… Read Full Bio ↴I got tired of seeing my dated bio on here, so this is how it is...
I've been immersed in music since conception. It's all I've ever been interested in. Ever. My entire family on my fathers side all play and sing and half write their own material. They don't even know how far it goes back, but they believe that during the civil war, one of our ancestors was a prisoner of war in Andersonville Confederate Prison. He played the fiddle and as the story goes, he played for the soldiers which allowed him to get enough food to stay alive.
I was raised on a tobacco farm in Taylorsville Kentucky. Looking back, it was almost a Kentucky-story-book kind of life with Country and Bluegrass music all around. But we listened to EVERYTHING, so collectively, it was as diverse as you can imagine. I worked in tobacco with my family from the age of 4 until I was 21, and, at the time, couldn't wait to get away, so that's what I did.
I moved to Louisville Kentucky in 1988 and illegally worked the night joints, due to the fact I was underage. My first STEADY music job was a solo gig at the Granville Inn on 3rd street. Three months later, I was hired by a south side Chicago native, a black dude that called himself "Tophat".
Top was a KILLER backbeat/blues/motown drummer. Funny thing is, he fronted the band with a saxaphone that he'd sqeek and sqauk around on and only played the drums when he couldn't find someone else to do it. He was one of the last "chitlin' circuit" style performers I've seen. It was like stepping back in time.
This was where I REALLY learned how to survive as a musician. This guy hustled gigs out of thin air. He'd talk his way into places that didn't hire live music. He'd book a show without even having a band put together, then go to a blues jam and round up a bunch of guys he had just met to play the gig, without any rehearsals. He'd lead the whole band through every song (showing them where to build, stop, punch, etc.) all while playing sax, singing and entertaining (even did the splits every now and then). What amazed me MOST was his abillity to always pull it off. He actually ended up hiring ME at a blues jam (and bummed a ride home that night to the other side of town). Everything he did was by the seat of his pants, but he was always a professional. He taught me the "old school" etiquette of stage and band management. He introduced me to all the black clubs and players in Louisville. My two favorite being Smoketown Red and Kush Griffin. Kush was with James Brown as one of the horny horns and Parliment in their prime. He also was responsible for introducing me to my life long friend "Portland" Johnny Hayes on the drums (bad M.F.) who played with me for most of my stint in Louisville. Johnny was also a Tophat protoge. All of this was my schooling. I owe these people a lot, but especially Top.
I eventually drifted back to my roots of bluegrass, folk and country and started an acoustic band called the Galoots. The first version was Todd Osborne and Dennis Talley. We really had a unique blend that fell into place easily. Eventually, as bands do, we drifted appart and the second inception of the band took place. Comprised of Steve Cooley, Mike Shroeder, and Larry Raley. That band ramped it into more of a moshgrass scene. That did what it did and I decided I had to go to Nashville in '98.
I did three shows at the Station Inn with the second version of the Galoots and ended up with production and publishing offers. I took the publishing, not being a fan of production "deals". Publishing led to demo, demo led to pitching songs to label for other artists to cut, pitch led to "who is this guy", "who is this guy" led to showcase, showcase to deal, and there you have it. I signed with MCA in 2000.
Later, left MCA and eventually went to Equity. Left Equity and joined MUZIKMAFIA. Since then I've gotten several cuts on other artists, writing a lot, playing a lot, producing a lot, and having fun alot. -Shannon Lawson
This Old Heart
Shannon Lawson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
No matter how I try it won't go away
I guess it's something I just can't change
Every beat still calls out your name
[Chorus]
This old hearts gotta go
'Cause you're all it's ever known
Now that you're gone
It holds onto your memory
And it's time for me to move on
This old hearts gotta go
Me, my heart and her went out on the town
Just trying to have some fun but three was a crowd
It just compared her to you
There's only thing to do
[Chorus]
How was I to know I would be betrayed
Never thought that my own heart would do me this way
[Chorus]
This old hearts gotta go
This old hearts gotta go
Shannon Lawson's song "This Old Heart" is a heart-wrenching ballad about a man struggling to move on from a past love. The song speaks to the universal experience of dealing with a broken heart and the emotional baggage that comes with it. The song's opening lines convey a sense of defeat and resignation: "I've got a feeling that I just can't escape / No matter how I try it won't go away." Despite trying to forget the past and move on, the singer of the song is incapable of escaping the memory of his former love.
The chorus is where the song's title comes into play: "This old heart's gotta go / 'Cause you're all it's ever known / Lonely and broken / Now that you're gone / It holds onto your memory / And it's time for me to move on." The singer realizes that in order to move forward with his life, he needs to leave his past behind and start anew. He acknowledges that his heart is still broken from the loss of his former love, but he also recognizes that it's time to let go.
The rest of the song describes the difficulty of moving on and how the past can haunt and hurt us in unexpected ways. The line "Me, my heart and her went out on the town / Just trying to have some fun but three was a crowd" speaks to the difficulty of letting someone new into your life when you're still carrying the baggage of a past relationship. The song concludes with the repeated refrain, "This old heart's gotta go," emphasizing the singer's resolve to leave his past behind and move forward into the future.
Line by Line Meaning
I've got a feeling that I just can't escape
I have a strong intuition that persists despite all attempts to ignore it.
No matter how I try it won't go away
All my efforts to get rid of this feeling have been in vain.
I guess it's something I just can't change
I acknowledge that this feeling is beyond my control.
Every beat still calls out your name
My heart still longs for you and carries your name along with each throb.
This old hearts gotta go
My heart needs to let go of the past and move forward.
'Cause you're all it's ever known
My heart has been with you for so long that it knows nothing else.
Lonely and broken
The aftermath of our breakup has left me feeling sad and shattered.
Now that you're gone
Since you left me, everything has changed.
It holds onto your memory
My heart still clings onto the memories of our love.
And it's time for me to move on
It is time for me to let go of the past and embrace the present.
Me, my heart and her went out on the town
I went out with someone new, but my heart still held memories of you.
Just trying to have some fun but three was a crowd
Even though I was trying to enjoy myself, the thought of you being absent made it difficult.
It just compared her to you
My heart couldn't help but notice the differences between my new companion and you.
There's only thing to do
The only solution is to move on from our past relationship.
How was I to know I would be betrayed
I did not anticipate that my own heart would cause me pain.
Never thought that my own heart would do me this way
I never imagined that my own heart could cause me such deep emotional pain.
This old hearts gotta go
It is time for me to let go of my old heart and embrace a new chapter in my life.
Lyrics © AMPLIFIED ADMINISTRATION, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: DEL GRAY, SHANNON LAWSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Darron H
on Rainy Day Whiskey
any body have the lyrics and guitar cords for rainy day whisky?