Miranda Lambert is no stranger to singing about love and heartache with irreverent angst, but her latest single “Tin Man” offers raw emotion without the typical breakup vitriol.
“Tin Man,” a tribute to her favorite Kenny Chesney song of the same name, was written by Lambert, Jon Randall, and Jack Ingram during 2015 and is included on her double album The Weight of These Wings. The tune was released on April 3rd, but it was the emotional performance during telecast of the ACM Awards the night before that started the song’s rise in popularity with fans as well as its climb up the charts.
It’s an emotional song referencing a beloved character from the movie classic “The Wizard of Oz” whose plea for a heart was his wish for the almighty wizard. The song centers on one with a broken heart informing the Tin Man that what he wishes for may not be worth it:
Hey there, Mr. Tin Man
You don’t know how lucky you are
You shouldn’t spend your whole life wishin’
For something bound to fall apart
Everytime you’re feeling empty
Better thank your lucky stars
If you ever felt one breakin’
You’d never want a heart
While emotional, the rawness of its message comes at the end when the broken-hearted character informs the Tin Man that if he really wants a heart, she’s willing to give him hers, scars and all:
Hey there, Mr. Tin Man
Glad we talked this out
You can take mine if you want it
It’s in pieces now
By the way there, Mr. Tin Man
If you don’t mind the scars
You give me your armor
And you can have my heart
The crisp melodic tone in Lambert’s voice along with soft strumming of the guitar is what pulls the emotion of the song to believability, something fans will relate to. Using the iconic movie character quest adds a uniqueness in a simple, albeit beautiful way.
“Tin Man” is available at iTunes and Amazon.