Brantley Gilbert Tributes His Kids in Emotional New Song, ‘Man That Hung the Moon’ [Listen]
Brantley Gilbert's sensitive side is fully on display on his new song, "Man That Hung the Moon." The emotional new track was inspired by Gilbert's son, Barrett, as well as the daughter he is expecting.
The tough-guy country singer addresses his children unabashedly in the opening lines of the song, singing, "Lost my breath when I saw you take your first / My whole world stopped like that / And I ain't the cryin' type / But I just saw your eyes / Words just can't describe what I see / You look just like me."
Gilbert tones down his customary growl for a more subtly nuanced vocal performance, accompanied by a gentle acoustic bed track that's topped off by a melodic acoustic solo.
Brantley Gilbert's "Man That Hung the Moon" Is a Tear-Jerker
In the final verse, Gilbert reflects that one day his kids will realize that he's only human.
"And you'll need more than me / You'll know to hit your knees / If I've done my job right, you'll know where to find / The man that really hung the moon," he sings.
Gilbert ends the song with a spoken-word recitation in which he addresses his kids directly, saying, "No matter, what, no matter where I am, just know I love you with all I am ... me and your Mama both," as an infant is heard in the background.
"One day my son & daughter are gonna realize I'm no superhero ....When I have to tell them I'm not the man that hung the moon ....if I've done my job right ....they'll know to hit their knees to find the Man who did," Gilbert shares in a tweet.
The singer got the inspiration for the song right after the birth of his son.
"Kinda started the idea of it while we were in the hospital room with him," he tells us. "It's one of those things, it's just something I don’t think God made words for. Writing a song about it is harder than I ever thought it'd be but I do have one that's going on the new record that I'm really proud of."
Gilbert's current single is "What Happens in a Small Town," a duet with Lindsay Ell. Talking to Taste of Country's Billy Dukes prior to her appearance at the 2019 Taste of Country Music Festival, she confirmed that Gilbert is much softer in person than his image would suggest.
"I always say I'm ruining his rocker image, but he is the sweetest human being. He's so generous, he's so funny," she says. "He's like a teddy bear. He's become like a big brother to me."
Here's How Lindsay Ell Ended Up on Brantley Gilbert's New Song
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