Skeleton Song

Album: Seasons (2003)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Sevendust lead singer Lajon Witherspoon wrote this song about his younger brother, Reginald, after he was gunned down in a gang related drive by shooting on November 9, 2002 in Nashville. Reginald was just 21 at the time.

    Lajon's father told him the news just minutes before a Sevendust show in St. Joseph, Minnesota. His father implored him to do the show, which Lajon did, dedicating it to his brother. Upcoming shows were postponed. >>
    Suggestion credit:
    Adam - Everett, PA
  • When we spoke with Lajon Witherspoon in 2013, he talked about how losing brother affected his songwriting, which took a turn toward the honest and introspective. "I'm a true believer," he said. "After my little brother was killed, I was like, That stuff don't happen, and I was like, Oh, yes, it does happen. It changed the way I look at life - I'm not afraid to write and to let people know what's going on. That's my canvass, that's my therapy: those songs, telling those stories. It helps."

Comments: 2

  • Luna Loud from Royal Woods, MichiganI'm pretty sure the lyrics to the bridge are, "Everybody seems to be/crying themselves to sleep," not, "For a while, it seems to be/all you ever think and sleep".
  • Zero from Nowhere, NjMy favorite lines: "There's nothing wrong/with being far from right. There's something wrong/when everything goes right." We all need to feel pain to grow and mature and learn from our mistakes. Another Sevendust lyric that stuck out to me was, "I need this, like the Devil needs Jesus," from a song off Cold Day Memory (forget which one exactly). These guys are very insightful.
see more comments

Editor's Picks

Rickie Lee Jones

Rickie Lee JonesSongwriter Interviews

Rickie Lee Jones on songwriting, social media, and how she's handling Trump.

Cheerleaders In Music Videos

Cheerleaders In Music VideosSong Writing

It started with a bouncy MTV classic. Nirvana and MCR made them scary, then Gwen, Avril and Madonna put on the pom poms.

Experience Nirvana with Sub Pop Founder Bruce Pavitt

Experience Nirvana with Sub Pop Founder Bruce PavittSong Writing

The man who ran Nirvana's first label gets beyond the sensationalism (drugs, Courtney) to discuss their musical and cultural triumphs in the years before Nevermind.

Sarah Brightman

Sarah BrightmanSongwriter Interviews

One of the most popular classical vocalists in the land is lining up a trip to space, which is the inspiration for many of her songs.

Mac Powell of Third Day

Mac Powell of Third DaySongwriter Interviews

The Third Day frontman talks about some of the classic songs he wrote with the band, and what changed for his solo country album.

Director Mark Pellington ("Jeremy," "Best Of You")

Director Mark Pellington ("Jeremy," "Best Of You")Song Writing

Director Mark Pellington on Pearl Jam's "Jeremy," and music videos he made for U2, Jon Bon Jovi and Imagine Dragons.