing in the breeze
I can picture the way your hair flowed gently in the wind
I think about how you and that twenty-one summer made a man of me
I reflect upon how you and that particular summer were instrumental in shaping me as a matured individual
How yah been, I'd love to hear 'bout how you been
I wonder how things are going with you and I would cherish hearing about it
You're the only broken heart I've ever had and love to have again
You are the only person I've truly loved and lost, yet I still long for another chance with you
Yeah you made a man of me
You taught me to grow, mature and become a better person, and for that, I am immensely grateful to you
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: JOHN THOMAS OSBORNE, THOMAS JOHN OSBORNE, CRAIG MICHAEL WISEMAN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Virginia Markewych
what's high tide thunder?????Mont St. MIchel???????
@RobertAnderson-u8j
A person choice is theirs
I think this song should have won a few Grammys.
Absolutely one of the best songs I have ever heard.
Reminds me of being 17 and meeting this girl that was 19.
Her car was broke down and I had a friend bring the part out and I fixed on a dirt parking area by the Railroad tracks.
It got fixed and she offered me $20.00
I took it and she asked if I wanted anything?
I said " Let's go to Dairy Queen"
I used that $20.00 to get us something.
That memory will never fade away.
31 years ago.
@RobertAnderson-u8j
A person choice is theirs
I think this song should have won a few Grammys.
Absolutely one of the best songs I have ever heard.
Reminds me of being 17 and meeting this girl that was 19.
Her car was broke down and I had a friend bring the part out and I fixed on a dirt parking area by the Railroad tracks.
It got fixed and she offered me $20.00
I took it and she asked if I wanted anything?
I said " Let's go to Dairy Queen"
I used that $20.00 to get us something.
That memory will never fade away.
31 years ago.
@cherylrowland1007
could not agree more!!
@butch5643
This was the song I played for the love of my life,,Lost her to cancer 5/26/20 There not a day that goes by that I don't miss her,,64 and still cry like a baby when I hear this song..Thanks guys for this awesome song
@torijanehilton472
Your the only broken heart I've ever had and Love to have again. What a line. Brilliant song writing. Love this song.
@Theywaswrong
You bet. Hell of a line.
@candycaldwell4168
She wasn't a prostitute, she was jus a older woman who stole his heart
@garrettjones8017
I know it it almost makes me tear up it's so beautiful
@conniebaker9665
Hi9i M juk pi j*o[0
@ashleerenaelarsen8543
Yea