‘Nose on the Grindstone’ by Tyler Childers - Lyrics & Meaning

After weeks of tantalising clues and easter eggs, Tyler Childers finally announced his seventh album, Snipe Hunter, with the Kentucky maverick making ‘Nose on the Grindstone’ available as the lead single in tandem with the new project's unveiling.

The haunting, evocative song has been a fan-favourite for almost a decade, with Tyler Childers previously releasing an acoustic rendition as part of his OurVinyl Sessions EP in 2017. He has since performed it regularly, but never shared an official studio version of the beloved offering - until, at long last, on Thursday, June 12th, 2025 the ‘In Your Love’ hitmaker gave his fans what they'd been yearning for.

The new version features a handful of sonic discrepancies compared to the 2017 original, with Rick Rubin taking care of production with Tyler Childers throughout Snipe Hunter. Heartwarmingly, Childers has included his father, Timothy, whose advice inspired ‘Nose on the Grindstone’, as a co-writer alongside himself.

The 2025 studio version of ‘Nose on the Grindstone’ undoubtedly feels more polished compared to the 2017 OurVinyl Sessions version, with Rick Rubin giving the reimagined take a fuller sound through the introduction of an organ and bold instrumentation.

Tyler Childers’ vocal performance carries an added sense of vehemence and emotionality in the new version, despite the OurVinyl rendition being rawer and more rough-around-the-edges. It's a brooding, dramatic track, with the undulating guitar riff serving as the backbone, while Childers’ emotive delivery remains the focus.

“Daddy worked like a mule minin' Pike County coal
He messed up his back, couldn't work anymore
He said, "One of these days you'll get out of these hills
Keep your nose on the grindstone and out of the pills"”

Mules are a recurring theme throughout Tyler Childers’ discography, most notably across his 2023 album, Rustin’ in the Rain, where Childers modestly likens himself to the often under-appreciated animal. He reflects on how his father, who was a coal-miner in Kentucky, ruined his back working tirelessly in Pike County.

It's important to bear in mind that ‘Nose on the Grindstone’ was penned during the early days of Tyler Childers’ career, when he was battling drug addiction and alcoholism.

The titular line, “Keep your nose on the grindstone and out of the pills”, is seemingly a reference to his struggles with addiction. Now, hearing Childers perform this track after having gotten sober in 2020, the song carries a quietly hopeful sheen.

The phrase, ‘Keep your nose on the grindstone’ is commonly used as a means of encouraging workers to keep going relentlessly. The origins of this idiom are unclear, but it potentially derives from bladesmiths having to keep their face close to the rotating grindstone when sharpening their knives. This practice is also associated with an Old English form of punishment. Alternatively, some sources suggest it actually stems from millers that had to literally keep their noses against the grindstone when producing cereal, to ensure the machine wasn't overheating.

“See, the ways of this world will just bring you to tears
Keep the Lord in your heart and you'll have nothin' to fear
Live the best that you can and don't lie and don't steal
Keep your nose on the grindstone and out of the pills”

Tyler Childers continues to sing here from the perspective of his father, who warns him that the world often has cruel tendencies, and that you could end up distraught from its onslaught. In order to deal with this, his father encourages him that if he keeps the Lord in his heart, he won't need to fear anything the world throws at him. He outlines that this divine protection will always triumph over worldly obstacles.

“Well, Daddy I've been tryin', I just can't catch a break
There's too much in this world I can't seem to shake
But I remembеr your words, Lord, they bring me to chills
"Keep your nose on thе grindstone and out of the pills"”

Here, a young Tyler Childers responds to his father, by admitting he's been trying his best to follow his advice, but he keeps stumbling. He confesses that the world is testing his patience. However, he will lean on his father's words to overcome his troubles.

“Now keep in mind that a man's just as good as his word
It takes twice as long to build bridges you've burnt
And there's hurt you can cause time alone cannot heal
Keep your nose on the grindstone and out of the pills”

As ‘Nose on the Grindstone’, Tyler Childers shares some more words of wisdom from his father, who reminds him that it's far more difficult to reconstruct a relationship once you've burned the bridges with that person, than it is to build it from scratch. He reassures his son throughout, while still giving him motivational nuggets about how he should be living in this world and how he should treat others.

“Daddy worked like a mule minin' Pike County coal
He messed up his back, couldn't work anymore
He said, "One of these days you'll get out of these hills
Keep your nose on the grindstone and out of the pills"

-

"See, the ways of this world will just bring you to tears
Keep the Lord in your heart and you'll have nothin' to fear
Live the best that you can and don't lie and don't steal
Keep your nose on the grindstone and out of the pills"

-

Well, Daddy I've been tryin', I just can't catch a break
There's too much in this world I can't seem to shake
But I remembеr your words, Lord, they bring me to chills
"Keep your nose on thе grindstone and out of the pills"

-

"Now keep in mind that a man's just as good as his word
It takes twice as long to build bridges you've burnt
And there's hurt you can cause time alone cannot heal
Keep your nose on the grindstone and out of the pills"

-

Well daddy I've been tryin', I just can't catch a break
There's too much in this world I can't seem to shake
But I remember your words, Lord, they bring me to chills
"Keep your nose on the grindstone and out of the pills"
"Keep your nose on the grindstone"”

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