‘More Than Me’ by Ian Munsick - Lyrics & Meaning

It seems faith has been a recurrent theme in country music ever since the very first note echoed out from a strange new contraption people decided to call ‘a steel guitar’.

The lyrical pervasiveness of religion and belief means it has become challenging to approach spirituality in modern country music without it straying into tired, trite or derivative territory. This makes Ian Munsick's ‘More Than Me’ all the more powerful, with the Wyoming native cleverly flipping a heartbreak lyric into a faith-inspired cri-de-coeur.

Released back in August 2022, ‘More Than Me’ was one of the first singles to arrive ahead of Munsick's acclaimed 2023 album, White Buffalo, which saw the up-and-coming artist expanding his sonic horizons as he pieced together a series of rich vignettes of Wyoming life.

Although ‘More Than Me’ was forced to stand in the shadow of Munsick's blockbuster Cody Johnson collaboration, ‘Long Live Cowgirls’, for much of the White Buffalo rollout, it nonetheless remains one of the most streamed tracks on the album.

In late June, it was confirmed that ‘More Than Me’ would be given a new lease of life through Ian Munsick's stellar Me and a Fiddle EP. Sometimes, an acoustic version can feel like a superficial attempt to boost streams. This is not one of those times. By stripping down ‘More Than Me’ to just a guitar and a fiddle, Ian Munsick gave his evocative lyrics and sinuous vocals an additional lustre.

Since its release, ‘More Than Me’ has retained its position in Munsick's 2023 setlist, with Munsick delivering a memorable rendition of the uplifting track during his momentous Ryman debut earlier in the year.

White Buffalo is underpinned by Ian Munsick's blend of classic Western stylistic influences and more contemporary, genre-spanning flourishes. ‘More Than Me’ opens with a deep, easygoing guitar and the ethereal thrum of a fiddle, which combine to mimic the haunting, reverent sound of the organ referenced in the opening verse.

As Munsick approaches the first hook, he brings in a driving beat and a cascade of higher-pitched instrumentation, which propels the chorus upwards alongside his unmistakable tenor.

Throughout the song, the faint, understated sound of a steel guitar rings out in the background, ensuring ‘More Than Me’ still carries an undercurrent of Ian Munsick's trademark neo-traditional fusion, despite being less musically experimental than White Buffalo tracks such as ‘Barn Burner’, ‘From the Horse's Mouth’ and the title-track.

On the newly released Me and a Fiddle version of ‘More Than Me’, the spotlight is thrust firmly onto Ian Munsick's serpentine vocals, his gently strumming guitar and the enchanting fiddle. Everything else is removed, giving the listener the chance to soak in the celestial atmosphere that Munsick engenders on the acoustic track.

“The organ played and we all stood up
He was sweating in his rented tux
When in walked that beautiful bride
In a long white dress and a smile
It's still clear as a bell right now
Her daddy cried and we sat back down
My old friend pulled his wedding vows out
Took a deep breath and he said”

Shortly after its release, Ian Munsick revealed it had taken him three years to complete ‘More Than Me’, and the care and intricacy with which the song has been composed is radiates through its lyrics.

Munsick begins by setting the scene of a wedding, with the listener getting a snapshot into the proceedings through the perspective of a good friend of the groom. He paints the groom as an understandably nervous figure when the bride walks in, before he then steadies himself and pulls out a scrap of paper from his pocket.

“‘You want to know how I know we're going to last?’
He pointed at the sun shining through
The one in the stained glass and he said

‘She loves Him more than me
And that's why I love her
I look at her and see
Who hung the moon and stars above her
I don't mind second place
Ain't that amazing grace?
She loves me faithfully
'Cause she loves Him more than me’”

The groom then produces the keystone of the whole song, as he assuredly explains why he has no doubts about his soon-to-be-wife being the love of his life.

It's simple, he explains - she loves Jesus more than she loves him. What makes the hook all the more moving is the fact that, in any other song, the line “She loves him more than me” would be the culmination of a despairing heartbreak anthem.

But in ‘More Than Me’, Ian Munsick and his co-writers inventively spin the lyric around into something positive. The groom credits his unwavering trust in his partner to her decision to live her life in accordance with the Good Book, as he underlines, “I don't mind second place”.

It's no accident that, after “sweating in his rented tux” and being portrayed as self-conscious, the groom then finds a newfound confidence in boldly and expressively sharing his personal, spiritual beliefs.

It's a marked contrast, and one that is sparked when he brings the vows out from his pocket. The assurance he draws from this act seems to serve as a metaphor for the assurance he finds in his faith.

