The Stone Coyotes is an American band that debuted with their first album i… Read Full Bio ↴The Stone Coyotes is an American band that debuted with their first album in 1998. They hail from Massachusetts but tour primarily in Texas as that is where they receive most radio airplay. Barbara Keith founded the family-revolved band in Massachusetts with her family. Doug Tibbles (on drums) is her husband, and John Tibbles (on bass) is their stepson.

Barbara Keith began her career at the Café Wha? in Greenwich Village, following in the footsteps of Bob Dylan, Jimi Hendrix, Bill Cosby and many others who got their start in that hallowed dive. She was soon recording for MGM/Verve, A&M, and Warner Brothers. Her songs have been covered by such diverse artists as Tanya Tucker, Barbra Streisand, The Dillards, Melanie, Hank Snow, Lowell George and others. “The Bramble and the Rose” has become a folk standard – often receiving the ultimate compliment of being mistaken for a traditional song.

Her husband Doug Tibbles had a whole other life before drumming – A native of Los Angeles, he was a TV writer for such shows as “The Munsters”, “Bewitched”, “Andy Griffith”, “My Three Sons”, “Family Affair”, and many more.

Unhappy with show business in general, Barbara gave back her major label advance, Doug quit his one-day-old job as story editor for “Happy Days”, and they went underground. Doug took up drums and son John took up bass at age eleven. Reclusive by choice, the band moved from L.A. to Western Massachusetts to write and woodshed. They began playing the occasional show while recording in their cellar.

When best selling author Elmore Leonard (“Get Shorty”, “Jackie Brown”, “Out of Sight”) walked in the Troubadour in L.A. one night looking for inspiration for his sequel to “Get Shorty”, he discovered The Stone Coyotes.

They became the model for Chili Palmer’s next adventure, “Be Cool”. Leonard said, “ It was music I could understand…straight ahead rock and roll with a twang. And there are good stories going on in the songs.” He included their lyrics in the book and dedicated it to them. He and the band made a string of appearances together around the country with a Words and Music Tour – from New York’s Mercury Lounge to L.A.’s Viper Room.

More recently with five songs on "Dog the Bounty Hunter", they gained national attention, but it is the grass roots, word-of-mouth response to their music that continues their momentum.

“The Stone Coyotes are a rare wild beast in a domesticated music industry.”

- Rolling Stone Online

“The Stone Coyotes’ hefty sound melds AC/DC’s charging power chords with a country troubadour’s literate observations.”

- New York Magazine

“The Stone Coyotes crank out unpretentious rock that has grime on its fingers and transcendence in its heart.”

- The Nashville Scene

“Poised to be the coolest husband-wife-and-son rock and roll trio ever…Those wary of a hype short on substance should rest assured – this family has the chops to back it up.”

- The L. A. Weekly

“Powerful and gritty, with just a hint of sweetness and sorrow.”

- Real Detroit Weekly

“Likely one of the festival’s best discoveries… The Stone Coyotes rocked and shocked the Horseshoe audience Saturday night with their AC/DC meets Patsy Cline sound.”

- Toronto Now

Bone Tired
The Stone Coyotes Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Bone tired, world-weary
Someday I'll lay my burden down
Then I'll walk where angels talk
And stand on sacred ground
All my life
I've been waiting to see
Bone tired, world-weary
Got my eyes on Eternity

I met a man, he was walking
Down this long and lonesome road
He said, "I have a heavy pack upon my back
And no way to lighten the load

I don't know where I'm going
But I sure know where I've been
I work all day and half the night
Get up and do it all again"

I saw a woman with her head bowed down
She had fallen to her knees
All alone in a church of stone
Begging, "Lord, please

Have mercy, give me
The strength to carry on

'Cause sometimes I feel, sometimes I feel
Like I'm already dead and gone"

Overall Meaning

The Stone Coyotes' song "Bone Tired" is a poignant reflection on the weariness and burdens of life. The opening lines of the song set the tone for a meditation on the human condition - bone tired and world-weary, the singer longs for a time when they can finally lay their burdens down and walk where angels talk. The repetition of the phrase "bone tired, world-weary" emphasizes the exhaustion and heaviness the singer feels, and the desire for release and rest.

The second verse introduces another character, a man the singer meets who is also carrying a heavy burden. The man's lamentations about his lot in life - the "heavy pack upon his back" and the endless cycle of work - echo the feelings expressed in the first verse. The third verse introduces a woman who is also struggling, alone in a church and begging for mercy and strength to carry on. The image of her head bowed down, fallen to her knees, emphasizes the weight of her struggles and the desperation of her prayers.

Taken as a whole, the song is a reminder of the universal human experiences of pain and suffering, and the longing for release and redemption. The use of religious language and imagery - angels, sacred ground, Lord, mercy - adds a spiritual dimension to the song, suggesting that the answers to our struggles may not be found in this world alone.

Line by Line Meaning

Bone tired, world-weary
Exhausted and disillusioned with life

Someday I'll lay my burden down
In the future, I will relieve myself of my troubles

Then I'll walk where angels talk
I will go to a holy place

And stand on sacred ground
I will be in a place that is divine

All my life
Throughout my entire life

I've been waiting to see
I have been eagerly anticipating

Got my eyes on Eternity
I am focused on the afterlife

I met a man, he was walking
I encountered a man who was traveling

Down this long and lonesome road
On a path that was both extensive and lonely

He said, "I have a heavy pack upon my back
He stated that he carried a weighty burden on his back

And no way to lighten the load
He was unable to make the load less heavy