Billy Strings Becomes a Western Hero in the Epic Video for His New Single ‘Seven Weeks in County’

Billy Strings’ new album Highway Prayers is a week away. Today, he shared “Seven Weeks in County,” the third sample from the forthcoming 20-track project. Along with the new single, Strings shared and starred in an epic video for the track. Watch it below.

Billy Strings is no stranger to theatrical videos. For instance, he showed a passion for visual storytelling with previous videos for “In the Morning Light” and “Watch It Fall.” However, he has cranked the theatricality of the videos for singles from Highway Prayers up to 11. With the clip for “Lead Foot,” he employed special effects and over-the-top facial prosthetics. Then, “Stratosphere Blues/I Believe in You” distilled an intense psychedelic trip into a music video. Now, for “Seven Weeks in County,” Strings put together a Western epic complete with horses, a hanging, a couple of gunfights, and a daring rescue. Watch the short film below.

[RELATED: Billy Strings’ “Leadfoot” Music Video: Turning Eyes and Opening Ears]

Billy Strings Tap Old Tropes for a Fresh Introspective Track

While there’s no doubt that Billy Strings seeks to evolve with each new album, there’s no denying his links to—and respect for—the roots of bluegrass. More than one of the genre’s most universally lauded modern artists, he’s a student of the genre and its predecessors. He’s just as comfortable picking old-time tunes passed down from antiquity by the likes of Doc Watson as he is doing a 20-minute jam band version of one of his original tunes.

This blend of historical concepts and modern sensibilities comes fully to light in “Seven Weeks in County.” Old-time music and classic bluegrass are full of references to gambling, rambling, and spending time behind stone walls and steel bars. This track ticks all of those boxes as well. However, a thread of introspection ties those well-worn tropes together.

In the song’s third verse, Strings sings, Each day I see his evil eyes / The man who put me here / I see him when I shave my face / So guilty in the mirror / Looking back disgusted / With a hollow hateful stare / For seven weeks in county / And forever everywhere.

While Strings likely hasn’t spent nearly two months in a county jail, he—like every other human walking the earth—has faced hardships of his own making. This song highlights the importance of owning the mistakes that lead to hard roads and learning from them.

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