Second Wind

Album: Hard Rain Don't Last (2001)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • "This song was written at a time in my life when I was really struggling and I needed my own second wind. It's very uplifting. We tried to write it honest and it just seemed like it worked for some people." So says Darryl Worley, who co-wrote this song with frequent partner Steve Leslie. He didn't, however, expect the positive peripheral reverberations. Such as helping his mother get through a bout with cancer. "She called me up one day and she said, 'This song's got healing qualities.'" says Darryl. "She goes, 'I'm telling you, I listen to this song two or three times a day, every day, because I feel like it's helping me with my situation here.' And she said, 'I'm not saying that it kills cancer, I'm telling you that it helps put your soul in a place where you want to get better and get past whatever it is you're going through. It's just designed to give you that second wind.' My mom's a really, really spiritual person, and it caught me a little off guard, but I wasn't gonna argue with her. I wasn't gonna say, 'No, you've lost your mind, it must be the chemo,' or whatever. But I can tell you she don't have cancer anymore. She's 72 or -3 and healthy as a bear. So it's just one of those things that you just kind of go, Wow. It was only a Top 15 single, but if it affected a few people out there that way, then it was worth it." (Read more in our interview with Darryl Worley.)
  • Darryl lost both his grandfathers and an aunt to cancer, and he's working hard to fight the disease. In 2002 he organized The Darryl Worley Foundation, a non-profit which hosts fund-raising events throughout the year. His dream was realized on March 3, 2010, when ground was broken in his native Savannah, Tennessee, for the Darryl Worley Cancer Treatment Center. "No one is exempt from this disease," Worley says. "Although a cure has not yet been found, we must do what we can to treat cancer patients with the technology available to us." Learn more at darrylworleyfoundation.org.

Comments: 1

  • Louis Mendoza from El Paso Texaswhere was this video filmed? i own the gulf coast your location looks very familiar
see more comments

Editor's Picks

Zac Hanson

Zac HansonSongwriter Interviews

Zac tells the story of Hanson's massive hit "MMMbop," and talks about how brotherly bonds effect their music.

Curt Kirkwood of Meat Puppets

Curt Kirkwood of Meat PuppetsSongwriter Interviews

The (Meat)puppetmaster takes us through songs like "Lake Of Fire" and "Backwater," and talks about performing with Kurt Cobain on MTV Unplugged.

Fire On The Stage

Fire On The StageSong Writing

When you have a song called "Fire," it's tempting to set one - these guys did.

Ian Gillan of Deep Purple

Ian Gillan of Deep PurpleSongwriter Interviews

Deep Purple frontman Ian Gillan explains the "few red lights" in "Smoke On The Water" and talks about songs from their 2020 album Whoosh!

Jon Oliva of Trans-Siberian Orchestra

Jon Oliva of Trans-Siberian OrchestraSongwriter Interviews

Writing great prog metal isn't easy, especially when it's for 60 musicians.

Danny Clinch: The Art of Rock Photography

Danny Clinch: The Art of Rock PhotographySong Writing

One of rock's top photographers talks about artistry in photography, raising funds for a documentary, and enjoying a County Fair with Tom Waits.