Growing up in a small southeastern Missouri town, David Nail might’ve chose… Read Full Bio ↴Growing up in a small southeastern Missouri town, David Nail might’ve chosen to follow any of the dreams that drifted by like the riverboats on the mighty Mississippi: but in the end, it was music that called his name. “I was definitely more into sports growing up,” says the Midwest native, “I think I was expected to play in college, but as I grew older I became more interested in music. After my senior year, I had a few small college offers to play baseball. My coach came to me and said ‘David, you need to decide where you’re going to school,’ and out of the blue I just said, ‘Do you know anybody in Nashville?’”

For singer-songwriter Nail, it was a history-making moment -- small town boy decides to chase a big city dream -- and a theme that has informed his music ever since. On his first album from MCA Nashville, he neatly bridges the divide, laying claim to his hometown roots while keeping a firm grip on the future, and all the deeply emotional territory in between.

“I feel like regardless of where you grew up, city, small town, east coast, west coast or whatever, there’s something in this music that you can relate to,” he says. “They might not all be exactly the same, but everyone has those moments; the first time you left home, falling in love, losing love. That’s what moves me, what I can dig into.”

Nail, son of a former high school band director, cut his musical teeth on a record collection that included Stevie Wonder, Elton John and the Beatles. “Elton John was one of the main reasons I started singing, and is still a tremendous influence,” he says. “I think he and the Beatles are probably two of the greatest melody makers of all time.” Then he moved on to country: “I ‘discovered’ country music in the early 90’s along with everyone else my age,” he says, “but I guess I kind of got more obsessive than everybody else. I found myself looking back as far as the late ‘60s and early ‘70s, exposing myself to some of the biggest stars of that era. It was then that I fell in love with Glen Campbell, who is still one of my all-time favorites.”

Drawn to Music City after high school, Nail took that first step on his long and winding road, following the music. “I had been to Nashville as a small child but I had no memories of what it was like and obviously had no idea what the music business was like,” he says. “I had no idea what I was supposed to be doing.” Overwhelmed, he ended up moving back to Missouri in less than a year.

Returning to Nashville two years later, Nail became frustrated once again in early 2005 with the lack of movement with his music career. David spent the next two summers helping an old college buddy coach the Twitty City Knights, a select group of some of Nashville’s best baseball talent. “I did it just to get away from the reality of what my career had become at that time, and it was being around those kids that recharged my batteries. It reminded me how free and easy life is at 17 and 18 years old and how truly blessed I’d been, both growing up, and now, being able to chase my dream. I will forever look back on that time and those kids for getting me back on track.” Shortly thereafter, mutual friend Brian Wright, who’d recently become V.P., A&R, for both the MCA and Mercury Nashville labels, introduced Nail to Frank Liddell, who 10 years earlier had produced one of Nail’s all-time favorite records, Chris Knight’s self-titled Decca debut.

Through the ups and downs of a life in the music business, Nail was persistent – and his dream became a realization with I’m About To Come Alive, a collection of songs that captures the highs and lows and the hometown flavor of his own experiences. “I wanted to take something from the people who’ve inspired me,” he says, “but also put myself in there, and just make something I could be proud of. It’s definitely a moody record, there’s definitely going to be some heartbreak in there, definitely going to be some dark times. But there’s music you listen to when you’re feeling good, and music you listen to when you’re down and out, and I think this is a record that satisfies both needs.”

From the second he started recording, Nail was determined to bridge the gap between traditional country and the soulful styling’s of a Lionel Ritchie and Ray Charles. “I’ve got to have a piano player with a lot of fire, a little more recklessness!” he says. Liddell (Miranda Lambert) offered up legendary player Chuck Leavell, who brought his inspired piano into the mix with Nail’s smooth, yet soulful vocals to create magic on tracks like “Mississippi.” “It’s a very reflective ballad about a guy from a small town who’s in the city,” Nail says. “Very moody and Ray Charles-esque. Chuck went in there and started playing the intro and suddenly I felt as if I was back in those early days of recording. His playing sent me to another level of singing.”

“Turning Home” had that same soulful emotion and drew Nail’s attention as a demo. “When I first heard it, it was a lot of what I was feeling at the time. I just kept listening to it over and over. I felt like I had always been searching for a song I could really sing, put some emotion, pain and hurt into, and then here was this song,” he said. The result is a perfect match between singer and song, with that same church-meets-honky-tonk piano on the side, and vocals reminiscent of another one of Nail’s big influences, Vince Gill.

