Released: 2017
Tyler Childers’ ‘Universal Sound’ is a contemplative country ballad that explores the artist’s introspection and connection with the world around him. The song is filled with vivid imagery and metaphors, and it uses a unique blend of country culture and spirituality to convey its message.
The song opens with Childers in Pocahontas, near the Cranberry Glades, a remote area where there’s no cell service. He’s alone with his thoughts, which are racing and loud like barking hounds. However, he tries to calm his mind by focusing on the ‘universal sound’, a metaphor for the natural, ambient noise of the world, or perhaps a higher spiritual frequency.
Childers thinks about his ‘darling girl’ back home, wishing upon shooting stars for her. He looks forward to the day he can return to her, but for now, he’s absorbed in the ‘universal sound’. This verse shows his longing for his loved one and his struggle to balance personal desires with his current solitude.
The next verse has Childers reflecting on his past vices, like tobacco and moonshine, indicating a life lived hard. He remembers a simpler time when he was a baby, needing nothing but a ‘little bitty rattler’ (a baby’s toy) and the ‘universal sound’. This nostalgia suggests a desire to return to innocence and simplicity.
The chorus brings a sense of clarity and acceptance. Childers closes his eyes, focuses on his breathing, and lets the ‘universal sound’ take over. This could be seen as a form of meditation, surrendering to the present moment and finding peace within it.
The final verse presents a spiritual encounter. Childers has been ‘up on the mountain’, a common metaphor for a spiritual journey or revelation. He’s also ‘sat there on a bar stool’ and looked God ‘in the face’. The deity seems ‘a little haggard’, perhaps reflecting the struggles of the world, but continues humming to the ‘universal sound’. This verse reinforces the theme of finding spirituality in everyday life and nature.
