Simpson was born in Jackson, Breathitt County, Kentucky, the only child of a secretary and a state policeman who formerly worked undercover narcotics. Due to his father's work, Simpson's family moved to Versailles, outside Lexington, where Simpson graduated from Woodford County High School. Simpson's mother's family were coal miners. Simpson is the first male on his mother's side of the family to not work in a strip mine or deep mine. After three years in the United States Navy, Simpson spent time in Japan, then lived in Everett, Washington, and then moved back home to Lexington, Kentucky.
As of August 2017, he has released three albums as a solo artist. He released two albums independently, High Top Mountain in 2013 and Metamodern Sounds in Country Music in 2014. His second album is notable for being nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Americana Album, being listed 18th on Rolling Stone's "50 Best Albums of 2014," and also being named among "NPR's 50 Favorite Albums of 2014." His third studio album, A Sailor's Guide to Earth, was released on Atlantic Records and was Simpson's first major-label release, later earning him Best Country Album at the 59th Grammy Awards while also being nominated for Album of the Year.
Simpson is often compared to Waylon Jennings and the Outlaw Country genre of country music. Shooter Jennings says, "Sturgill isn't imitating at all, and he sounds like my favorite era of my dad, the Seventies, when he would sing quieter and more conversational. That's what struck me about Sturgill from Day One. And still does." Simpson himself counts Merle Haggard, Willie Nelson, Keith Whitley, and Marty Robbins as much bigger influences on his sound than Waylon Jennings. Simpson has also stated he tries to base his career around that of Dwight Yoakam. Indeed, Country Music Television noted that Simpson had "a voice that recalls Merle Haggard [and] guitar licks that bring Buck Owens to mind." His overall sound was described by Indiewire as "a mesmerizing and sometimes bewildering mix of traditional country sounds, contemporary philosophy, and psychedelic recording-studio wizardry.
In Bloom
Sturgill Simpson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Weather changes moods
Spring is here again
Reproductive glands
He's the one who likes all our pretty songs
And he likes to sing along
And he likes to shoot his gun
Don't know what it means to love someone
We can have some more
Nature is a whore
Bruises on the fruit
Tender age in bloom
He's the one who likes all our pretty songs
And he likes to sing along
And he likes to shoot his gun
But he don't know what it means
Don't know what it means to love someone
He's the one who likes all our pretty songs
And he likes to sing along
And he likes to shoot his gun
But he don't know what it means
He don't know what it means, no, to love someone
He likes all our pretty songs
And he likes to sing along
And he likes to shoot his gun
But he don't know what it means
Don't know what it means to love someone
Love someone, no
The lyrics to Sturgill Simpson's song In Bloom are enigmatic, and interpretations differ wildly depending on who you ask. However, the song's main themes seem to be centered around the disaffection and despair felt by a generation disillusioned with the traditional values and societal norms of their parents' generation. 'Sell the kids for food' is a cynical comment on how the young were perceived by an older generation who saw them as consumables, or items to be sold for food, rather than as actual human beings with value and worth. 'Weather changes moods' is likely a reference to the unpredictability of life and the feeling that everything is hanging in the balance. 'Spring is here again' is a nod to the cyclical nature of time, but is also perhaps a comment on how even the most beautiful things are fleeting and transitory. 'Reproductive glands' is a stark and almost clinical reference to the transformative and often tumultuous effects of puberty and adolescence.
The chorus, 'He's the one who likes all our pretty songs/And he likes to sing along/And he likes to shoot his gun/But he don't know what it means/Don't know what it means to love someone' is a biting commentary on the generation gap, and how the youth of the day felt misunderstood and marginalized by their parents and society at large. The singer of the song recognizes that the older generation likes their music, but doesn't understand it or the emotions behind it. 'We can have some more/Nature is a whore/Bruises on the fruit/Tender age in bloom' is a particularly cryptic verse, but it may be a reference to the commodification and exploitation of the natural world and the young. 'Nature is a whore' suggests that it's up for sale or available for the taking, while 'bruises on the fruit' suggests that even things that seem wholesome and pure can be damaged or corrupted. 'Tender age in bloom' could be a reference to the fragility of youth or the peak of physical beauty and vitality that only lasts a short time.
Overall, the lyrics to 'In Bloom' by Sturgill Simpson are haunting, suggestive, and open-ended. They seem to be about a generation that saw itself as alienated from what had come before it, and struggling to find meaning and purpose in a world that had lost its way. The song captures the feeling of confusion, anger, and despair that often accompanies times of great change and upheaval, and speaks to anyone who has ever felt misunderstood or left behind.
Line by Line Meaning
Sell the kids for food
Exhibiting diminished parental instinct by resorting to selling one's children in order to purchase food.
Weather changes moods
Implying that external factors can influence the emotions of an individual.
Spring is here again
A reference to the cyclical nature of seasons and its impact on the environment.
Reproductive glands
An anatomical reference highlighting the importance of procreation in nature.
He's the one who likes all our pretty songs
Referring to an individual who enjoys entertaining music with aesthetically pleasing melodies.
And he likes to sing along
A description of someone who enjoys participating in musical activities with others.
And he likes to shoot his gun
Implying a fascination with firearms and potentially violent behaviors.
But he don't know what it means
Suggesting a lack of understanding or empathy towards certain aspects of life.
Don't know what it means to love someone
A specific example of the previous sentiment, highlighting an inability to comprehend or experience a deep emotional bond with another person.
We can have some more
An assertion of entitlement and an eagerness to obtain more of a desired object or experience.
Nature is a whore
A provocative view of natural phenomena often portrayed as pure and pristine.
Bruises on the fruit
A metaphor for the hidden imperfections, contradictions, or struggles that may be present in apparently perfect or desirable objects or situations.
Tender age in bloom
A poetic expression of the beauty and fragility of youth.
He don't know what it means, no, to love someone
Repeating and emphasizing the idea that the aforementioned individual lacks understanding and experience regarding the complexities of love.
Love someone, no
A refusal or rejection of the concept of loving another person, often as a result of past experiences or emotional damage.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: Kurt Cobain
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@MacLethal
Why does this have thumbs down? The god damned song is over 20 years old. It's been played 50 trillion times on the radio every day. Can't a new, brilliant artist give a creative cover version a try? Nirvana snobs are the worst. This is dope!!!
@willsuttie3683
There are lots of people out there who like and dislike lots of different things for lots of different reasons. This is fine.
@MrKeeganimal
People don't have to like it, chill the fuck out.
@mwstriker98
+Mac Lethal Its because Nirvana is like this untouchable entity that people think should never be covered and they just blindly dislike covers because of their god like worship of Kurt Cobain. Even when the cover is fantastic like this, they will dislike it. Also especially because it is country which many people in music tend look down upon as a genre and rightly so in some cases, but they should not here because Sturgill Simpson is one of the rare great country artists of today and his new album is a great breath of fresh air in such a debased genre that is country music.
@costco_pizza
+Mac Lethal No Mr. Lethal, they cannot.
@burnplant
It's stupid and I could care less if someone wants to cover Nirvana. It's like a punk band covering a 70's ballad. "Oooh who would ever think of doing Nirvana as turgid country with ridiculous overwrought twang.
It's ART for dumb people.
@kfcfamousbowl
one of the better Nirvana covers out there with a completely original take on the lyrics and feel of it. I'm in love.
@hectorperez4106
Joey?
@royelbyrd3530
+hector perez No its not him. . .
@atticusrex9468
Joey! I thought that was you I-...oh...shit, sorry.