The Meaning of Tyler Childers’ “In Your Love”
As the lead single to Tyler Childers’ 2023 album Rustin’ in the Rain, “In Your Love” showcases a grown Tyler Childers, with several years of being one of the most prominent voices in country music under his belt. Lyrically, “In Your Love” crafts a tender love song, as Childers is known to do, and his vocals bring out an energy that feels genuine and pure.
The song was also notably released alongside a very pro-gay music video that stirred up quite a ruckus in the sometimes homophobic world of country music. We’ll talk about the music video later, first we’re going to talk about the lyrics themselves.
“In Your Love” Lyrics Meaning
Verse One
I will wait for you
First verse to “In Your Love” by Tyler Childers.
‘Til the sun turns into ashes
And bows down to the moon
I will wait for you
It’s a long hard war
Ah, but I can grin and bear it
‘Cause I know what the hell I’m fightin’ for
And I will wait for you
Childers is willing to wait for his love until the end of time, until the sun no longer shines and the moon takes over. This represents not only time, but the changing of the norms of the world, even to things that seem unrealistic at this stage.
He is willing to hang onto this love through all the challenges of life, because he knows that it’s worth fighting for.
Chorus
We were never made to run forever
Chorus to “In Your Love” by Tyler Childers.
We were just meant to go long enough
To find what we were chasin’ after
I believe I found it here
In your love
Tyler sings about the finite nature of life, and how nobody can live forever. This brings to mind the concept behind Jason Isbell’s beautiful love song “If We Were Vampires,” which discusses making the most out of each loving moment because “someday you’ll be gone, and someday I’ll be gone.” Childers leans into a similar concept here.
Verse Two
I will stand my ground
Second verse to “In Your Love” by Tyler Childers.
I’m a bad man looking for takers
You’re the finest thing around
So I will stand my ground
‘Cause it’s cold out there
And you know some men search for ages
For the love that I have found
So I will stand my ground
This verse represents overcoming challenges and standing by what you believe in. Childers has chosen his love, and he’s been out there looking for love, and this particular person is the best he’s found.
When he says “it’s cold out there” it feels like a connection to his older song, “Shake the Frost,” which is about finding inner warmth with a lover. Some people spend their whole lives looking or this kind of love, so he’s not going to let it go.
The chorus repeats again, and then he sings the bridge: “Honey I will wait for you / Honey, I will stand my ground.” Reiterating the idea of holding on to this love.
Verse Three
I will work for you
Third verse to “In Your Love” by Tyler Childers.
‘Til my hands are tired and bleedin’
I know what it is from us I’m needin’
I will work for you
Like a team of mules
Pullin’ Hell off from its hinges
It’s the love that I’ll keep tendin’
I will work for you
He’s willing to sacrifice his own comfort for the well-being of his lover. He knows exactly what needs to happen between them, and he’s goin to work like a whole team of mules. It won’t just be a one-time effort, either. Tyler plans to “keep on tendin'” this love, and give it all the effort it deserves.
The chorus repeats again, and an outro ties all the ideas back together.
“In Your Love” Music Video
Looking just at the lyrics, “In Your Love” could be seen as a song of love and devotion for any type of relationship. However, the music video, written by poet Silas House, depicts a homosexual relationship between two men working in a coal mine.
When we view the lyrics through that lens, Tyler’s words about overcoming challenges and adversities seem to ring more true for gay men looking for love in a world that doesn’t want to allow it.
What Does Tyler Say About It?
In July of 2023, Tyler spoke with NPR about the release of “In Your Love” and the concept behind the video, among other things. He explains how the video was dedicated to his cousin:
“[One] reason that I wanted to do this music video was my cousin growing up, who’s like my big brother, is gay. And he graduated from Northern Kentucky, went to Chicago and never came back. He taught me so much about singing; he was my first tough critic. And just thinking about him not having a music video on CMT that spoke to him”.
As we continue into a more accepting modern era, Tyler explains how he knew this video would stir up controversy among country music fans, who have notoriously clung to more conservative mindsets, and might find this video offensive.
“For all the ugliness that it’s going to bring out that just can’t be helped, this video is going to make real conversations possible,” Childers explains. “This is a story of two people sharing their love and living a life together and experiencing loss. That’s pretty powerful. Once you take away the flash card phrases and like the knee-jerk reactions, how does that make you feel? How are you going to feel when you get to those points in your life? And what are you going to need when you’re going through loss? Are you going to need people to be hateful with you, when your partner in this world dies and you’re alone?”
Tyler continues to explain that he was raised with certain biases that he didn’t agree with, and was glad to finally have a mentor who showed him a more loving world. He hopes that the video for “In Your Love” might sway someone in a similar way.
“When I was younger, sometimes I didn’t think that the way some people were telling me things were was necessarily how they were,” he says. “Then somebody I looked up to helped steer me in a way that made it clear that things could be different. Maybe this video will do that for some people”.