The story behind HARDY’s “SIX FEET UNDER (Caleigh’s Song)”

HARDY is widely known as a hard-hitting country/rock artist who never shies away from celebrating his deep Mississippi roots and passion for country music. However, when he released “SIX FEET UNDER (Caleigh’s Song),” fans got a glimpse into a whole new side of HARDY, one that evokes tenderness and deep emotion.

What was the inspiration for this song?

In October 2022, the “Truck Bed” singer and his band were involved in a tour bus accident in which he broke a vertebra in his back. The traumatic event affected him not only physically but also mentally, as it happened almost three weeks before his planned wedding. He recalled calling his future wife Caleigh with blood smeared on his face and fear in his voice. In that moment, he gained a new perspective on life before saying “I do” to his better half.

“I didn’t know if I was hurt, but I just remember calling her and telling her, ‘I love you’ and all that crazy stuff. And then came the moment when we said our vows to each other and how far apart they were. And that really showed me how fragile everything is and how special life is in general,” HARDY told Kelleigh Bannen on Today’s country radio At Apple Music Country.

Use songwriting as an outlet to communicate your inner thoughts

All the incredible highs and devastating lows that occurred in that short period of time made HARDY look deep into his heart and reflect on how precious each day really is. As a result, he poured out his thoughts and emotions in the songwriting, ending up with “SIX FEET UNDER (Caleigh’s Song).”

“It’s my first real love song that I wrote for my wife. I mean, it’s really intense… From basically the worst moment of my life to the greatest moment of my life and the emotional rollercoaster behind it. That’s what ‘SIX FEET UNDER’ is really about. And that time period.”

This track is the only solo composition on his highly anticipated new album STOP!!which is set to be released on July 12. In the chorus, HARDY begins by raising questions about mortality, such as “Where do you go when you die?” and “How do you know when you’re there?” He then tries to capture the memory of exchanging wedding vows with Caleigh in private and reaffirming their love for each other by saying the line, “If heaven is a moment you wish would never end, then I’m somewhere six feet underground.”

HARDY continues this sentiment in the next verse when he sings, “Oh, what I would give to keep a bottle/ These memories are locked in my heart forever/ Why can’t I just relive your sweet words over and over again?/ The ones you said that made my last name ours/ My darling, I never imagined this feeling.”

As he reflects on these intense images, he says “That was the moment we said “I do” because there’s nothing that will ever… I mean, we don’t have kids yet, but to me there’s nothing that will ever, ever, ever top that moment.”

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Looking back at the fear of the bus accident

HARDY maintains his edgier sound throughout the song as death is heavily present in the electric instrumentals. The tremors of his vocals ignite a certain power in the lyrics, making fans feel every ounce of love, fear, pain and joy that HARDY endures throughout the narrative. Towards the end of the song, emotions boil over as he thinks back to the accident and recalls that his only concern at that moment was not death, but whether or not he would see his other half again.

“SIX FEET UNDER (Caleigh’s Song)” aired on country radio on Monday, June 10th and follows “ROCK STARS”, which is currently on the rise on rock radio, as well as “PSYCHOLOGY”, the title track of the album and “JIM-BOB.”

HARDY has set the bar incredibly high for the rest of his upcoming project, and if the rest of the unreleased tracks are as dark and soulful as what he’s delivered so far, fans definitely have something to look forward to.

Stop!!

In support of the album “Quitt!!”, the Mississippi native is currently in the midst of his eponymous headlining tour. Produced by Live Nation, this 15-date tour includes stops at amphitheaters and arenas across North America alongside his opening acts Kip Moore, Travis Denning, Ella Langley and Stephen Wilson Jr..

He kicked off in May and will conclude in October with a milestone performance at the legendary Red Rocks Amphitheater in Morrison, Colorado.