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John Umbaugh

Casey Flores

English 1201

2 October 2020

Uncovering the Highs and Lows: A Visual Analysis of Morgan Wallen’s “Cover Me Up”

Morgan Wallen’s song, “Cover Me Up,” is a musical portrayal of how love can conquer

struggle. In the two music videos that Morgan Wallen has created for the song, this message is

conveyed through the settings and theme of each video. Although the videos visually depict a

different theme at first glance, further analysis into each video reveals the same message of the

song told through different perspectives. In both the official music video and the acoustic

performance of Morgan Wallen's song "Cover Me Up," the song's message of battling with

depression and homesickness while still trying to find hope in love is depicted through each

video’s protagonists and their journey to overcoming the struggles that they face while

discovering the power of love.

The two music videos are quite different visually; one video shows the story of a man

coming home from war, and the other shows Morgan Wallen himself playing acoustically in a

small setup room. In the official music video for the song, the man coming home from war

struggles with PTSD and depression while trying to transition back into civilian life. The music

video follows him as he attempts to assimilate back into his life before he left with his loved

ones, but he constantly finds himself being reminded of his time in the military. As the main

character for this video, the audience sees this man consistently battle with his inner demons

while his girlfriend tries to help him, even after he gets to the point of attempted suicide. At the
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end of the video, the man finally starts to come to peace with himself and his past, and the

audience sees him discover that the love that he has is truly enough to help him. In the acoustic

music video for the song, Morgan Wallen himself is the main character of the video. Playing

guitar in a bare room with just himself and one other man, the audience sees Wallen’s emotion

and can feel the lyrics of the song in the way that he wanted them to be conveyed. The acoustic

version of the song is slowed down slightly, with more emphasis on the vocals rather than the

instruments in the background. Even though the two videos differ drastically stylistically, and

Morgan Wallen is only present in one, both videos demonstrate the original message of the song

and the emotion behind the lyrics.

The song itself is a story of struggling to find peace in chaos. This claim is present in

both videos, even though the stories portrayed are different. In both the official music video and

the acoustic video, the claim that love can conquer pain is illustrated through the lyrics and the

visual emotion of each character. In the official music video, the man is shown having severe

PTSD even while doing everyday tasks. His girlfriend sees this, and constantly tries to comfort

him, but he is drawn back into his depression by his past. This can be seen when they play hide-

and-go seek and he begins to freak out not knowing where his loved one is. His heart starts

beating fast and he is going back into his military mindset of thinking of the worst, but she pops

up and surprises him, and he finally calms himself, knowing that he never wants to have the

feeling again of losing someone close. In another moment in the video, the man accidentally rips

his loved one’s dress in a moment of rage, but quickly comes to regret it. Even despite this, his

girlfriend comes back to him and comforts him, knowing that the horrors plaguing his mind are

battling with his true self inside of his head. This claim is also most distinctively present when he

then gets the call that his brother was killed in battle, which overcomes him with deep sadness
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and drives him to attempt suicide. Even after this, the video shows his loved one coming home

and saving him, and at the end of the music video he is shown waking up calmly the next day

with her. This specific example shown in the video demonstrates the song’s message that even

when life is most difficult for someone, there will always be someone that will be there with love

and care that can help to overcome those difficulties. In the acoustic music video, this message is

also present. Morgan Wallen’s simplified setting and raw vocals evokes the same emotions in the

audience that he also felt when writing the song. The isolated vocals of Wallen helps to convey

the song’s message without distraction of the instruments and allows the audience to fully focus

on the lyrics and meaning of the song. For example, Wallen states that, “Home was a dream, one

that I’d never seen ‘til you came along.” When singing this lyric, Wallen is seen to become more

somber and resonating closely with this song. During his other lyric, “And carries this on house

on the stones like a piece of driftwood,” Wallen visually belts out the words, before slowly

returning to a calm tone, mirroring the ebbs and flows of his emotions while struggling with

trying to seek peace in love. With the song also being performed in an enclosed room, Wallen

directly references his lyric, “Girl, leave your boots by the bed, we ain’t leaving this room,” and

provides context to the song that places the audience in the direct story from which Wallen is

singing about.

Although the message stands the same in both videos, the differing stories created by

Wallen allow him to reach different audiences. In the official music video, Wallen seeks

specifically to reach out to those who suffer from PTSD from the military as well as those who

may not know of the hardships. Many military veterans can relate to this video due to having the

same issues as PTSD and depression when returning home. What is being told in the story of this

video is that of military life changing a person, to the point where it affects them physically and
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emotionally. Wallen, however, uses the message of the song to provide some hope to those who

suffer from this and directly depicts those struggles to demonstrate his message that love can

provide peace. The official music video also reaches those who are in the position of the loved

one or even those who do not know of the hardships that many military veterans face. Through

the story presented, Wallen paints a picture of not only how this person’s past can affect them,

but also of how one’s love can provide an even greater effect. In the acoustic music video,

Wallen seeks to reach those who are or have been in the same position as him. Not being in the

military but still struggling with his own recklessness and rough past, Wallen’s personal

performance of the song reaches out to an audience of a greater scale. From those who are

seeking to become better to those who are on the receiving end of trying to be with someone who

is struggling, the acoustic music video attempts to provide solace to people who are striving to

find a light at the end of the tunnel. Though the audiences for each video differ slightly, the

message still holds strong through both of a discovery that someone’s love may be enough to

carry someone through hardship.

“Cover Me Up” is more than just a song with catchy lyrics. It has a deeper meaning of

hardship and overcoming difficulty with love. In both the official music video and the acoustic

video of the song, this theme becomes apparent through the story and lyrics visualized. Although

the main characters and attempted audience to reach in each song is different, Wallen’s videos

for “Cover Me Up” encompass his and the song’s purpose of providing a glimpse of hope

through someone’s love while struggling with depression.

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Works Cited

MorganWallenVEVO. “Morgan Wallen - Cover Me Up (Short Film).” YouTube, 22 Nov. 2019,

www.youtube.com/watch?v=KEnFCa-5p9E. Accessed 2 Oct. 2020.

Taste of Country. “Morgan Wallen Covers Jason Isbell’s ‘Cover Me Up’ and...

WOW!” YouTube, 27 Nov. 2018, www.youtube.com/watch?v=TsfDpW7PYN8.

Accessed 2 Oct. 2020.