The band consists of Isbell (vocals, guitar); Sadler Vaden (guitar); Jimbo Hart (bass); Derry DeBorja (keys, accordion); Chad Gamble (drums).
Fiddle player and singer Amanda Shires features regularly as a session player and occasional touring member.
The band is named for the colloquial name of the psychiatric ward of Eliza Coffee Memorial Hospital in Florence, Alabama.
The band are credited as such on five of Isbell's eight studio full-lengths, Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit (2009); Here We Rest (2011); The Nashville Sound (2017); Reunions (2020); Weathervanes (2023). Though some or all of the members feature on Jason's three "solo" albums, 2007's Sirens of the Ditch, his 2013 breakthrough Southeastern, and 2015's Something More Than Free.
The band tour regularly in the United States and internationally, including and annual week of shows at Nashville's legendary Ryman Auditorium supported by Shires and a variety of up and coming country, folk, and soul artists.
Alabama Pines
Jason Isbell and The 400 Unit Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
If you could call it that, a week ago
I never do what I'm supposed to do
Hardly even know my name anymore
When no one calls it out, kinda vanishes away
And I can't get to sleep at night
The parking lot's so loud and bright
Probably never made a single person cold
But I can't say the same for me
I've done it many times
Somebody take me home, through those Alabama pines
You can't drive through Talladega on a weekend in October
Just head up north to Jacksonville
Cut around and over
Watch your speed in Boiling Springs
They ain't got a thing to do
They'll get you every time
Somebody take me home, through those Alabama pines
Somebody take me home, through those Alabama pines
Oh, oh, oh, oh
Oh, oh, oh, oh
If we pass through on a Sunday
Better make a stop at Wayne's
It's the only open liquor store north
And I can't stand the pain
Of being by myself, without a little help
On a Sunday afternoon
Well I needed that damn woman like a dream needs gasoline
And I tried to be some ancient kind of man
One that's never seen the beauty in the world
But I tried to chase it down
Tried to make the whole thing mine
Somebody take me home, through those Alabama pines
Somebody take me home, through those Alabama pines
Oh, oh, oh, oh
Oh, oh, oh, oh
I've been stuck here in this town
If you could call it that, a year or two
I never do what I'm supposed to do
I don't even need a name anymore
When no one calls it out, it kinda vanishes away
No one gives a damn about the things I give a damn about
The liberties that we can't do without seem to disappear
Like ghosts in the air
When we don't even care, it truly vanishes away
The song "Alabama Pines" by Jason Isbell and The 400 Unit is a somber reflection on the singer's feelings of displacement and loneliness. The song starts with the singer moving into a dingy room that hardly feels like a home. The parking lot is loud, the AC barely works, and nothing seems to be going right. The singer can't help but feel alone as no one calls out his name, making him feel like he's disappearing into the background. The song then switches to a request for someone to take him home through the Alabama pines.
The second verse of the song feels more like a travel guide through Alabama. The singer talks about places to avoid and places to check out. The lyrics make you feel like you're on a road trip through Alabama, taking in the sights and sounds of the highway. The third verse talks about the singer's need for companionship and how he tries to act like a cold, unfeeling person, but eventually, he realizes that he's just like everyone else, with a need for love and acceptance. The song ends on a melancholic note, with the singer feeling like no one cares about the things he cares about and how everything seems to disappear into thin air.
Line by Line Meaning
Well I moved into this room
I recently moved into this small and uninviting space.
If you could call it that, a week ago
To even call this space a room would be an exaggeration.
I never do what I'm supposed to do
I tend to ignore my obligations and responsibilities.
Hardly even know my name anymore
I feel lost and disconnected from myself.
When no one calls it out, kinda vanishes away
Without anyone acknowledging my existence, I feel invisible and insignificant.
And I can't get to sleep at night
My surroundings make it difficult for me to rest.
The parking lot's so loud and bright
The constant noise and light outside keeps me awake.
The A/C Hasn't worked in twenty years
The air conditioning has been broken for a very long time.
Probably never made a single person cold
It's likely that no one has ever felt any coolness from the A/C.
But I can't say the same for me
However, I've felt very uncomfortable because of the heat.
I've done it many times
I've suffered through the heat before.
Somebody take me home, through those Alabama pines
I wish someone would escort me back to my home in Alabama.
You can't drive through Talladega on a weekend in October
It's not advisable to take a drive through Talladega during October weekends.
Just head up north to Jacksonville
It's best to travel north to Jacksonville instead.
Cut around and over
Take a route that bypasses the usual path.
Watch your speed in Boiling Springs
Be mindful of your speed if you go through Boiling Springs.
They ain't got a thing to do
There isn't much to do in Boiling Springs.
They'll get you every time
If you're not careful, you could easily get in trouble there.
Oh, oh, oh, oh
These lines are part of the chorus and do not have a specific meaning.
If we pass through on a Sunday
If we happen to drive through on a Sunday.
Better make a stop at Wayne's
It's a good idea to stop at Wayne's, the only open liquor store in that direction.
