After serving as the frontman of bluegrass group The SteelDrivers from 2008 to 2010, Stapleton released his debut studio album Traveller in 2015, which reached number one on the US Billboard 200 and was certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). Among several accolades, he won the Country Music Association Awards and the Academy of Country Music Awards for Album of the Year and Male Vocalist of the Year, and the Grammy Award for Best Country Album and Best Country Solo Performance at the 58th annual ceremony. His second studio album, From A Room: Volume 1 was released on May 5, 2017, reached number two on the US Billboard 200, and to date has surpassed 500,000 units sold. Six months later, Stapleton released follow-up album, From A Room: Volume 2, which, like its predecessor, debuted at number two on the US Billboard 200.
Stapleton was born in a Lexington, Kentucky hospital. His mother worked at the local health department and his father was a coal miner. He comes from a family of coal miners.[12][13] He has an older brother and younger sister.[14][15]
Stapleton grew up in the small town of Staffordsville, Kentucky, which is located just outside of Paintsville, located between the city and the Paintsville lake. He graduated from Johnson Central High School where he was his class valedictorian and attended Vanderbilt University where he studied engineering, but dropped out after a year.
Stapleton is married to singer-songwriter Morgane Hayes, who co-wrote Carrie Underwood's 2006 single "Don't Forget to Remember Me". She had a recording deal with Arista Nashville. The couple met when they were working at adjacent publishing houses. They have two children and live in Nashville.
Two Brothers
Chris Stapleton Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
As they marched along the way
A fife and drum began to play
All on a beautiful morning
One was gentle, one was kind
One came home, one stayed behind
A cannonball don't pay no mind
A cannonball don't pay no mind
Though you're gentle, though you're kind
It don't think of folks behind
All on a beautiful morning
Two girls waiting by the railroad track
For their darlings to come back
One wore blue, and one wore black
All on a beautiful morning
The song Two Brothers by Chris Stapleton is a ballad that tells the story of two brothers who fought on opposite sides during the American Civil War. The first verse describes the brothers' departure for battle with one brother dressed in blue and the other dressed in grey, representing the Union and the Confederacy respectively. The "fife and drum" that started to play in the background indicate that the brothers were marching away amidst fanfare of war from the public.
The second verse describes how the two brothers were different in personality, with one being "gentle" and the other being "kind." However, despite their differences, one brother returned home, while the other stayed behind. The reference to the "cannonball" indicates that the brother who did not return home died during battle, highlighting the devastating consequences of war.
In the chorus, Stapleton emphasizes the idea that war does not discriminate, as the cannonball does not care about the background, personality or character of those it kills. The final verse introduces a new element to the story: two girls waiting for their lovers to return from the war. One girl is dressed in blue and the other in black, highlighting once more the division caused by the war. The beautiful morning that is repeatedly mentioned contrasts with the stark reality of the battlefield and the toll the war took on families.
Line by Line Meaning
One wore blue and one wore grey
Two brothers were on different sides of a war, one fighting for the Union (blue) and the other fighting for the Confederacy (grey).
As they marched along the way
The two brothers were soldiers marching to battle.
A fife and drum began to play
The sound of musical instruments created an eerie soundtrack as the two brothers marched to certain danger.
All on a beautiful morning
Despite the impending battle, it was a calm and beautiful morning, showing the stark contrast between the beauty of nature and the violent circumstances of war.
One was gentle, one was kind
Although the two brothers were different in many ways, they both had good qualities that made them loved by those around them.
One came home, one stayed behind
After the battle, one brother returned home while the other remained dead on the battlefield.
A cannonball don't pay no mind
The cannonball, symbolizing the horrors of war, does not discriminate or care about who it kills or what the person's character was.
Though you're gentle, though you're kind
Even if you are kind and gentle like one of the brothers, you can still fall victim to the violence and destruction of war.
It don't think of folks behind
The cannonball does not consider the impact it has on the people left behind by the person it kills.
Two girls waiting by the railroad track
After the battle, two women were waiting for their loved ones to return by train.
For their darlings to come back
The women were waiting for their boyfriends or husbands to return from the war.
One wore blue, and one wore black
The women were dressed in different colors to symbolize the same division that caused the conflict between the two brothers.
All on a beautiful morning
Despite the hope that their loved ones may return, the aftermath of the battle was still present and it was still a beautiful but bittersweet morning.
Contributed by Aaliyah E. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Skinnyrunt
on Might as Well Get Stoned
My buddies really liked your music passed away yesterday never did listen to country much but cheers to my big dude Chris Kelley Dallas hope hes doin good up there. Loved u man skinny runt
Patty Hitchcock
on You Should Probably Leave
great song..should play it more
Patricia Hands Bray
on Broken Side Of Love
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