Isbell sings about his split from musician Amanda Shires on his latest album, Foxes in the Snow. "What I was attempting to do is document a very specific time where I was going through a lot of changes," he says.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy
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This is Fresh Air. I'm Terry Gross. My guest Jason Isbell was described in Variety as the poet laureate of American rock. The quibble I have with that is that I'm not exactly sure I'd call it rock because there's country and folk music blended into many of his songs. Maybe the word Americana more suits him. He's won nine Americana Music Awards and six Grammys.
His lyrics are as well written as a good poem or short story. They're often very personal, and that was especially true of his album Southeastern, which was released in 2013 and was his first album since Getting Sober. It's also true of his new album, Foxes in the Snow, on which he sounds especially naked because it's solo. His band, the 400 Unit, sits this one out. It's just Isbell and his guitar.
Some of the songs are about the blame, anger, and guilt when a relationship ends and about the exhilaration of falling in love again. His ex-wife, Amanda Shires, is also a songwriter and singer and violinist who performed with Isbel. She's written her own songs about the cracks in their relationship.
They were in a 2023 documentary together called Running With Our Eyes Closed, which is about the making of Isbel's 2020 album, Reunions, on which she played fiddle. The film also ended up being about the tension in the marriage, which was exacerbated during the COVID lockdown when they spent more time together than they ever had.
Jason Isbell got his professional start with the band The Drive-By Truckers. Before we hear some of the relationship songs, let's start with a song that opens the album. I love this one. It's called Bury Me.
Bury me where the wind don't blow, where the dust won't cover me. Where the tall grass grows. Or bury me right where I fall. Tokyo to Tennessee. I love them all. See the windmills turn up 55. Still got so much to learn. Still feel alive. No lonely girl is all I need.
Tie me to this world Make me believe Well, I ain't no cowboy But I can ride And I ain't no outlaw But I've been inside And there were bars of steel, boys And there were bars to sing And there were bars with swinging doors For all the time between
That was Bury Me from Jason Isbell's new album, Foxes in the Snow. Jason Isbell, welcome back to Fresh Air. I love this album. Congratulations on it. And I love this song. And I hope I don't mangle this, but I want to quote some of the lyric. This is the chorus. I ain't no cowboy, but I can ride. I ain't no outlaw, but I've been inside.
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