Nail wrote five of the eleven I’m About To Come Alive tracks, including “Missouri.” “I was in the middle of a two-year bout with depression,” said Nail. “It’s without a doubt the most honest and personal song I’ve written. I’d been in a relationship for a year or so and could sense something was wrong with me. It was more or less me crying out, pleading for her to leave me because I didn’t have the courage to do it myself.” Along side Scooter Carusoe “Anything But Mine” Nail also wrote “Clouds,” which, he explains, is about one of his most recent misses at romance. “The best songs I’ve ever written just kind of come to me. You don’t have a choice in the matter, they just more or less pour out. Both ‘Missouri’ and ‘Clouds’ were like that.”

With all that emotion going into his songs, he admits he’s a guy who’s always looking for the happy ending. “This is a confession – I’m a man of many extremes, whether working or playing,” he says. “I’m a songwriter, so I’m a sensitive guy. I long for the storybook life.” And it’s produced a lot of good material. “I think the really great singers and writers are able to dig a little deeper and find that other level of emotion,” Nail says. “And I think that’s what makes them better than the rest. I always pride myself on trying to find that place with every song.”

And it’s that moment of raw emotional connection that Nail hopes to pass on to listeners. “I’m more or less just trying to join the fray of good music,” he says. “People ask me all the time how I’d describe my music and I say ‘Well, I hope it’s good.’ Hopefully people will just enjoy it for being good music and take from it whatever it makes them feel.”

Hard knocks and heartache, good times and bad, small towns and big cities – it’s all in his music. “They’re all aspects of life,” he says. “I’m still growing as both a person and artist, and will hopefully continue getting better in regards to both.”

All The Way
David Nail Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

I'm likin' where we're at
You don't even have to ask
Leavin', runnin', come on, honey,
You don't have to worry 'bout that
I got that you-just-know feelin' down in my soul
Girl, you're somethin',
Ain't had nothin' make me wanna go

All the way
Let's chase down forever, baby, what do you say?
All the way
I'll be right here beside you for the rest of your days
All the way

Baby, you lit a fire,
You tripped some kinda wire
That want you bad, just gotta have you burnin' desire
I ain't no now-and-then
This ain't no mighta-been fly-by
No, baby, I'm so in

All the way
I'm a nonstop from New York to LA
All the way
I'm the long way home while your song plays
All the way

Let's watch the sun go down
All the way, all the way
Let's let this night play out
All the way

All the way
Let's chase down forever, baby, what do you say?
All the way
I'll be right here beside you for the rest of your days
All the way

I'm a nonstop from New York to LA
All the way, all the way

Overall Meaning

In the song "All the Way," David Nail sings about how much he's drawn to the relationship that he's currently in. He's so sure about his feelings for his partner that he doesn't ever see himself leaving her. He likens the relationship to chasing after something endlessly and wanting to stay by her side for the rest of their days. Nail sings about feeling alive and how his partner's presence feels like fire cracker that just lit his world on fire. He says that he's willing to commit to her in the long term, and he'll be with her through thick and thin without ever wavering.

The song speaks to the kind of love that's rare and special, the kind of relationship that people dream of being in, and the kind that makes one believe in true love. It's a beautiful love song that captures the essence of love that people ideally desire. The melody and the tune of this song are perfect, and they complement the lyrics beautifully. David Nail's performance is nothing short of remarkable, and he does justice to the emotion he's trying to convey through the song.

Line by Line Meaning

I’m likin’ where we’re at
I am enjoying the current state of our relationship

You don’t even have to ask
You do not need to question my commitment to us

Leavin’, runnin’, come on, honey,
I am not interested in leaving or running away from this relationship

You don’t have to worry ‘bout that
You do not need to worry about my fidelity or intentions

I got that you-just-know feelin’ down in my soul
I have an undeniable feeling of certainty and confidence about our relationship

Girl, you’re somethin',
You are special and unique to me

Ain’t had nothin’ make me wanna go
Nothing has ever made me want to leave this relationship

Baby, you lit a fire,
You have ignited a passionate spark within me

You tripped some kinda wire
You have triggered something inside me that cannot be ignored

That want you bad, just gotta have you burnin’ desire
I have a strong and intense desire to be with you

I ain’t no now-and-then
I am not a fling or casual hookup

This ain’t no mighta-been fly-by
This relationship is not a passing fancy or temporary thing

No, baby, I’m so in
I am completely committed and invested in this relationship

Let’s watch the sun go down
Let us enjoy the moment and spend time together

Let’s let this night play out
Let us continue to spend intimate time together and see where it leads

All the way
I want to commit to you fully and without hesitation

Let’s chase down forever, baby, what do you say?
I want to pursue a lifelong partnership with you, are you on board?

I’ll be right here beside you for the rest of your days
I will stand by your side and love you for the rest of your life

I’m a nonstop from New York to LA
My love for you is unwavering and never-ending

All the way, all the way
I am all in, completely and without reservation

Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Downtown Music Publishing, Peermusic Publishing, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: NEIL THRASHER, CHARLES KELLEY, WENDELL MOBLEY

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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