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.
I Don't Remember Me
Brothers Osborne Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
What give me life and took my breath away?
Did I take a last-call stranger home
So I wouldn't have to wake up alone?
I heard I was a wild one
Acting like a child some
But I really don't recall
Always was the last one
Waitin' for the other shoe to fall
I've seen pictures
And I've heard stories
'Bout the boy I used to be
But I don't remember me
Was I just another ghost in this town?
Who was I when no one was around?
Did I even know what I was livin' without?
Who are my favorite songs about?
I heard I was a wild one
Acting like a child some
But I really don't recall
Heard I was a fast one
Always was the last one
Waitin' for the other shoe to fall
I've seen pictures
And I've heard stories
'Bout the boy I used to be
But I don't remember me
Was my heart beatin' in my chest?
And was I even alive before the day we met?
I heard I was a wild one
Acting like a child some
Heard I was a fast one
Always was the last one
Waitin' for the other shoe to fall
I've seen pictures
And I've heard stories
'Bout the boy I used to be
But I don't remember me
No, I don't remember me before you
In Brothers Osborne's song "I Don't Remember Me," the singer is reflecting on his past and questioning who he was before he met his current significant other. The lyrics touch on moments in his past where he may have been reckless, wild, and without direction. He asks whether he's watched the sunset, met strangers at bars, and even questions what his favorite songs were about.
The chorus focuses on what the singer has heard about his past self. He's been told he was wild and acted like a child but can't recall those memories himself. The line "I've seen pictures and I've heard stories" imparts that he may have only heard of these moments through the stories of others or seen them through pictures, further solidifying his memory loss. The song concludes with the singer stating that his life began only after meeting his significant other.
The song seems to address the idea of how we define ourselves through our experiences and how we can lose sight of our pasts as we move forward. The singer seems to have found a sense of clarity and direction with his current partner, but the loss of memory and the question of his past self still lingers within him.
Line by Line Meaning
Did I stop and watch the sunset fade?
Was there a moment where I stopped to appreciate the beauty of the sunset?
What give me life and took my breath away?
What was it that made me feel alive and completely captivated?
Did I take a last-call stranger home
So I wouldn't have to wake up alone?
Did I take home a stranger just to avoid waking up alone?
I heard I was a wild one
Acting like a child some
But I really don't recall
People have told me that I used to be wild and act like a child, but I don't remember it myself
Heard I was a fast one
Always was the last one
Waitin' for the other shoe to fall
I have heard that I used to be impulsive and always expecting something bad to happen
I've seen pictures
And I've heard stories
'Bout the boy I used to be
I have seen pictures and heard stories about the person I used to be
Was I just another ghost in this town?
Who was I when no one was around?
Was I just someone who existed in this town without making an impact?
Who was I when I had no audience?
Did I even know what I was livin' without?
Who are my favorite songs about?
Did I even know what I was missing in my life?
Who inspired the songs that I love?
Was my heart beatin' in my chest?
And was I even alive before the day we met?
Did I feel alive before I met you?
Did I have a purpose before you came into my life?
No, I don't remember me before you
I don't remember who I was before I met you, because you have given me a new sense of self
Lyrics © Peermusic Publishing, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: TJ Osborne, Joshua Osborne, Matthew Dragstrem, Shane McAnally
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@jonathanthechristian5558
I never appreciated this song until I got sober. Feels like I'm hearing it for the first time. My daughter just turned 10 months. God is good
@PrrimeTime21
Congratulations 🙏🏼😊
@DRDROP-fj4bo
Carry on brother. She depending on you.
@user-fv4ro6cj9g
God is good.
@phunny12000
4 years for me and I do miss it and then realised that I wasn't really who I cudda been
@scottweedon4015
God bless…………….
God guild, my brother!
You got this !!!!
@Reximus5
This song is so underrated. It's a beautiful piece of art
@elainemiller266
Master piece of beauty song of hymns ❣️💯🔥
@SusanDamante
AGREEE! 🎶
@TheAbdielhiram
Almost any Brothers Osborne song is!!