Song of the Day: “Rock Salt and Nails” Sung by Tyler Childers

Rock Salt & Nails

Chimesfreedom previously wrote about Tyler Childers’ wonderful voice on his excellent debut album Purgatory (2017).  The Kentucky native is not only an outstanding songwriter, he is great at interpreting songs too.  And his interpretation skills show in his take on “Rock Salt and Nails,” which was written by Utah Phillips.

As we noted in a previous post, the Phillips classic is a song about heartache and pain.  Then, it adds a touch of anger with the reference to filling a shotgun with rock salt and nails.

“Rock Salt and Nails” has been covered by a number of artists, such as Joan Baez, Waylon Jennings, Bob Dylan, Steve Young, and Buddy and Julie Miller.  The version by Tyler Childers is a worthy interpretation that stands with the best.  And it is one of my new favorite covers.  Check it out.



What is your favorite Tyler Childers song? Leave your two cents in the comments.

  • Tyler Childers: “Whitehouse Road”
  • Allison Russell: “The Returner” (Song of the Day)
  • Allison Russell’s “Nightflyer” (Song of the Day)
  • Connie Smith: “Once a Day” (Song of the Day)
  • Etta James: “Almost Persuaded” (Song of the Day)
  • Cover of the Day: Mo Pitney Sings “If Hollywood Don’t Need You”

    • (Some related Chimesfreedom posts.)

    Author: chimesfreedom

    Editor-in-chief, New York.

    2 thoughts on “Song of the Day: “Rock Salt and Nails” Sung by Tyler Childers”

    1. This is a great song! I just found it today. Thanks for sharing that opinion.
      I have to admit that i don’t like the idea of shooting the little critters. Why?
      Maybe hell hath no fury like a dude scorned.
      But the song is still great, and i do like Tyler’s delivery.

      Reply

    2. LC, I do believe you may have missed the point. I know I did the first few hundred times I loved hearing it by all the artists mentioned, Tyler Childers included, until it hit me…..

      I’ve loved a great song for so long but never appreciated why I loved it. But I would firmly believe:

      If you haven’t experienced what the lyrics mean, you wouldn’t recognize it.
      You could empathize, but never understand.
      Ironic, and most important, you should go hug the person you love, and tell them you appreciate they made sure this feeling never happened to you.

      Spread love in the world. It doesn’t move as fast as Covid, but it will stay until ling after the pandemic is over.

      Best to all who read this.

      Reply

    What do you think? Leave a Reply below.

    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.