The Tender Things cherish time with a loved one on the sweet cosmic country tune "You'll Be Gone," the latest release from their forthcoming album How You Make a Fool (out on March 27), which features appearances by Robert Ellis and Patty Griffin.
"I've lost a few/ I've paid for some/ I buried mother much too young," the band sings. "But the hardest thing I ever done/ is hold your hand 'cause in the morning you'll be gone."
Band leader Jesse Ebaugh explains that the song was inspired by his aunt.
"The song is written for my aunt. Her cancer was in remission for many years, but when it returned, she decided that she did not want to fight it a second time with the same course of chemo and radiation," Ebaugh tells Wide Open Country. "She made a different decision. She and my uncle packed up their house in Maryland and went to Oregon, where she could find a doctor to help her take control of the end of her life. The way her decision reverberated through our family was profound. Death is usually viewed as a constant foe, to be avoided, cheated, dodged. Bargains are struck in conversation with gods over the rules of the game. She changed the rules. She took control, and made all the decisions. This allowed her last season to be one that overflowed with life and love. I still miss her. We all do."
Watch the video for "You'll Be Gone."
How to Make a Fool, recorded in Fort Worth, Texas, is The Tender Things' first full-length studio album.
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