Graveyard Whistling

Album: Nothing But Thieves (2015)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • This melancholic song finds Conor Mason describing the thoughts of a dying man in the last moments of his life. He told Kerrang it was a really difficult song to pen as the band had the bass and the melody but it took them a number of attempts to get the right surrounding sound.

    "We sat down to try and write it on at least five different occasions, and these were all, like, nine-hour sessions. We were coming and going all the time, and it was really intense. We were trying to find melodies that fitted, and experimenting with the chords. We knew we had something really good in there, which was why we obsessed over it for so long. We wanted to get it right, and I feel that, ultimately, we did."
  • Country star Morgan Wallen covered "Graveyard Whistling" during a session at London's Abbey Studios. He released the live video of the recording along with six others on March 3, 2024. Wallen released the song as a streaming single in October 2025, taking it to #49 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Supertramp founder Roger Hodgson

Supertramp founder Roger HodgsonSongwriter Interviews

Roger tells the stories behind some of his biggest hits, including "Give a Little Bit," "Take the Long Way Home" and "The Logical Song."

Hardy

HardySongwriter Interviews

The country hitmaker talks about his debut album, A Rock, and how a nursery rhyme inspired his hit single "One Beer."

Arrested For Your Art - The Story Of 2 Live Crew's "Obscene" Album

Arrested For Your Art - The Story Of 2 Live Crew's "Obscene" AlbumSong Writing

In the summer of 1990, you could get arrested for selling a 2 Live Crew album or performing their songs in Southern Florida. And that's exactly what happened.

Weird Al Yankovic

Weird Al YankovicFact or Fiction

Did Al play on a Beach Boys record? Did he have beef with George Lucas and Coolio? See if you can spot weird but true stories.

The Truth Is Out There: A History of Alien Songs

The Truth Is Out There: A History of Alien SongsSong Writing

The trail runs from flying saucer songs in the '50s, through Bowie, blink-182 and Katy Perry.

Michelle Branch

Michelle BranchSongwriter Interviews

Michelle Branch talks about "Everywhere," "The Game Of Love," and her run-in with a Christian broadcasting network.