Tyler Childers is a talented and prolific songwriter. This means that many of the songs he writes don’t make it onto his albums. However, they do appear in his concerts, on live albums, or in clips floating around the internet. As a result, many of those songs that never landed on an album became fan favorites.
There’s no way to tell why Childers didn’t put these unreleased songs on an album. After all, if he were to press every song he ever penned, he’d likely need to drop multiple records every year. Either way, these songs are left like Easter eggs waiting for fans to find and love them.
“Nose on the Grindstone”—Tyler Childers on the Opioid Epidemic
“Nose on the Grindstone” didn’t make it onto a Tyler Childers album. However, he did release it as part of his OurVinyl Sessions EP in 2017 it also makes an occasional appearance in his live sets.
This song takes on the opioid epidemic in Appalachia, something that the Kentucky native has worked to fight through charity and raising awareness. In the song, a hard-working father who wants a better life for his son lays out some solid advice, keep your nose on the grindstone and out of the pills. Or, simply put, work hard and stay away from the drugs. It’s a speech that many of Childers’ fans likely heard over the years. As a result, it resonates deeply with them.
“Shake the Frost”—A Fan Favorite
Childers has a knack for writing love songs. Tracks like “Lady May,” “Feathered Indians,” “All Your’n,” and more recently “In Your Love” are standout examples of that talent. However, when it comes to love songs, many longtime fans turn to “Shake the Frost.”
“Shake the Frost” is a love song tinged with regret about things left undone. At the same time, it sees the narrator offering to better himself to keep the woman he loves. This willingness to grow as a person adds layers to the song.
This song still makes its way into Childers’ setlist. However, it never made it onto one of his albums. Instead, it lives exclusively on Live on Red Barn Radio I & II from 2018.
“Out on a Drunk”—Old-School Tyler Childers at His Finest
Unlike the other two songs on this list, “Out on a Drunk” isn’t available to stream as part of an old live collection. In fact, there seems to only be one video of Tyler Childers playing the song on the internet. It appears on a Radio Bristol Sessions YouTube video. In the clip, “Out on a Drunk” serves as an intro for “Honky Tonk Flame” from his breakout 2017 album Purgatory.
The opening lines of the song showcase Childers’ strength as a self-aware and self-deprecating songwriter. I was out on a drunk / I was wild enough to shoot at / Too high to hit / Too low to try.
Featured Image by Erika Goldring/Getty Images for Americana Music Association
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