The Hard Way
Wilco, I Nine, Ruston Kelly, and learning things the hard way
He doesn't look a thing like Jesus
But he talks like a gentleman
Like you imagined
When you were young
I’m not totally sure how these lyrics tie into this week’s Swap. Honestly, sometimes I pull these editions together during a lunch break—and in this case, the intro came from whatever was playing while I was curating. Give The Lone Bellow’s cover of this classic Killers song a listen.
This week’s Bonus Track comes from a good friend of the Swap—possibly the only guest to write twice in one semester. It’s a thoughtful piece on relational failure, emotional struggle, and the weight of our choices. Definitely worth your time.
But first, here’s what Mat, Adam, and I want to recommend this week.
-Kody
Mat’s Pick: “Hummingbird” (Live) by Wilco
I’m a sucker for a live album, and I’m a sucker for a Wilco album. I have always loved Wilco’s 2005 live album, “Kicking Television,” and this one is fantastic as well. Several years back, I read Jeff Tweedy’s memoir. He had a strained relationship with his father, and they rarely connected over his music. One time, though, his dad told him he should write more songs like “Hummingbird.” Tweedy laughed to himself and basically said I would if I could. Enjoy this great live track from a great live album.
Adam’s Pick: “Same In Any Language” by I Nine
It's the same in any language
A brother is a brother
If theres one thing I know
It’s the same in any language
Wherever you go
Recently celebrated 13 years of marriage with my bride—shoutout to her! That milestone had me hitting play on a playlist I made with songs from our honeymoon and our favorite movie, Elizabethtown.
Now before you say anything, we know it’s not an award-winning film—but we love it and always have. One of the coolest things I’ve heard about the movie is that the soundtrack came before the film, and man, it’s a good one.
One song I especially love is Same in Any Language. It’s a simple tune with a great message—and if you scour the internet, you might even find a version performed by Ruckus (My Morning Jacket). Did you know Ruckus once opened for Lynyrd Skynyrd? Ha. Enjoy!
Kody’s Pick: “Half Past Three” by Ruston Kelly
If you’ve been around here for a semester or more, you know I LOVE Ruston Kelly. He’s #1 on my Mount Rushmore. I’ll listen to anything he writes. By the way, he recently released Vol. 2 of his Dirt Emo songs—and it’s fantastic.
At first, I didn’t care much for this song, but it’s growing on me. I love how Ruston captures the reality of our broken world:
Cause your dog gets sick
And your parents get old
And everything that used to stick
Well, I just can't seem to hold on to 'em
I also love that Ruston seems to be flirting with Christianity (see some of his recent posts on social). If he goes all in, he’ll find a person who will someday make all sad things untrue.
Bonus Track: The Hard Way by Brett Rudder
My default is doing things the hard way
The hard way never looks that way at first
Sometimes when you’re writing a song, it’s the simple combination of an oft-used phrase—like “You’re doing that the hard way, man!”—and a somber melody that sparks a few rare hours of creativity. That’s how my dear friend John Hope and I found ourselves in the loft of his garage a few summers ago, determined to write a song together from start to finish. What resulted was something that felt honest, raw, and complete.
Sometimes you should pay no mind to what I say
My misadventures go from bad to worse
Husbands and wives, fathers and mothers, sons and daughters—we all know what it’s like to get it wrong. Life is hard (Genesis 3:17), and we are sinners (Psalm 51:5). Our mistakes, immaturity, rash behavior, and sinfulness inevitably ripple outward, affecting the lives of those we love. As we grow older, the weight of these failures often feels heavier, their consequences more profound.
You don't want to know these thoughts in my mind
It doesn't really matter how I feel
Now it seems like this could be the last time
I don't think that this will ever heal
Despair—what a word. Could it really ruin everything? Can I really ruin everything? Left to ourselves, the answer might be yes. Alone, we stumble; alone, we fail. These aren’t the decisions we want to make, nor the effects we hope to have—but there they are, glaring back at us (Romans 7:15–20).
I don't always know what I want
At times I won't admit what I need
I don't always know what I need
That's when I am sure of what I want
I don't always know what I need
I know I need you now
My default is doing things the hard way
Then sometimes you ask me how I feel
Darlin', I should listen now to what you say
Maybe someday you and I can heal
I haven’t asked John—or Aaron, Colleen, or Jake, the rest of The Gregorys—about their personal connection to this song. But as I play and listen to it, I can’t help but feel that while the lyrics (primarily from John) are grounded in a husband-and-wife relationship, they also point to a deeper truth. The more I reflect on this song, the more I recognize our ultimate need for Christ. This doesn’t apply across the board from the singer’s perspective, of course, but it does in the sense that there is only one true and perfect healer.
The song builds with a growing sense of desperation, distilling its message into a single line: “I know I need you now.” For the singer and his “darlin’,” this moment is a reminder that despite a lifetime of undone “hard ways,” there is one inescapable, fundamental need. This brings hope for healing in their relationship while also pointing to the universal truth we all share: the only remedy for the hard way is found in Christ (Acts 4:12).
You can listen to The Hard Way by The Gregorys on Apple Music, Spotify, Amazon, and Bandcamp.
Brett Rudder played his first "real gig" with a band called Hot Jam Factory, opening for The Pink Spiders at the Chameleon Club in Lancaster, PA. His first CDs were Van Halen's self-titled record and Audio Adrenaline's "Underdog". The record he's played the most is "Everybody Else Is Doing It So Why Can't We" by the Cranberries. The last concert he attended was in April, 2025 - Gillian Welch in Asheville, NC.
Thank you for reading this week. We’re getting close to our traditional summer break, so enjoy us for one or two more weeks before we bounce out for a while. Grateful you’ve let us show up in your inbox each week.