Burnt the Sawmill Down

Album: State I'm In (2019)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Aaron Lewis recorded this never-before-heard Keith Whitley-penned song for his State I'm In album. The story goes that Whitley, who died in 1989 at age 33 after years of battling alcoholism, had recorded part of the tune in a hotel room, onto a cassette. The recording remained untouched for years until his son Jesse handed the cassette tape on to Lewis to see what he could with it.

    "Keith was in his hotel room when he taped this song, and let's just say that the over indulgences had already taken place," Lewis told Taste of Country. "It was just so pure. I mean, the 12-string guitar he was playing was completely out of tune, but there was something there. We took what he had represented. It was a pretty amazing experience."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Meshell Ndegeocello

Meshell NdegeocelloSongwriter Interviews

Meshell Ndegeocello talks about recording "Wild Night" with John Mellencamp, and explains why she shied away from the spotlight.

George Harrison

George HarrisonFact or Fiction

Did Eric Clapton really steal George's wife? What's the George Harrison-Monty Python connection? Set the record straight with our Fact or Fiction quiz.

Spooner Oldham

Spooner OldhamSongwriter Interviews

His keyboard work helped define the Muscle Shoals sound and make him an integral part of many Neil Young recordings. Spooner is also an accomplished songwriter, whose hits include "I'm Your Puppet" and "Cry Like A Baby."

Tommy James

Tommy JamesSongwriter Interviews

"Mony Mony," "Crimson and Clover," "Draggin' The Line"... the hits kept coming for Tommy James, and in a plot line fit for a movie, his record company was controlled by the mafia.

Joe Elliott of Def Leppard

Joe Elliott of Def LeppardSongwriter Interviews

The Def Leppard frontman talks about their "lamentable" hit he never thought of as a single, and why he's juiced by his Mott The Hoople cover band.

Mike Scott of The Waterboys - "Fisherman's Blues"

Mike Scott of The Waterboys - "Fisherman's Blues"They're Playing My Song

Armed with a childhood spent devouring books, Mike Scott's heart was stolen by the punk rock scene of 1977. Not surprisingly, he would go on to become the most literate of rockers.