Chris Whitley

“I Forget You Every Day” by Chris Whitley is a dark, haunting, and psychologically powerful song about the desperate and unending struggle to escape the memory of a past love. The song is built around a painful paradox: the very act of trying to forget someone “every day” proves that the memory is inescapable. It’s … Read more

“Kick The Stones” by Chris Whitley is a raw, blues-drenched, and desperate song about a relationship that is being ruined by unspoken problems. At its heart, the song is a plea from the narrator to his lover to deal with the hard, uncomfortable issues—the “stones”—that have come between them and are making their intimacy impossible. … Read more

“Bordertown” by Chris Whitley is a gritty, atmospheric, and soulful song about living in a state of limbo, trapped on the fringes of society. At its heart, the song uses the idea of a “bordertown” as a powerful metaphor for a transitional space—a “great divide” that separates a pure, raw, and authentic way of life … Read more

“Clear Blue Sky” by Chris Whitley is a beautiful, poetic, and deeply sad song about saying a final goodbye. At its heart, the song is a quiet meditation on departure, mortality, and the feeling of being pulled away from the people you love by forces you cannot control. The “clear blue sky” serves as a … Read more

“New Machine” by Chris Whitley is a raw, mysterious, and powerful song that uses intense industrial imagery to describe an overwhelming force of love, desire, and passion. At its heart, the song is about a primal connection with a lover who is pure and natural, and how that connection unleashes a new and almost mechanical … Read more

“Big Sky Country” by Chris Whitley is a beautiful and hopeful song about finding a pure and lasting love after coming through difficult times. At its core, the song is a promise to a lover that once all their struggles are over, they will escape to a place of freedom and peace—a metaphorical “big sky … Read more

“Phone Call from Leavenworth” by Chris Whitley is a deeply haunting and sorrowful song that puts the listener directly into the mind of a prisoner who has lost all hope. At its core, the song is a powerful exploration of complete isolation, dehumanization, and the mental breakdown that can happen in the soul-crushing environment of … Read more

“Living With The Law” by Chris Whitley is a raw and powerful song that paints a dark picture of a life lived on the edges of society, crushed by poverty and desperation. At its core, the song is about the struggle to survive in a world where the system, or “the law,” feels like an … Read more

“Power Down” by the late, great musician Chris Whitley is a raw, haunting song about reaching a point of complete mental and spiritual exhaustion. At its core, the song is a cry from a place of deep isolation, expressing a powerful desire to shut down from the pressures of the world and the noise inside … Read more