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.”
Galveston
David Nail Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I still hear your sea winds blowin'
I still see her dark eyes glowin'
She was 21 when I left Galveston
Galveston, oh Galveston
I still hear your sea waves crashing
While I watch the cannons flashing
I still see her standing by the water
Standing there lookin' out to sea
And is she waiting there for me?
On the beach where we used to run
Galveston, oh Galveston
I am so afraid of dying
Before I dry the tears she's crying
Before I watch your sea birds flying in the sun
At Galveston, at Galveston
David Nail's "Galveston" is a poignant ballad about a man who is longing for his hometown and the woman he left behind there. The song opens with the melancholic line, "Galveston, oh Galveston, I still hear your sea winds blowin'." The use of the repeated phrase "Galveston, oh Galveston" emphasizes the singer's deep longing for the place he once called home. The sea winds and waves crashing are powerful sensory details that reinforce the singer's connection to the ocean and the town.
The chorus of the song includes a striking image of the singer watching cannons flashing while cleaning his gun. This image is both evocative of the military and also gives the impression that the singer is waiting for something to happen. The final line of the chorus, "I clean my gun and dream of Galveston," adds to the sense of longing and anticipation that runs throughout the song.
The second verse paints a picture of the woman the singer left behind. He describes her standing by the water and looking out to sea, and wonders if she's waiting for him. The final lines of the song express the fear of dying before the singer can return to Galveston and be reunited with the woman he loves.
Overall, "Galveston" is a powerful and emotional song that captures the sense of loss and longing that comes with leaving home and loved ones behind.
Line by Line Meaning
Galveston, oh Galveston
The singer is reminiscing about Galveston, a place that holds a deep sentimental value to him.
I still hear your sea winds blowin'
The singer can still hear the soothing sound of the winds coming from the sea when he thinks of Galveston.
I still see her dark eyes glowin'
The singer is referring to a woman he met in Galveston with stunning eyes that he can still vividly picture in his mind.
She was 21 when I left Galveston
The woman that the singer met in Galveston was just 21 years old when he left the place.
I still hear your sea waves crashing
The crashing of the sea waves on the shore is a sound that still echoes in the singer's memories of Galveston.
While I watch the cannons flashing
The singer is probably referring to a military battle at Galveston that he witnessed in the past.
I clean my gun and dream of Galveston
The singer misses Galveston so much that he takes comfort in cleaning his gun and thinking about it.
I still see her standing by the water
The singer can still see the woman he met in Galveston standing by the water, staring out into the sea.
Standing there lookin' out to sea
The woman the singer met is probably pondering over something as she gazes out into the sea.
And is she waiting there for me?
The singer wonders if the woman from Galveston is still waiting for him on the beach where they used to hang out together.
On the beach where we used to run
The beach in Galveston is a place where the singer and the woman he met used to go for runs together.
I am so afraid of dying
The singer fears that he might die before getting to see Galveston again or make up for lost time with the woman he met there.
Before I dry the tears she's crying
The singer is worried about leaving the woman he met in Galveston crying before he gets to comfort her.
Before I watch your sea birds flying in the sun
The singer is afraid of leaving this world before getting a chance to see the sea birds that fly around the beach in Galveston in the sunshine.
At Galveston, at Galveston
The singer's longing and love for Galveston is intensified by the repetition of the name of the place.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: JIMMY L WEBB
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind