Tyler Childers is an American country musician, singer, and songwriter. His work primarily falls under neotraditional country, folk, and bluegrass genres. Tyler began his musical journey at the young age of 13 when he started writing songs and playing them on the guitar gifted to him by his grandfather. So far, the country musician has released four EPs and four studio albums.
Tyler released his first album, Bottles and Bibles, in October 2011, followed by two EP’s Live on Red Barn Radio & Red Barn Radio II in October’13 & April’14, respectively. He received his first breakthrough from his second studio album, Purgatory, which earned him an Americana Music Honors & Award as Emerging Artist of the Year. Country Squire was his third album, which came out in 2019, and Long Violent History, the latest released in September 2020.
Purgatory is Tyler Childers’ most successful album, earning him impressive reviews from critics and fans. Released in August of 2017, the album has 11 tracks, and its recording took place at The Butcher Shoppe in Nashville, Tennessee. The album came out under Hickman Holler Records, with Sturgill Simpson and David R. Ferguson producing it.
Since its release, the album has sold over 900,000 copies and received a Gold Certification in December 2020. The album landed on the 17th spot in Rolling Stone’s Top 40 Best Country and Americana Albums of 2017. The album earned the number one position on the US Billboard 200, fourth-place on the US Folk Albums, and third on the US Independent Albums Chart in 2017.
What Does The Title Mean?
When understanding Feathered Indians Lyrics Meaning, the title refers to the imprints of the singer’s belt buckle on his beloved. Tyler is known for sporting his signature Red Man Chewing Tobacco Belt. It contains an image of a Native American wearing a headdress that completes the narrative of his lover’s religious beliefs, making it an appropriate title for this romantic song.
Verse 1 – What Does It Mean?
Well my buckle makes impressions
On the inside of her thigh
There are little feathered Indians
Where we tussled through the night
If I’d known she was religious
Then I wouldn’t have came stoned
To the house of such an angel
Too fucked up to get back home
The song begins with the singer talking about the tiny imprints of his belt buckle on his lover’s thigh as they cuddle together at night. This line shows the sacredness of their relationship, implying that their relationship is above sexual fulfillment. They lie fully clothed but are content and very much in love lying in each other’s arms.
Tyler then proceeds to share his regret of showing up at his lover’s house stoned and out of his senses. He doesn’t know that she is a highly religious person and goes as far as to compare her to an angel. The singer mourns his decision to visit her place with a high that leaves him unfit to either stay or depart as he can’t make the way back home in his intoxicated state.
Verse 2 – What Does It Mean?
Lookin’ over West Virginia
Smoking Spirits on the roof
She asked ain’t anybody told ya
That them things are bad for you
I said many folks have warned me
There’s been several people try
But up ’til now, there ain’t been nothing
That I couldn’t leave behind
For anyone learning the Feathered Indians Lyrics Meaning, the second verse starts with the singer describing him and his lover watching the mountains and rivers of West Virginia. Over the years, Tyler has played several gigs in West Virginia before releasing his albums and refers to that time with this line. They are hanging out on a rooftop where he is smoking Spirits, short for American Spirits, a well-known cigarette and tobacco products brand.
His lover shares the harms of consuming these addictive and toxic substances and questions if no one has communicated that information with him. The singer answers by saying that many people have, but he never took their advice seriously. So far, he didn’t have anything that he would regret leaving behind. It also implies that finding her has prompted him to reconsider his destructive habits.
What Does The Chorus Mean?
Hold me close my dear
Sing your whispering song
Softly in my ear
And I will sing along
Honey tell me how your love runs true
And how I can always count on you
To be there when the bullets fly
I’d run across the river just to hold you tonight
The chorus of Feathered Indians depicts the romantic aspect of the relationship between Tyler and his religious lover. Here the singer asks his beloved to hold him close in her arms and softly whisper a sweet melody into his ear. He promises to keep her company and sing along to her tune. It shows that Tyler is willing to make any sacrifice to earn her love and trust forever.
The singer then asks his beloved to reveal how deeply her love for him runs. He seeks assurance from his lover that she will always stay by his side despite the situation. He wants to know whether she will shield him from bullets, a metaphor for tough times, and continue to love him the same. He then confesses that he would do anything to hold her hand tonight, including running on water.
Verse 3 – What Does It Mean?
Well my heart is sweating bullets
From the circles it has raced
Like a little feathered indian
Callin’ out the clouds for rain
I’d go runnin‘ through the thicket
I’d go careless through the thorns
Just to hold her for a minute
Though it’d leave me wanting more
The singer then asks his beloved to reveal how deeply her love for him runs. He seeks assurance from his lover that she will always stay by his side despite the situation. He wants to know whether she will shield him from bullets, a metaphor for tough times, and continue to love him the same. He then confesses that he would do anything to hold her hand tonight, including running on water.
In the last verse, the singer shares his feelings of desperation and nervousness and seeks reassurance from his beloved to make him believe she loves him. He compared this feeling to a Native American dancing ritual that calls the clouds for rain. Tyler says he would run through thorns and thickets to get a moment with her. However, he knows it would only make him want her more, and no amount of time with her is enough.
Conclusion
Feathered Indians is the second track on Tyler Childers’s second studio album, Purgatory. This romantic country melody received high praise from both music critics and fans. The song failed to land a good spot on any top music charts after its release. However, it still managed to earn a Platinum certification from the Recording Industry Association of America on 15 September’20.
Learning the Feathered Indians Lyrics Meaning, we discover the tale of Tyler falling in love with a highly religious girl and how their love changed the course of his life. The song doesn’t describe much about Tyler’s lover except her religious beliefs. However, we see how falling in love with her motivates the singer to become a better version of himself, including his decision to give up smoking.
