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.”

Burnin' Bed
David Nail Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Tangled, vodka, midnight
Can't stay, taxi, goodnight
Then you kiss me
And it's on again
Here in the dark all it takes is a spark
And I fall right back in

This burnin' bed's the kinda burn

That's gonna burn us from the inside out
This burnin' bed is gonna burn us
'Til we're ashes scattered on the ground
Here in your arms
My heart can't get you out of my head
And so burn baby, burn baby, turn down this burnin' bed

Goodbye's just a liar
Oh, 'cause goodbye fans this fire
And makes me want you
Like I do right now
Your lips find my lips
And my hands find your hips
And I just lay you down in

This burnin' bed's the kinda burn
That's gonna burn us from the inside out
This burnin' bed is gonna burn us
'Til we're ashes scattered on the ground
Here in your arms
My heart can't get you out of my head
And so burn baby, burn baby, turn down this burnin' bed

Here in your arms
My heart can't get you out of my head

And so burn baby, burn baby, turn down this burnin' bed
Turn down this burnin' bed

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of David Nail's song, Burnin' Bed, tells the story of two lovers who can't resist each other even though they know it's not good for them. The song starts with the singer describing a scene of being tangled up in a passionate embrace with his lover during midnight hours fueled by vodka. He knows he should leave, but every time they kiss, all of his resolutions to stay away are forgotten. He implies that their passion is like a burning bed that is going to destroy them completely. However, he can't help but be consumed by the heat of this burning passion.

As the song continues, it becomes clear that the singer and his lover are breaking up. He acknowledges that saying goodbye only fans the flames of their passion, and that the only thing that puts it out is being close to each other. The last verse reveals that he can't get over her, even though he knows it's time to move on. He's trapped in the memory of her, and he wants her to turn down the intensity of their relationship. He knows that their passion is a burning bed that consumes everything in its path, including their love.

Overall, the song is a visceral representation of a passionate love that is as dangerous as it is irresistible. The lyrics perfectly capture the struggle of someone who can't resist a love that they know will ultimately destroy them.

Line by Line Meaning

Tangled, vodka, midnight
It is late at night and the singer is feeling a little disheveled while drinking vodka.

Can't stay, taxi, goodnight
The singer is ready to leave and is saying goodbye to their lover.

Then you kiss me
In a last moment of passion, the singer is kissed by their lover.

And it's on again
The spark is reignited between the artist and their lover.

Here in the dark all it takes is a spark
The artist is saying that a little thing like a kiss can cause a big spark between them and their lover.

And I fall right back in
The singer gives in to the passion and their feelings for their lover.

Goodbye's just a liar
The singer feels that saying goodbye is not real and is just a temporary moment before they see their lover again.

Oh, 'cause goodbye fans this fire
The artist feels that saying goodbye just ignites the passion between them and their lover.

And makes me want you
The artist is admitting that saying goodbye makes them want their lover even more.

Like I do right now
The artist is saying that they want their lover in this moment.

Your lips find my lips
The singer and their lover kiss.

And my hands find your hips
The artist's hands touch their lover's hips.

And I just lay you down in
The singer is saying that they are about to have sex with their lover.

This burnin' bed's the kinda burn
The singer is comparing the passion between them and their lover to a burning fire.

That's gonna burn us from the inside out
The passion between them and their lover is so intense that it is going to consume them from the inside out.

This burnin' bed is gonna burn us
The passion between them and their lover is so intense that it is going to consume them completely.

'Til we're ashes scattered on the ground
The passion between them and their lover is so intense that it is going to leave them as ashes scattered on the ground.

Here in your arms
The singer is in their lover's arms.

My heart can't get you out of my head
The singer is admitting that they cannot stop thinking about their lover.

And so burn baby, burn baby, turn down this burnin' bed
The artist is asking their lover to slow down the burning passion between them so they can try to think clearly about their emotions.

Turn down this burnin' bed
The artist is asking their lover to slow down the passion between them so they can think clearly.

Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Downtown Music Publishing, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., ME GUSTA MUSIC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: BOB DIPIERO, BRANDY LYNN CLARK, SHANE MCANALLY

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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