When Brantley Gilbert and wife Amber welcomed their son, Barrett Hardy-Clay, in 2017, the admittedly rough country music star immediately softened. Once the family of three settled back in their home in Maysville, Georgia, the reality of consequences from a hard-lived youth sank in and he realized he would have to have a conversation with his children a little earlier than most fathers.
“There was a time in my life where I’m not necessarily proud of the man I was,” Gilbert recently shared with Big Machine Label Group. “I want our children to have a song where they can hear my voice say ‘I love you’ and acknowledges that there’s going to come a time when they figure out I’m not a ‘super hero.’ I’m human; I’ve made mistakes. And I’ll make a lot more, but there’s a man who really did hang the moon, who’s got your back and always will, and if I’ve done my job as a father, they’ll know that truth.”
Gilbert wrote the song at their home in one sitting. “We had actually just found out that we were pregnant with our second, a baby girl due this September, the day I wrote this song. I sat down to write them a letter, but I’m a songwriter first so I ended up with this song.”
Watch the “Man That Hung The Moon” music video below!
“Man That Hung The Moon” Lyrics
I lost my breath when I
Saw you take your first
My whole world stopped like that
And I hate to cry inside
But I just saw you rise
And words just can’t describe what I see
You look just like me, yeah
You’re gonna think I hung the moon
You’re gonna think I made the sky
That the sun rises
And sets inside of my eyes
And it won’t be long
‘Till I hear “Daddy’s home” and
Footsteps running to
The man that hung the moon
And I already know
You’ll probably be a mama’s boy
It worked out fine for your dad
I hope I’m still your hero
‘Cause I already love you more than
Even I understand
You’re gonna think I hung the moon
And that I made the sky
That the sun rises
And sets inside of my eyes
And it won’t be long
Till I hear “Daddy’s home” and
Footsteps running to
The man that hung the moon
Oh yeah
And one day you’ll realize
I’ve lost my cape, I can’t fly
And I’m only human
And you’ll need more than me
But you know to hit your knees
If I’ve done my job right
You’ll know where to find
The man who really hung the moon
Who really made the sky
Yeah, the sun rises
And sets inside of his eyes
And it won’t be long
Until he calls us home
And we’ll all be running to
The man that hung the moon
Oh, oh
Oh yeah
No matter what
No matter where I am
Just know I love you
With all I am
Me and your mama both
