'Never You' by Dierks Bentley (feat. Miranda Lambert) – Lyrics & Meaning

Dierks Bentley is back with his eleventh album, Broken Branches, a project that speaks to the country music community and the trusty outliers, like the artist himself, who exist to shake things up from within.

He is joined by a number of guests, like Stephen Wilson Jr., Riley Green and John Anderson, across the album's 11 tracks, but it's the Miranda Lambert collaboration that finds itself chief among them.

Titled 'Never You', the plucky ballad is one of the collection's few love songs, a cheery testament to love everlasting in a world where things tend to fall apart and fade away.

'Never You' awakens with the bright cry of steel strings, a trickling banjo riff that peppers much of the tune's three-and-a-half minutes. A steady beat pulsates alongside it before a chorus of robust electrics and shuddering bass erupts.

Still, those weightless strings and hardy rhythms remain, carrying the song through a shifting of sounds and changing of tempos. In the end, the arrangement very much mirrors the story that's unfolding within.

"Clouds roll by
They change the sky
It turns from black to blue
Yesterday’s passed
Tomorrows don’t last
And right now goes too soon
Towns get big
And songs get old
And kids grow up
And trucks get sold
Everything you know turns into something you knew"

'Never You' tells the tale of a steadfast love, a partnership that withstands the changing of the seasons and all the tests that come with time.

The night gets swallowed up by sunlight, each new day bringing with it fresh challenges, but still, the love that's depicted within the song can weather them all.

At the song's start, Bentley rattles off all the things that are subject to change – towns, songs, even trucks. However, there's one thing that never will: what he feels for the one he loves.

"But never you
Still feel the same in these arms
Still find my lips in the dark
It’s still your long blonde hair falling off of your shoulder
It’s never you
That I’m not thinking about
That I don’t thank God that I found
If there’s anything in my life I’d ever do over
It’s never you"

From the chorus, it seems like their relationship has endured it all, but nothing could ever alter the way he feels. His lover's arms, their lips, their long blonde hair, it all still thrills, entices and comforts the artist.

If he could do everything over, go back and change it all, he wouldn't. Not a moment, not a thing.

When Miranda Lambert joins in, she sings a similar tune, depicting a love that's comfortable, healing and secure. She likens her lover to "the same two-lane / That takes me home." She sings that while "Blue jeans fade and seasons change," the love she feels never could.

"It was never you
Out of all the things I could stand to lose
It’s never you"

While Bentley hasn't gone into great detail about his collaboration with Miranda Lambert, he has discussed his new album as whole, describing Broken Branches as an allegory for the country music community.

“The country music community has a lot of broken branches in it," the artist explained in a statement. "That’s why we’re all here. We want to do something a little bit different, and I think everyone sees themselves like that – certainly in country. This is the people’s music and it represents that spirit of individuality so well – it’s just about doing it our own way.”

His duet with Lambert aside, Bentley went on to share how his new album was a collaborative effort in and of itself.

“I think that’s what’s special about country – we’re still making music in the studio with our buddies,” he shared. “We’re still getting together and talking about the songs and letting the musicians have a big say. It’s a good team - maybe a little messed up - but that’s the whole idea behind broken branches, so it just works.”

Clouds roll by
They change the sky
It turns from black to blue
Yesterday’s passed
Tomorrows don’t last
And right now goes too soon
Towns get big
And songs get old
And kids grow up
And trucks get sold
Everything you know turns into something you knew

But never you
Still feel the same in these arms
Still find my lips in the dark
It’s still your long blonde hair falling off of your shoulder
It’s never you
That I’m not thinking about
That I don’t thank God that I found
If there’s anything in my life I’d ever do over
It’s never you

You’re the same two-lane
That takes me home
That I still love to drive
The same drunk laugh
Leaning your head back
That makes me feel alive
Blue jeans fade and seasons change
Some things get old with time

But never you
Still feel the same in these arms
Still find my lips in the dark
It’s still your long blonde hair falling off of your shoulder
It’s never you
That I’m not thinking about
That I don’t thank God that I found
If there’s anything in my life I’d ever do over
It’s never you

Yeah never you
It’s never you
Out of all the things I could stand to lose
It’s never you
Still feel the same in these arms
Still find my lips in the dark
It’s still your long blonde hair falling off of your shoulder
It’s never you
That I’m not thinking about
That I don’t thank God that I found
If there’s anything in my life I’d ever do over
It’s never you

It was never you
Out of all the things I could stand to lose
It’s never you

Still feel the same in these arms
Mmm it’s never you
Still find my lips in the dark
It’s never you
That I’m not thinking about
Not thinkin about
That I don’t thank God that I found
Oh it’s never you
Mmm it’s never you

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