This is big machine radio and it is a gorgeous day here in Nashville
So Aaron Lewis and I decided to sit out on his back porch and talk about his new album state. I'm in
so I do not want to seem ignorant, but I
Know that this next song we're gonna play is called Bernthesau mill down
It was co-written by Jim Elliot and the late Keith Whitley. I
Googled I looked everywhere. I studied catalogs. I could not find if this was a song that Keith ever recorded
It was never recorded. Okay, then I don't feel so dumb. No publishing was never done for it
Nothing was ever done for it. It was on a cassette tape Wow. So, how did it come to your Jesse? Oh, wow
Okay, I'm friends with Jesse his son Wow and got it from him and
it was obviously a late night in the sense that Keith liked to do it as he was known to do it and
The 12-string guitar that he was playing in his hotel room was not in tune and
He was
very evidently rough
Around the edges sure and it was him just
Playing this song. It's the only reference or version of it. It was never written down in a notebook
They've never found it anywhere really never it was that so let me ask you when you do get a song with a name like
That attached to it. Do you feel an added responsibility to make sure that you do the song justice and
Take extra care of bringing it to life
It's a pretty big responsibility. Mm-hmm. I had a similar
responsibility handed to me
with that
Johnny Cash thing that just happened that John Carter put together and I was just given lyrics
This was the opposite where there was no words ever written down. It was just a song on a tape
With Keith and with Johnny Cash. I was given
Words out of a notebook that had never been turned into a song before they were just one of Johnny's poems
Wow and the song was on that volume two, which should be coming out soon
I know the volume one came out already
Okay, and you know what?
I found interesting about this song as well burnt the sawmill down is that
Unlike every other song on this album. This is more of a story more of a character song
It doesn't it fits but it's a bit of a departure from the rest of the record
So I just found that interesting that because every other song on this album is very very personal
And even if you didn't write it I can see why you chose it and this one
I felt like it was just the honor of bringing a song to light that no one ever would have heard and who would blame
You this one was co-written by the late Keith Whitley. It's burnt the sawmill down. You'll find it on Aaron Lewis's state
I'm in album, which is available now