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.
Old King Coal
Sturgill Simpson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
made a living off that old black gold
Now there ain't nothing but welfare and pills
and the wind never felt so cold
I'll be one of the first in a long long line
not to go down from that old black lung
My death will be slower than the rest of my kind
Old King Coal what are we gonna do
when the mountains are gone and so are you
They come from the city to lend a hand
carrying signs saying, Shut the mines down
We ain't looking for pity and you don't understand
So go back to your city now cause this ain't your town
My Great Grandfather spent his days in a coal mine
and his nights on the porch in a chair
Now he's in heaven and down here in hell
the rivers run muddy and the mountains are bare
Sturgill Simpson’s “Old King Coal” is a lamentful song about the decline of an entire way of life, as coal mining has been slowly phased out due to environmental concerns and the rise of cleaner alternatives. The song’s protagonist speaks from the perspective of a miner whose work is being replaced by welfare and pills, a sentiment that is echoed in the chorus when he asks, “Old King Coal what are we gonna do when the mountains are gone and so are you?” The coal industry is personified as a king, whose reign is slowly coming to an end due to the damage caused to the mountains and rivers.
The singer speaks of his own impending death by “that old black lung,” a reference to the lung disease caused by inhaling coal dust. He laments that his death will be slower than those of his fellow miners and that his life will be sadder than the songs they all sung. Simpson’s lyrics capture the bittersweet nostalgia and sense of loss that many feel as entire communities built around mining are forced to adapt to a changing world.
Aside from its poignant lyrics, “Old King Coal” is also notable for its sound, featuring gritty vocals and a twangy, bluesy guitar riff. Simpson’s fusion of traditional country with heavier rock influences has earned him a reputation as a genre-bending artist who is unafraid to experiment with sound and style.
Line by Line Meaning
Many a man down in these here hills
Numerous men in this area have made their livelihood from mining coal
made a living off that old black gold
Their source of income was the old coal, referred to as black gold
Now there ain't nothing but welfare and pills
Currently, the only things available here are welfare and pills, indicating the lack of job opportunities
and the wind never felt so cold
The cold and harsh wind represents the bleakness and emptiness of the place
I'll be one of the first in a long long line
I will be among the first to break the pattern of men dying from black lung disease from mining coal
not to go down from that old black lung
I will not succumb to the illness caused by mining coal
My death will be slower than the rest of my kind
I will die later than my fellow miners who suffered from the same disease
And my life will be sadder than the songs they all sung
My life will be more miserable than the sorrowful songs sung by the other miners
Old King Coal what are we gonna do
The song addresses King Coal, the dominant source of employment in the area, asking what the future holds
when the mountains are gone and so are you
Once the land is exhausted and there's no more coal, what's next for the workers and the town?
They come from the city to lend a hand
City dwellers come to help but don't fully comprehend the struggles of the locals
carrying signs saying, Shut the mines down
The visitors protest the mines and want them to be closed
We ain't looking for pity and you don't understand
The locals do not want sympathy but proper acknowledgement of their plight
So go back to your city now cause this ain't your town
The miners want the visitors to leave as they do not belong there
My Great Grandfather spent his days in a coal mine
The singer's great grandfather used to work in the mines
and his nights on the porch in a chair
He'd spend his evenings on the porch relaxing on a chair
Now he's in heaven and down here in hell
The great grandfather is depicted as being in a better place now, as the living conditions in town have deteriorated
the rivers run muddy and the mountains are bare
The song describes the environmental degradation caused by mining
Writer(s): Sturgill Simpson Copyright: Do Write Music LLC, Pan Bowl Music
Contributed by James R. Suggest a correction in the comments below.