Stuart comes from South Alabama. He was raised mostly in Mobile, and grew up with family and friends along the gulf coast, and in New Orleans. He began playing piano at an early age, then began to take up new instruments.
In high school, he played trumpet in the marching band, which allowed him to march in Mardi Gras parades and travel around the South. He began playing in bands outside of school as well, and did gigs with short-lived bands as a drummer, bass player, and keyboardist.
Stuart's knack for both literature and music led to some scholarships and a period of academic pursuit at the University of Alabama. There, Stuart again marched in the marching band, this time travelling the country.
After three years at UA, Stuart was approached by an 8-piece punk/ska band called PAIN that needed a trumpet player for a national tour. Stuart then left school and toured the USA extensively in a Ford van. Stuart recorded several studio and live albums with PAIN, and he contributed accordion, piano, organ, backing vocals, ukelele, and even a little writing to PAIN's studio albums. PAIN even got some exposure through Cartoon Network and MTV2.
After the breakup of PAIN, in 2001, Stuart went back to UA to finish what would become an English degree. At school, he founded a poetry reading series and wrote many sarcastic letters to the school newspaper's editorial page. At the same time, he bagan recording his first collection of original songs. In 2002, Stuart released his first CD of original material, titled "I Can't See Over the Accordion". It contained 24 songs, and no two were alike. Some were folky, some punky...one was techno, and one was sung in Spanish. A couple of the funny songs from the CD got national airplay on some quirky specialty shows like "Dr. Demento".
Next, Stuart began Red Label Revolver, a young and fun band that would be the vehicle for his songs fo a couple of years. It was a four-piece, and recorded two CDs. The second one was recorded in Nashville by a less-than-competent producer. The chaotic and expensive recording experience, and the lack of decent product, meant the demise of RLR. It also meant that Stuart was without a band, without the products he had hoped for, and quite out of money.
This led to a period of rebuilding in which Stuart found himself in the small town of Montevallo, AL. Here, Stuart began an earnest spiritual quest that involved increased immersion in nature and meditation. He began recording a new set of songs that would become the CD "Building a Fire". "Building a Fire" was released in 2004, and received a fair amount of national airplay thanks to a radio promotions agency and some compilations that made the rounds.
That CD allowed Stuart to start meeting more people and playing at more venues around the Birmingham area and the Gulf Coast. Over time, Stuart would meet the players that would make up the Contraband, and this began would begin to make a name for itself. Stuart began recording again in 2006, in preparation for a new studio CD. Stuart released two samplers of this material in 2007. The first sampler, titled "Make Levee's, Not War", included some of Stuart's politial statemets relevant to Hurricane Katrina. Some of this music has been used by environmental groups and documentarians in the New Orleans area.
Stuart released an 18 song acoustic collection in October 2008. Recorded at Birmingham's premier Capture Music Studios, the project showcases Stuart's songs distilled and presented in their true essence.
More projects are on the way, including live and in-studio full band projects, some live bootlegs, and a spoken word project. Stay tuned!
Alabama
Stuart McNair Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
alabama
it'd been too long since I'd been home
alabama
she knows when I'm feeling alone
alabama
she called me and I came
but now she don't look the same
they put a lightbulb in your face
U.S. Timbre leaves no trace
just a subdivided space
and all the people i have missed
put a chain link around their wrists
and you're losing a losing race
alabama
they pulled the rope-swing from your yard
alabama
she takes losing so hard
alabama
and now your eyes are full of smoke
alabama
i believe my heart is broke
they put a lightbulb in your face
U.S. Timbre leaves no trace
just a subdivided space
and all the people i have missed
put a chain link around their wrists
and you're losing a losing race
everyone has said goodbye
and i'm so lonesome i could cry
alabama
We all fiddled while your bridges burned
alabama
look, the leaves are beginning to turn
they put a lightbulb in your face
U.S. Timbre leaves no trace
just a subdivided space
and all the people i have missed
put a chain link around their wrists
and you're losing a losing race
The song "Alabama" is a heartfelt tribute by Stuart McNair to the state where he was born and raised. The lyrics express a sense of longing and nostalgia for a place that has changed over time. McNair sings about how Alabama has undergone a transformation, with the people and places he once knew seemingly disappearing. The opening lines, "Alabama, it'd been too long since I'd been home, Alabama, she knows when I'm feeling alone", reveal a deep emotional connection that McNair has with his home state.
In the subsequent lines, McNair paints a picture of his childhood memories by referring to the rope swing that was taken away, a common sight in many Southern backyards. He uses this memory as a metaphor to convey the loss that has occurred in Alabama. McNair delivers a strong message to the listeners that although we cannot go back to our childhood memories and places that we used to know, we can still hold on to the memories and never forget where we come from.
Overall, "Alabama" is a captivating song that brings together the deep emotions and sense of belonging that Stewart McNair has towards his home state of Alabama. Despite the changes and the bittersweet memories, the song is a celebration of his roots and family ties that anchor him to the place he calls home.
Line by Line Meaning
alabama
Referring to the state of Alabama
it'd been too long since I'd been home
Expressing a feeling of nostalgia for Alabama
she knows when I'm feeling alone
Personifying Alabama as a caring and comforting entity
she called me and I came
Describing a desire to return home to Alabama
but now she don't look the same
Noting perceived changes in Alabama since the artist's last visit
they put a lightbulb in your face
Metaphorically describing intrusive and upsetting actions taken
U.S. Timbre leaves no trace
Referencing a specific organization that does things discreetly
just a subdivided space
Describing a negative effect of development and urbanization
and all the people i have missed
Referring to people the artist knew in Alabama
put a chain link around their wrists
Symbolically describing confinement and imprisonment
and you're losing a losing race
Conveying the idea of falling behind or failing
they pulled the rope-swing from your yard
Describing a specific lost childhood memory
she takes losing so hard
Personifying Alabama as taking setbacks and defeats personally
and now your eyes are full of smoke
Describing a negative environmental impact
i believe my heart is broke
Expressing emotional distress and sadness
everyone has said goodbye
Implying that others have left and moved on from Alabama
and i'm so lonesome i could cry
Expressing intense loneliness and the desire to cry
We all fiddled while your bridges burned
Metaphorically describing a situation where people ignored a problem until it was too late
look, the leaves are beginning to turn
Observing changes in the seasons and implying that time is passing
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Stuart Michael McNair
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind