Tyler Childers (born June 21, 1991) is an American singer and songwriter. H… Read Full Bio ↴Tyler Childers (born June 21, 1991) is an American singer and songwriter. His music is a mix of country, bluegrass and folk. He released his breakthrough album Purgatory in August 2017. Childers released his third and most recent LP, Country Squire, via his own Hickman Holler Records, under exclusive license to RCA Records in August 2019.

Tyler Childers was born and raised in Lawrence County, Kentucky. His father worked in the coal industry and his mother is a nurse. He learned singing in church where he sang in the church choir. He started to play guitar and write songs when he was around 13. He moved from Lawrence County to Paintsville, Kentucky, where he attended Paintsville High School and graduated in 2009. Fellow country musicians Chris Stapleton and Loretta Lynn (Van Lear, KY) also hail from Paintsville. He studied for a semester at Western Kentucky University, and enrolled at Bluegrass Community and Technical College for a few semesters. He dropped out of college and did odd jobs for some time while pursuing a music career.

Childers began performing in Lexington, Kentucky and Huntington, West Virginia. In 2011, when he was 19, Childers released his first album, Bottles And Bibles. He has also released two EPs recorded in 2013 at Red Barn Radio, a radio show from Lexington. The two EPs were later released as one after the success of his album Purgatory, and reached No. 5 on Heatseekers Albums.

He had his first success with Purgatory, a breakthrough album released on August 4, 2017. The album was produced by Sturgill Simpson and David Ferguson and recorded at The Butcher Shoppe in Nashville. Simpson also played guitar and sang backing vocals on the album, with Miles Miller on drums, Stuart Duncan on fiddle and Russ Paul on other instruments. It debuted at No. 1 on Billboard's Heatseekers Albums chart, No. 17 on the Country albums chart and No. 4 on the Americana/Folk albums chart. In September 2018, Childers won Emerging Artist of the Year at the 2018 Americana Music Honors & Awards, where he gave an acceptance speech noted for its criticism of the Americana genre label, saying that "as a man who identifies as a country music singer, I feel Americana ain't no part of nothing and is a distraction from the issues that we're facing on a bigger level as country music singers. It kind of feels like purgatory."

Country Squire, a second album under the Hickman Holler label, and Childers' third overall, was released on August 2, 2019, after being announced in May 2019. This album was again produced by Simpson and Ferguson. The video of the lead single from the album "House Fire" was also released on May 16, 2019.

Childers' music is influenced by his home state of Kentucky and its connection to country music and bluegrass. He often writes about coal mining, which was his father's occupation, and its effects. Rebecca Bengal, writing for The Guardian, described Childers' songs as a "counternarrative to the outsiders who seek to perpetuate stereotypes of backwardness and poverty." Childers emphasizes lyrical content in songs, comparing the songwriting process to telling short stories.

Feathered Indians
Tyler Childers Lyrics

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Well my buckle makes impressions
On the inside of her thigh
There are little feathered Indians
Where we tussled through the night
If I'd known she was religious
Then I wouldn't have came stoned
To the house of such an angel
Too fucked up to get back home

Lookin' over West Virginia
Smoking Spirits on the roof
She asked ain't anybody told ya
That them things are bad for you
I said many folks have warned me
There's been several people try
But up till now, there ain't been nothing
That I couldn't leave behind

Hold me close my dear
Sing your whispering song
Softly in my ear
And I will sing along
Honey, tell me how your love runs true
And how I can always count on you
To be there when the bullets fly
I'd run across a river just to hold you tonight

Well my heart is sweating bullets
From the circles it has raced
Like a little feathered indian
Callin' out the clouds for rain
I'd go runnin' through the thicket
I'd go careless through the thorns
Just to hold her for a minute
Though it'd leave me wanting more

Hold me close my dear
Sing your whispering song
Softly in my ear
And I will sing along
Honey tell me how your love runs true
And how I can always count on you

To be there when the bullets fly
I'd run across a river just to hold you tonight

Overall Meaning

This song, "Feathered Indians" by Tyler Childers, is a nostalgic and emotional love song that expresses the singer's deep affection and commitment to his partner. The opening lines, "Well my buckle makes impressions / On the inside of her thigh / There are little feathered Indians / Where we tussled through the night," use vivid imagery to describe a physical encounter with his lover. The reference to "feathered Indians" suggests a sense of wildness and adventure, which feeds into the singer's feelings of excitement and passion. However, as the song progresses, the singer reveals that he is conflicted about the relationship, as he discovers that his lover is religious, and he regrets coming to her house while under the influence of drugs. This creates a sense of tension and unease that contrasts with the earlier lyrics.

When the singer says, "Lookin' over West Virginia / Smoking Spirits on the roof / She asked ain't anybody told ya / That them things are bad for you," he shows that his partner is concerned for his wellbeing and is trying to take care of him. Yet, the singer also reveals that he struggles with addiction and is unable to let go of certain behaviors, as he remarks, "But up till now, there ain't been nothing / That I couldn't leave behind." This creates a sense of vulnerability and instability in the relationship. The final lines of the song, "I'd go runnin' through the thicket / I'd go careless through the thorns / Just to hold her for a minute / Though it'd leave me wanting more," express the singer's intense desire for his partner, even if it means experiencing pain and hardship to be with her.

Line by Line Meaning

Well my buckle makes impressions On the inside of her thigh
The singer and his partner had an intimate moment that left marks on her body from his belt buckle.

There are little feathered Indians Where we tussled through the night
Feathered Indians is a metaphor for the marks left on her body after their passionate night together.

If I'd known she was religious Then I wouldn't have came stoned To the house of such an angel Too fucked up to get back home
The singer made a mistake by showing up high to his partner's house, especially since he later found out that she was religious.

Hold me close my dear Sing your whispering song Softly in my ear And I will sing along Honey, tell me how your love runs true And how I can always count on you To be there when the bullets fly I'd run across a river just to hold you tonight
The artist is deeply in love with his partner and wants nothing more than to be with her, even during tough times.

Well my heart is sweating bullets From the circles it has raced Like a little feathered indian Callin' out the clouds for rain I'd go runnin' through the thicket I'd go careless through the thorns Just to hold her for a minute Though it'd leave me wanting more
The singer's heart is pounding from the intensity of his feelings for his partner and he would go to any length to be with her.

Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Tyler Timothy Childers

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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