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.
Down Home
Brothers Osborne Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The same old town, the same old name
Come right in, sit right down
Find yourself hanging around
For a couple more days
And I'm here to tell you for a pretty small town
There's a whole lot of something going down, down, down
Drive a little further down an old dirt road
Old crow, gets a little sweeter
Once it gets to kicking and anything goes
My mind, amen
Just wait until the stars go down
There's a whole lot of something going down, down, down
Down home
Down home
Just sing along with the radio
Just a good old horse playing curtis row
Cheap guitars play out of tune
Barefoot dancing underneath the moon
It's a hell of a show
And what happens in the river we don't talk about
It's just a whole lot of something going down, down, down
Yes there is
Hey, hey, dig a little deeper
Drive a little further down an old dirt road
Old crow, gets a little sweeter
Once it gets to kicking and anything goes
My my, amen
Just wait until the stars come up
There's a whole lot of something going down, down, down
Down home
Down home
Hey, hey, dig a little deeper
Drive a little further down that old dirt road
Old crow, gets a little sweeter
Once it gets to thinking and anything goes
My my, amen
Just wait until the stars come up
There's a whole lot of something going down, down, down
There's a whole lot of something going down, down, down
Down home
Down home
The song "Down Home" by Brothers Osborne paints the picture of a small town that may seem unremarkable on the surface, but when you take the time to explore it a little deeper, you find that there is a whole lot of something going down. The lyrics depict the town as one that is full of character and charm, with its own unique culture and traditions. The lines "Come right in, sit right down, find yourself hanging around for a couple more days" suggest that once you step foot in this town, you won't want to leave anytime soon.
The chorus encourages listeners to dig a little deeper and drive a little further down those old dirt roads to discover what this town has to offer. The use of the phrase "old crow gets a little sweeter" is symbolic of the town gaining more character and charm the further you explore it. The song's imagery, including "barefoot dancing underneath the moon" and "what happens in the river we don't talk about," suggest that this town is full of wild and exciting experiences, but also that there are secrets kept among its inhabitants.
Overall, "Down Home" celebrates the unique charm and culture of small towns and encourages listeners to take the time to explore them and discover what makes them so special.
Line by Line Meaning
It might look like the same old same
At first glance, this seems like a place with nothing new to offer
The same old town, the same old name
In this town, everything appears to have stayed the same
Come right in, sit right down
Despite the familiarity, you are welcome here
Find yourself hanging around
You'll likely stay longer than you intended
For a couple more days
You might extend your stay without realizing it
And I'm here to tell you for a pretty small town
Although it may seem unremarkable at first, this is actually an interesting place
There's a whole lot of something going down, down, down
There are many exciting things happening here
Hey, hey, dig a little deeper
To discover the real excitement, you have to explore more deeply
Drive a little further down an old dirt road
The true magic lies off the beaten path
Old crow, gets a little sweeter
The more you experience, the more enjoyable it becomes
Once it gets to kicking and anything goes
When the party really gets started, anything can happen
My mind, amen
This is a place where you can let go and enjoy yourself fully
Just wait until the stars go down
The real fun starts once the sun sets
Just sing along with the radio
Even something simple like listening to the radio can be enjoyable here
Just a good old horse playing curtis row
The locals know how to have fun with what they have
Cheap guitars play out of tune
Even the less-than-perfect elements of this place have their charm
Barefoot dancing underneath the moon
This is a carefree and spontaneous environment where one can let loose
It's a hell of a show
This experience is something truly special
And what happens in the river we don't talk about
This is a place where anything goes and some stories are better left untold
Yes there is
You can expect to find plenty of wild and exciting experiences here
Just wait until the stars come up
The party doesn't stop when the sun rises
There's a whole lot of something going down, down, down
The excitement never ceases in this town
Down home
This is an environment that feels familiar and comfortable
Down home
This is a place where one can truly feel at home
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: THOMAS JOHN OSBORNE, JESSI LEIGH ALEXANDER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Virginia Markewych
on 21 Summer
what's high tide thunder?????Mont St. MIchel???????