While Stephen Barker Liles and Eric Gunderson are proud of their successful first effort, they are excited to have teamed with producer Josh Leo (Alabama, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band) on their RCA effort. "We love performing" says Stephen. "The way we are recording now is the way our influences made records: live with a band. It's a lot more organic.".”
Eric’s earthy voice is the perfect complement to Stephen’s high-altitude tenor. The guys happily share lead vocals, harmonize like a church choir, and bolster their band with their own guitar work. “Stephen and I have always been on the same page as far as the vision for Love and Theft and what we want it to be,” says Eric. “We feel like we have made the record we’ve always wanted to make.”
The result is a nod to the duo’s varied influences. “She’s Amazing” evokes the brilliant harmonies of the Eagles. The seductive “Amen” channels all the yearning of Roy Orbison. And the rollicking first single “Angel Eyes” brings to mind Elvis Presley’s “(You’re the) Devil in Disguise.”
While Johnny Cash and Orbison are both enormous influences, it might surprise fans to learn who the duo’s favorite artist is. “Hands-down, Elvis,” says Stephen. “My dad was really into him, so I got into him. I was all over Elvis growing up.”
Coincidentally, both Stephen and Eric—who didn’t meet until they were in their early 20s—were raised as pastors’ kids, and their respective fathers fed them a steady diet of gospel, oldies and country. “Our parents didn’t want us listening to secular music that much. But they’d let us listen to Elvis, Roy, the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band…,” says Eric. “It was cool to grow up that way, and that’s still my favorite kind of music.”
It isn’t lost on the guys that they’re now recording for the very label that released some of their hero’s biggest hits. “We’re excited to be on RCA, the same label Elvis was on,” Stephen says with a smile.
Perhaps it was some divine intervention that led the friends to this point in their career. Eric and Stephen, after all, will be the first to tell you that their shared spirituality is a cornerstone of Love and Theft. In fact, both used to lead worship at their churches.
“That’s how we got our start playing music. Our faith is a huge part of our lives,” says Eric, pondering the fate of it all. “I feel like it was meant to be this way from the beginning. Our journey over the past four years was preparing us for where we’re at now.”
Which is squarely at the doorstop of a prosperous career in country music. With a young, vibrant sound, a captivating live show, and a passionate fan base, Love and Theft are poised to become the genre’s next great duo.
http://www.loveandtheft.com/
Whiskey On My Breath
Love and Theft Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
With a bottle laying in the bed
There was a little, a little bit left
So I picked it up and I killed the rest
Oh I know I'm going to heaven
But I can't go with me like this
I need to pull myself together
No I ain't afraid of dying
But what scares me to death
Is meeting Jesus
With whiskey on my breath
I lost her and all my friends
Broke all but one of my Lord's 10
But Jesus died for all my sins
That's how I know I'm getting in
Oh I know I'm going to heaven
But I can't go with me like this
I need to pull myself together
Before then
No I ain't afraid of dying
But what scares me to death
Is meeting Jesus
With whiskey on my breath
Oh I know I'm going to heaven
But I can't go with me like this
I need to pull myself together
Before then
No I ain't afraid of dying
But what scares me to death
Is meeting Jesus
With whiskey on my breath
Is meeting Jesus
With whiskey on my breath
The lyrics of Love and Theft's "Whiskey On My Breath" depict the regretful thoughts of a man who wakes up with a pounding head and a bottle in his bed. He realizes that he has probably drank too much the previous night, and he has to face the consequences of his actions. He knows that he is a good person and that he will go to heaven one day, but he fears meeting Jesus with whiskey on his breath as it would show his lack of self-control and respect towards the Lord. He acknowledges that he needs to get better before he meets his fate, and the song is a reflective confession of his misdeeds, and his awareness of his own mortality.
The track goes beyond the surface of a typical drinking song and taps into a deeper, more philosophical theme of spirituality and redemption. The imagery and the lyrics are vivid and grab one's attention, the singer carries the story with a powerful vocal delivery, and the song's structure is catchy.
Line by Line Meaning
I woke up with a pounding head
I woke up feeling the effects of last night's drinking, with a headache.
With a bottle laying in the bed
A bottle of whiskey was left on the bed, pointing to excessive drinking last night.
There was a little, a little bit left
Only a small amount of whiskey was left in the bottle; he had been drinking a lot before he went to bed.
So I picked it up and I killed the rest
He drank the remaining whiskey in one go, despite knowing it's not healthy.
Oh I know I'm going to heaven
The artist is certain of going to heaven by following his beliefs.
But I can't go with me like this
He realizes that he needs to quit drinking to present himself properly in front of God.
I need to pull myself together
The singer acknowledges the importance of self-control and discipline.
Before then
He wants to do this before the day he dies or stands before God.
No I ain't afraid of dying
He's not afraid of dying because he's secured a place in heaven.
But what scares me to death
He's afraid of meeting Jesus - the most important person in his belief system - with alcohol on his breath.
Is meeting Jesus
There's nothing scarier than the thought of meeting Jesus unprepared or with sins that need confessing.
With whiskey on my breath
The artist is aware that he needs to quit drinking and be purified in order to follow his beliefs and face God respectfully.
Lyrics © ROCKAPOP MUSIC, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Downtown Music Publishing, AMPLIFIED ADMINISTRATION, ENDURANCE MUSIC GROUP, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: ADAM CRAIG, STEPHEN BARKER-LILES, RUSSELL DICKERSON, MARK MCGUINN, TYLER REEVE, TRENT TOMLINSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@joshuasmith208
Thank you so much Jesus for everything you do for us all and keep on doing praise God 🙏 love you all!!
@buckfever77man
4 years sober and each day is a gift. I had nothing left when I was drinking. I now have a wife, 2 baby boys and a new life. I am the man a knew I could be without the alcohol /drugs and a program of recovery and most importantly GOD. This song brought tears to my eyes! For everyone struggling take the leap of faith and get involved in 12 steps. It’s more than worth it!!! Don’t give up.... EVER
@mattbrown4798
Amen
@joemcgillivray8964
Amen!! This song has really lifted me as well
@helenepelletier894
Way to go! I thank God EVERY day for my husband's sobriety. 15 years this June!
@rockpaperscissors82
Finally! We have a mature song about the ugliness of alcohol abuse. This is what country radio needs. Great job with the harmonies and lyrics!
@DeuXLV
rockpaperscissors82 Fully agree with you!
@brucehenson2904
rockpaperscissors82 it is.but you wont hear it on the radio,at least i dont.
@rockpaperscissors82
Bruce Henson Yeah, I only heard it a couple times on the radio -- the week it was first released. Apparently, radio dropped it thereafter. I guess they need to shake their ass like Luke Bryan and sing about tailgates.
@iluvcookiedo
Bruce Henson I just heard it today for the first time on the radio and the guy said it was a new number one, I forgot the context though... but I loved it immediately!