A second song from Ian Noe’s new album ‘River Fools and Mountain Saints‘ which paints in a song a series of portraits of Appalachia and its people as it is today. So, ‘Tom Barrett’, documents a war veteran’s return to Appalachia, returning to a community that once shunned him whilst adjusting to the after effects of a life of violence.
Ian Noe has said of the song “‘Tom Barrett’ is about a relentless soldier’s life, inspired by local vets I used to know, or knew about. I talk about it a lot but juxtaposing dark themes or subject matter with upbeat melody is something I’ve always been drawn to. This song is an example of that.”