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.”
The Secret
David Nail Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
After the service on them old church steps
Congregation spilling into the streets
Ain't it funny how the preacher's words
Disappear out here on the curb
Once the weight of an old friend's body and your hands meet
Tending bar up in Syracuse
Hell, I don't know who she'll miss more, you or me
No, it didn't feel real, no not 'til now
Behind this long black Lincoln in our little town
Rolling by buildings I never thought again I'd see
And I can't help but think about all that we could have been
Had you not stayed here and settled for a life with him
Ashes to ashes, dust to dust
Buried is the secret that was us
I can still see you standing there
Swollen eyes and snow in your hair
And your shaking voice say you couldn't get past the shame
Eight weeks into a nine month ride
Either way it's still a lie
Carrying your child with another man's name
And I can't help but think about all that we could have been
Had you not stayed here and settled for a life with him
Ashes to ashes, dust to dust
Buried is the secret that was us
I walk up and shake his hand, tell him just how sorry I am
And what I wouldn't give to have you back
I wonder if you're looking down on all who is gathered 'round
Knowing one day I too will find peace
And I can't help but think about all that we could have been
Had you not stayed here and settled for a life with him
Ashes to ashes, dust to dust
Buried is the secret that was us
Buried is the secret that was us
The lyrics in David Nail's song The Secret tell a story about a secret love affair that was never brought to light. The song opens with a scene of a funeral where the singer is reminiscing about a past love affair. The congregation is standing outside the church, and the preacher’s words have faded away. The weight of an old friend’s body and the singer's hand bring back memories of a past love that had to be kept a secret.
The second verse reveals the story of the couple's relationship. The singer's mother tells him the news about the death of the person he was in love with. As he drives through his hometown, he sees the familiar buildings and wonders what could have been if they had not stayed and settled for their current lives. The final verse sees the singer at the graveside, offering condolences to the widower and thinking about his love for the deceased.
The song takes listeners through the various emotions of love, loss, regret, and acceptance. It highlights the complexities of relationships and the consequences of decisions made.
Line by Line Meaning
All gathered 'round in our Sunday best
Everyone has put on their best clothes to attend the Sunday service
After the service on them old church steps
People have gathered on the old church steps after the service
Congregation spilling into the streets
People have come out of the church and onto the streets
Ain't it funny how the preacher's words
It's interesting how the words of the preacher
Disappear out here on the curb
Vanish when heard on the curb
Once the weight of an old friend's body and your hands meet
But they don't seem to hold much weight when you’re with an old friend
Tending bar up in Syracuse
The singer was working at a bar in Syracuse
Momma called when she got the news
Then the artist's mother called and told him some news
Hell, I don't know who she'll miss more, you or me
The artist wonders who his mother misses more, him or the person they both knew
No, it didn't feel real, no not 'til now
It didn't feel real until now for the artist
Behind this long black Lincoln in our little town
Now, they are behind a long black Lincoln in their small town
Rolling by buildings I never thought again I'd see
Passing by buildings he never expected to see again
And I can't help but think about all that we could have been
The singer ponders about what could have been
Had you not stayed here and settled for a life with him
If the person he's talking about hadn't settled for another life, things could have been different
Ashes to ashes, dust to dust
Reminding us that all life must come to an end eventually
Buried is the secret that was us
The secret that he and the person he's talking about is buried with all of them
I can still see you standing there
He can still see the person in his mind
Swollen eyes and snow in your hair
With her puffy eyes and hair filled with snow
And your shaking voice say you couldn't get past the shame
And she was so ashamed that she couldn't get over it
Eight weeks into a nine month ride
The person was eight weeks pregnant at that time
Either way it's still a lie
And regardless of the situation, it’s still a lie
Carrying your child with another man's name
She is carrying a child that doesn't have his name
I walk up and shake his hand, tell him just how sorry I am
He meets the person his friend’s partner was seeing and apologizes to him
And what I wouldn't give to have you back
The artist is willing to do anything to have that person with him
I wonder if you're looking down on all who is gathered 'round
The singer wonders if the person there is looking down on them all
Knowing one day I too will find peace
But knows that he'll find peace one day too
Ashes to ashes, dust to dust
Reminding us that all life must come to an end eventually
Buried is the secret that was us
The secret that he and the person he's talking about is buried with all of them
Buried is the secret that was us
The secret that he and the person he's talking about is buried with all of them
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Sentric Music
Written by: GIOVANNI, HILL, LIVINGSTON, SOMERS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@ScottGodsey
I am genuinely at a loss for words... This music video just brought me to tears, and I NEVER cry to videos. The sheer emotion and powerful storytelling captured in every frame, combined with the raw, soul-stirring vocals, have touched me in a way I never thought possible. It's rare to experience a piece of art that resonates on such a profound level, but this masterpiece has left an indelible mark on my heart. I will carry this feeling with me for a long time to come. David, thank you for creating something so incredibly moving. 💖😢🎶
@kimowens8411
One of the most beautiful songs ever...I love it...and David Nail's voice....incredible ❤
@davidlucas2678
Yeah, I must say this is my favourite for now, how are you doing?
@ehynot1
WHO THE HECK would actually "dislike" this song/video?
He's amazing!
@CRClouse513
ehynot1 well apparently there is 69 people who have no soul... Or taste
@waynessmoothsoundssteakley9353
You right you right
@davidlucas6597
Hello Tiffany how are you doing?
@jessicahoral8442
This man is SO underrated! Incredible voice!
@davidlucas2678
Hello Jessica how are you doing today, This is one of my favourite since I heard is song.
@adslocker.com-directadvert375
David Nail is a very underrated musician!