“That night when I went to bed
A revelation rolled through my head
Like a train those words he said
They hit me, so I hit my knees

‘Lord I want to find a woman who can love me that way’
And I know that I know she's the one when I can say

‘She loves Him more than me
And that's why I love her
I look at her and see
Who hung the moon and stars above her
I don't mind second place
Ain't that amazing grace?
She loves me faithfully
'Cause she loves Him more than me’”

The song then transitions to our protagonist reflecting on the groom's rousing speech, as he asks God to allow him to find a similar kind of love to the one he experienced in that church.

‘More Than Me’ is interspersed with witty turns of phrase, such as, ‘That night when I went to bed / A revelation rolled through my head’. ‘Revelation’ refers both to Munsick's dawning realisation, as well as carrying pointed biblical connotations.

“Now I'm looking at her
And I see that He answered all of my prayers
Holding my boy in her arms
I've got to thank the man upstairs”

In many ways, the entirety of ‘More Than Me’ is the embodiment of ‘heartwarming’, but Ian Munsick dials up the emotionality once again in the final verse, as we fast-forward to the protagonist having found the love that he asked God for after his friend's wedding.

Endearingly, at this point in the accompanying music video for ‘More Than Me’, Munsick is joined by his wife and son, introducing a personal dimension to the already-touching song.

Speaking to Holler, Ian Munsick revealed the importance he gave to the lyrical structure of ‘More Than Me’, “A song is only as good as its lyrics. You can dress it up in fancy production and instrumentation, but when it’s stripped down to its bare bones… that’s the ultimate test. In my opinion, ‘More Than Me’ is my best written song”.

Munsick went on to underline that he drew on his own relationship with his wife and his faith in order to produce ‘More Than Me’, “Every chorus has a different meaning while remaining the same, it’s as relevant today as it will be tomorrow, and the best part, it’s a true story”.

The fast-emerging artist also explained to Holler how he went about selecting tracks for his acoustic EP, “When choosing songs from White Buffalo to strip down to only guitar and fiddle, 'More Than Me' was an obvious choice. I hope you hear the honesty in the rawness and I hope it leads you closer to the divine spirit that lives in all of us”. 

In an earlier conversation with Holler before Christmas, Ian Munsick shed some light on how faith continues to be a strong muse for him when creating new music, “I think a lot of my music is spiritual. There’s something special about the way that you become spiritually connected to the landscape of the West, and that’s something that’s been haunting me for 29 years. I’ve lived in Nashville for 10 years now, and every day I ask myself why I don’t still live there. That’s really what motivates me creatively - where I come from, the people that live there and the cultures that originate from that. I want to share that with the rest of the country music world”.

Commenting via Warner Music Nashville on ‘More Than Me’ ahead of its release back in 2022, Ian Munsick delved into the real-life story that inspired the track, “The title hit me when I attended my friend’s wedding in Tennessee a few years ago. Like any good songwriter, I stole it from the groom after he said, ‘I love her because she loves Jesus more than she loves me’. What a concept. His words inspired me to keep every single lyric in ‘More Than Me’ true to that event and my life”.

Munsick touched on the fact that, even though love is a recurring motif throughout his music, ‘More Than Me’ takes this to a whole new level, “Like many of my songs, love is the theme – but this one feels bigger. There is no greater love than that of a man for his wife, a mother for her child and the Father for His children. Tying all of those relationships in a three-minute story was a challenge that took me a little over three years to wrap my head around… it was worth the wait”.

“The organ played and we all stood up
He was sweating in his rented tux
When in walked that beautiful bride
In a long white dress and a smile
It's still clear as a bell right now
Her daddy cried and we sat back down
My old friend pulled his wedding vows out
Took a deep breath and he said

‘You want to know how I know we're going to last?’
He pointed at the sun shining through
The one in the stained glass and he said

‘She loves Him more than me
And that's why I love her
I look at her and see
Who hung the moon and stars above her
I don't mind second place
Ain't that amazing grace?
She loves me faithfully
'Cause she loves Him more than me’

That night when I went to bed
A revelation rolled through my head
Like a train those words he said
They hit me, so I hit my knees

‘Lord I want to find a woman who can love me that way’
And I know that I know she's the one when I can say

‘She loves Him more than me
And that's why I love her
I look at her and see
Who hung the moon and stars above her
I don't mind second place
Ain't that amazing grace?
She loves me faithfully
'Cause she loves Him more than me’

Now I'm looking at her
And I see that He answered all of my prayers
Holding my boy in her arms
I've got to thank the man upstairs

‘Cause she loves Him more than me
And that's why I love her
I look at her and see
Who hung the moon and stars above her
I don't mind second place
Ain't that amazing grace?
She loves me faithfully
'Cause she loves Him more than me
Yeah, she loves Him more than me
More than me

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