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.”
Clouds
David Nail Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And the seconds are slipping away
Just a little bit more of this turnpike
And so much to say
The airport traffic, it slows us to a still
I turn the radio down
And leave one hand on the wheel
Well I don't know what to tell you
What do you wanna hear
You see, guys like me, we just disappear
You deserve someone who will never leave
But, girl, the last few days are the best we'll ever be
Isn't every goodbye a chance to become
A bittersweet memory for someone
Don't you ever look back with regret
Share with me a moment for all time
In a corner of your mind
If you've never seen New England in the fall
Should you find yourself up there, give me a call
But before I make my way into the crowd
Could I share one last kiss while we're still in the clouds
Isn't every goodbye a chance to become
A bittersweet memory for someone
Don't you ever look back with regret
Share with me a moment for all time
In a corner of your mind
Isn't every goodbye a chance to become
A bittersweet memory for someone
Don't you ever look back with regret
Share with me a moment for all time
In a corner of your mind
David Nail's song "Clouds" is a heartfelt ballad about saying goodbye to a loved one. The song describes the moment when two people are driving to the airport and the tension and emotions are high. The turn signal keeps ticking and the seconds keep slipping away as they approach the airport. The airport traffic slows them down and they find themselves at a standstill. The song talks about the reluctance of the singer to say goodbye and their desire to have one last moment together.
The lyrics show the complexity of the singer's feelings. He tells his loved one that he doesn't know what to say, and the confession that he's not the kind of person who can stick around. He thinks that she deserves someone who will never leave, but he's not that person. Despite all of this, he wants their last moments together to be special and to leave a lasting memory. He asks for one last kiss while they're still in the clouds and tells her that he hopes that these moments will become bittersweet memories.
The song addresses the idea that every goodbye can become a bittersweet memory, and it's important not to look back with regret. It encourages us to share a moment for all time in a corner of our minds. The song expresses the pain and sadness that comes with saying goodbye but also acknowledges that these moments can be special and memorable.
Line by Line Meaning
Well, the turn signal's clicking
As we drive down the road, I am reminded of the fleeting nature of time and how every moment seems to slip away.
And the seconds are slipping away
Time flies by and before we know it, our time together will be over.
Just a little bit more of this turnpike
We still have a little bit of time left together before we have to part ways.
And so much to say
There is still so much I want to share with you before we have to say goodbye.
The airport traffic, it slows us to a still
The traffic at the airport is making it difficult for us to move forward and is causing us to come to a standstill.
I turn the radio down
I want to have a genuine conversation with you, without any distractions.
And leave one hand on the wheel
While I want to focus on our conversation, I also need to stay alert and keep one hand on the wheel.
Well I don't know what to tell you
I'm at a loss for words because I don't want to say goodbye.
What do you wanna hear
I want to make this goodbye as painless as possible for both of us, so I'm willing to say whatever you need to hear.
You see, guys like me, we just disappear
I'm not sure what the future holds, but I'm afraid I won't be able to live up to your expectations and will eventually fade away.
You deserve someone who will never leave
You deserve someone who can promise you a future together and who won't have to say goodbye like I do.
But, girl, the last few days are the best we'll ever be
Despite the fact that our time together is coming to an end, I want to cherish these last few days together and make the most of them.
Isn't every goodbye a chance to become
Every goodbye has the potential to be a poignant and unforgettable moment that stays with us for the rest of our lives.
A bittersweet memory for someone
Although saying goodbye is hard, it has the power to create a poignant and lingering memory that we can cherish forever.
Don't you ever look back with regret
Even though our time together is coming to an end, I want you to know that you should never regret the moments we shared.
Share with me a moment for all time
I want to create a lasting memory with you that we can both look back on with fondness.
In a corner of your mind
Even if we have to say goodbye and move on with our lives, I want to remain a cherished memory that you can revisit from time to time.
If you've never seen New England in the fall
Before we part ways, I want to share something special with you - the beauty of New England in the fall.
Should you find yourself up there, give me a call
If you ever have the chance to visit New England, I want you to know that I'm only a phone call away.
But before I make my way into the crowd
Before we have to say our final goodbye, I want to have one last special moment with you.
Could I share one last kiss while we're still in the clouds
I want to share one last special moment with you - a kiss - while we're still together, before we have to say goodbye for good.
Lyrics © Bluewater Music Corp.
Written by: David Nail, Scooter Carusoe
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
M1
LYRICS - "Clouds"
Well, the turn signal's clicking
And the seconds are slipping away
Just a little bit more of this turnpike
And so much to say
The airport traffic, it slows us to a still
I turn the radio down
And leave one hand on the wheel
Well I don't know what to tell you
What do you wanna hear
You see, guys like me, we just disappear
You deserve someone who will never leave
But, girl, the last few days are the best we'll ever be
Isn't every goodbye a chance to become
A bittersweet memory for someone
Don't you ever look back with regret
Share with me a moment for all time
In a corner of your mind
If you've never seen New England in the fall
Should you find yourself up there, give me a call
But before I make my way into the crowd
Could I share one last kiss while we're still in the clouds
Isn't every goodbye a chance to become
A bittersweet memory for someone
Don't you ever look back with regret
Share with me a moment for all time
In a corner of your mind
Isn't every goodbye a chance to become
A bittersweet memory for someone
Don't you ever look back with regret
Share with me a moment for all time
In a corner of your mind
In a corner of your mind.
M1
LYRICS - "Clouds"
Well, the turn signal's clicking
And the seconds are slipping away
Just a little bit more of this turnpike
And so much to say
The airport traffic, it slows us to a still
I turn the radio down
And leave one hand on the wheel
Well I don't know what to tell you
What do you wanna hear
You see, guys like me, we just disappear
You deserve someone who will never leave
But, girl, the last few days are the best we'll ever be
Isn't every goodbye a chance to become
A bittersweet memory for someone
Don't you ever look back with regret
Share with me a moment for all time
In a corner of your mind
If you've never seen New England in the fall
Should you find yourself up there, give me a call
But before I make my way into the crowd
Could I share one last kiss while we're still in the clouds
Isn't every goodbye a chance to become
A bittersweet memory for someone
Don't you ever look back with regret
Share with me a moment for all time
In a corner of your mind
Isn't every goodbye a chance to become
A bittersweet memory for someone
Don't you ever look back with regret
Share with me a moment for all time
In a corner of your mind
In a corner of your mind.
Arianna Glass
I love David Nail so much all of his songs are amazing
Diesel0207
David Nail's voice gives reflection and inspiration to me in so many of his songs. Reminds me in a small way of some of Jude Cole's work. Thank you for sharing this.
lisa giles
This a very heart felt song... Great!!!! He does deserve so much more praise!
37robbie
just discovered him by accident - like his sound..
Tammy Hankenhoff
You will be hooked
L P
37robbie
I just did! complete awesomeness wow what talent!!!
Christy H
Love your voice David =)
Tino trejo
Been listening to his music for years and never caught a concert!
Karen Watts
Wow!! What a great song!