In 2024, Luke Combs released Fathers & Sons, an album full of songs about his father and a song dedicated to his sons. At the time, Combs had two boys, and a third son was born in February 2026. Combs has a close relationship with his own father, and it shows in the track “Remember Him That Way.” It’s a tearjerker, about watching your father grow old.
The first verse describes an old man who is his father, sleeping in a recliner. Combs is observing his new routine, sleeping with a Western film on TV. It’s a sight familiar to anyone looking at their father as he grows old. They love their recliner and watching old Western films in their old age. While looking at the old man, he starts to picture what he used to be like.
There’s an old man in a La-Z-Boy
TV on a Western, fast asleep
Grey in his hair, at least what’s left
But the heart of a lion, beatin’ in his chest
And there’s a little more slow in his go
Little less rock in his roll these days
The Way He’ll Remember His Father After He’s Gone
His father is his hero, which becomes evident in the line about an “S” on his chest. This refers to Superman, and how even though the “S” is fading, he’ll always remember him as his hero. He takes us back to his father’s prime in the chorus, back to when he was ten feet tall and strong.
But I remember him ten feet tall and bulletproof
Throwin’ me a ball in cowboy boots
A whistle and the dogs start runnin’
A whisper and mama starts blushin’
A wrench in his hand and a beer in the other
God couldn’t make a man any tougher
And that ‘S’ on his chest is startin’ to fade
But I’ll always remember him that way
The song hits home not only to country music fans, but universally as well. Combs released the Fathers & Sons album two days before Father’s Day in 2024. The Fathers & Sons album cover features Combs and his father, Chester, fishing together. It peaked at No. 6 on the US Billboard 200 and No. 2 on the Top Country Albums chart. In the UK, the album reached No. 1 on the UK Country Albums chart.
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