Billy Strings

14, 15.

You know, because I'd go over to my parents' house and hang out with them and stay there and party, and it's not like I just totally left and disowned them.

I just...

Once I realized stuff wasn't going to change, I mean, I didn't end up really moving back there, but I'd go there for a weekend and hung out there a bunch, but it wasn't like my home.

And so, yeah, I stole my mom's car one day when I was just sitting around getting drunk by myself.

And that's how bored I was, and that's how, kind of, there was nothing to do in this town.

I mean, there's 600 people that live here.

There's nothing to do.

So I was just getting drunk during the day, and I stole mom's car, and I went down Hayes Road, this old country road with cornfields on either side.

And, man, I put the pedal to the floor, and I just, I was going, and that corn...

It was just a blur on either side.

And there was a tape sticking halfway out of the deck, and I pushed it in, and I'm like, I wonder what my mom's listening to, right?

And then this is what came on.

I was in those heavy metal bands and all this stuff, and I hadn't really been listening to bluegrass very much.

But I was kind of heartbroken at the way my life was at the time.

And when I heard...

You know, Ranked Stranger came on.

That's what my mom had in her tape deck.

And I just started slowing that old car down until I came to a complete stop and I just pulled over on the side of the road and I started crying.

And I was drunk, you know, but this song hit me right in my heart.