It's the only open liquor store north
Wayne's is the only liquor store that's open for business in that direction.
And I can't stand the pain
I can't bear to be alone with my own thoughts and emotions.
Of being by myself, without a little help
Being completely alone without any kind of support is too difficult for me.
On a Sunday afternoon
This line is specifying the time of day in which the pain is felt.
Well I needed that damn woman like a dream needs gasoline
I was very dependent on that woman, like a dream relies on fuel.
And I tried to be some ancient kind of man
I attempted to be a stereotypical, outdated version of a man.
One that's never seen the beauty in the world
A kind of man that doesn't recognize or appreciate the beauty of life.
But I tried to chase it down
Despite my misguided intentions, I pursued it relentlessly.
Tried to make the whole thing mine
I did all I could to make the relationship work, even if it wasn't healthy.
No one gives a damn about the things I give a damn about
The things that matter to me don't seem to matter to anyone else.
The liberties that we can't do without seem to disappear
The freedoms that we all need are disappearing and no one is doing anything about it.
Like ghosts in the air
These liberties are disappearing without a trace, like spirits or apparitions.
When we don't even care, it truly vanishes away
If we don't care enough to fight for our freedoms, they will disappear completely.
Lyrics © Downtown Music Publishing, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Jason Isbell
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@editorrbr2107
I sang this song to myself for a solid year, stuck in Hawaii.
“No one gives a damn about the things I give a damn about,” was fulfilled when I saw her across the bar in 2011. She did. She gave a damn about all of them.
Within two years, she became the gasoline to my dreams — and I needed that damn woman. Still need that woman, the woman who puts a lump in my throat even after 9 years.
I am completely changing my life to come home — come home to Alabama, come home to her, come home to an “us,” and come home to me.
One step in front of the other. And I don’t regret a single thing I do or become, or a step on this path to being a better man — all just to walk with her beneath the Alabama pines.
For so many reasons, this song will always be special. Thank you.
@gianellamantilla7018
Lyrics: 🎶
Well, I moved into this room
If you could call it that a week ago
I never do what I'm supposed to do
Hardly even know my name anymore
When no one calls it out, it kind of vanishes away
And I can't get to sleep at night
The parking lot is so loud and bright
The AC hasn't worked in twenty years
Probably never made a single person cold
But I can't say the same for me, I've done it many times
Somebody take me home
Through those Alabama Pines
You can't drive through Talladega on a weekend in October
Just head up north to Jacksonville, cut around and over
Watch your speed in Boiling Springs
They ain't got a thing to do
They'll get you every time
Somebody take me home
Through those Alabama Pines
Somebody take me home
Through those Alabama Pines
Woah-oh-oh-oh-oh
Woah-oh-oh-oh-oh
If we pass through on a Sunday
Better make a stop at Wayne's
It's the only open liquor store north
And I can't stand the pain of being by myself
Without a little help on a Sunday afternoon
Well, I needed that damned woman like a dream needs gasoline
And I tried to be some ancient kind of man
One that's never seen the beauty in the world
But I tried to chase it down
Tried to make the whole thing mine
Somebody take me home
Through those Alabama Pines
Somebody take me home
Through those Alabama Pines
Whoa-oh-oh-oh-oh
Whoa-oh-oh-oh-oh
Well, I've been stuck here in this town
If you could call it that a year or two
I never do what I'm supposed to do
I don't even need a name anymore
When no one calls it out, it kind of vanishes away
No one gives a damn about
The things I give a damn about
Liberties that we can't do without
Seem to disappear like ghosts in the air
We don't even care through they vanishes away
@caltech25
10 years later, he somehow looks 10 years younger than he did in this video. Sobriety suits Jason - alot of artists are afraid to give up their vices in fear of compromising their creativity, but Jason just gets better and better over time.
@johndeere8594
He lost a bunch of weight.
@typacsk
I heard a story once -- I don't know if it's true -- that he and Amanda were watching that Stephen Hawking movie, and he asked her "If you had known when we met that I had only a few years to live, would you have given it a chance?" She supposedly answered "When we met, you did have only a few years to live."
@grosebud4554
He was using lots of drugs and alcohol here. Sobriety rewinds the clock 10 years.
@adamclark7981
His unbelievable talent has never wavered…. But give me drug & alcohol Isbell’s songs any day. His newer stuff is great for sure but the old stuff just hits different.
@scottkennethjones
@G Rosebud nailed it.
@5yearsout
"No one gives a damn about the things I give a damn about" - Jason plucked that one right out my head. Perhaps my favorite Isbell lyric of all-time, and there are thousands to choose from.
@jekiely
What a beautiful cry for help, and what a beautiful thing that he found it. I love this song.
@n0-one0
I know these were dark years for Jason but I truly love all of his early solo albums as much as Southeastern and everything else he has done with The 400 Unit.
@greggourley3097
Pretty much every one of his songs make me smile and tear up at the same time. What a songwriter!