About The Song
In the landscape of 1980s country music—a time marked by stylistic crosswinds and shifting tastes—Randy Travis emerged as a steady, authentic voice that reminded listeners of the genre’s roots. With his rich baritone and no-frills approach to storytelling, Travis became a standard-bearer for the neotraditionalist movement, a return to classic country sensibilities after a decade of pop-country experimentation. One of the earliest and most memorable entries in his catalog is the 1986 single “Diggin’ Up Bones,” a song that marries classic country instrumentation with a clever lyrical conceit to create something deeply resonant and immediately recognizable.
Released as the third single from his debut album Storms of Life, “Diggin’ Up Bones” is, at its heart, a breakup song—but it approaches the subject from a refreshingly literal and almost darkly humorous angle. The phrase “digging up bones” serves as a metaphor for revisiting the past, sifting through the remnants of a failed relationship. But unlike the soft sentimentality that often characterizes songs of lost love, this one is laced with a wry melancholy. The narrator is fully aware of his own self-destructive impulse to unearth what should be left buried, and that self-awareness gives the song a certain emotional maturity.
The strength of Travis’s performance lies in its restraint. He doesn’t overplay the drama or wallow in self-pity. Instead, his delivery is calm, reflective, and grounded—almost resigned. This detachment allows the pain of the song to come through not as a cry for help, but as a quiet confession. There’s an everyman quality to the way he sings, making the experience feel universal: who hasn’t, at some point, lingered too long over old memories, even knowing it won’t do any good?
Musically, “Diggin’ Up Bones” is built around a classic country arrangement—clean acoustic guitar, subtle steel licks, and a walking bass line that gives the song a gentle but steady motion. It’s simple, but never sparse; traditional, yet not outdated. This careful balance between modern production and old-school sensibilities was a hallmark of Travis’s early work, and it’s a major reason why the song still holds up today.
In many ways, “Diggin’ Up Bones” helped define Randy Travis’s early success. It reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart and played a key role in the commercial and critical acclaim of Storms of Life, an album now regarded as one of the most influential in country music history. More than that, the song stands as a subtle, intelligent take on heartbreak—proof that sometimes the most powerful emotional truths are the ones told plainly, with a hint of humor and a whole lot of heart.
Video
Lyric
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Last night, I dug your picture out from my old dresser drawerI set it on the table and I talked to it ’til fourI read some old love letters right up ’til the break of dawnYeah, I’ve been sittin’ alone, diggin’ up bonesThen I went through the jewelry and I found our wedding ringsI put mine on my finger and I gave yours a flingAcross this lonely bedroom of our recent broken homeYeah, tonight, I’m sittin’ alone, diggin’ up bonesI’m diggin’ up bones (diggin’ up bones)I’m diggin’ up bones (diggin’ up bones)Exhumin’ things that’s better left aloneI’m resurrectin’ memories of a love that’s dead and goneYeah, tonight, I’m sittin’ alone, diggin’ up bonesAnd I went through the closet and I found some things in thereLike that pretty negligee that I bought you to wearAnd I recall how good you looked each time you had it onYeah, tonight, I’m sittin’ alone, diggin’ up bonesI’m diggin’ up bones (diggin’ up bones)I’m diggin’ up bones (diggin’ up bones)Exhumin’ things that’s better left aloneI’m resurrectin’ memories of a love that’s dead and goneYeah, tonight, I’m sittin’ alone, diggin’ up bonesI’m resurrectin’ memories of a love that’s dead and goneYeah, tonight, I’m sittin’ alone, diggin’ up bones (diggin’ up bones)I’m diggin’ up bones (diggin’ up bones)Exhumin’ things that’s better left aloneI’m resurrectin’ memories of a love that’s dead and goneYeah, tonight, I’m sittin’ alone, diggin’ up bones (diggin’ up bones)I’m diggin’ up bones (diggin’ up bones)Exhumin’ things that’s better left aloneI’m resurrectin’ memories of a love that’s dead and goneYeah, tonight, I’m sittin’ alone, diggin’ up bones