Hannah Anders
Sage and Shine
Embargoed until October 31, 2025
ARTIST QUOTE:
"I grew up in the shadows of the Appalachian Mountains. I spent summers running their trails, I went to high school very nearby, and all my life I heard the legends that haunt them. “If you hear a voice calling you, no you didn’t. If it sounds close, it’s far away. If it sounds far, it’s close by.” Whispers of spirits, ghosts, and warnings all woven into the hills and the history.
To me, Appalachia was always just beautiful, but after a recent trip back as an adult, I felt pulled to finally write my own ghost story about these mystical mountains, and bring to life the folklore I had heard so much about as a child. That’s how “Sage and Shine” was born.
Together with Ryan Nelson and Kerrian Barry, the song took shape almost like it had a will of its own—equal parts beautiful and unsettling. At the center, a woman who still roams the holler she once called home, her grief echoing through the hills, beckoning to anyone who will listen. We really wanted to tell a story, her story, unbothered by "radio length" requirements and pop formats. We wanted to bring you into her world. I think we've done that here. It's a departure from anything I've written so far, and I can't wait for everyone to hear it.
If it's your name she's callin', best act like it isn't. Cause folks around these parts, got a way of going missin'..."
LYRICS:
VERSE
In this dark little holler
With dark little secrets
You can’t outrun the voice
That finds you in the night
If it’s your name she’s calling
Best act like it isn’t
Cause folks around these parts
Got a way of going missing
She was all of 22
The day he broke her heart
Those golden rings turned into rust
Tore their vows apart
She prayed for his redemption
Absolution from his sins
She was a woman of her word
She was with him till the end
CHORUS
Sage for forgiveness
Shine to forget
She died there as a widow
Shackled to the ghost of what she did
VERSE
He worked down at the mill house
From sunrise to sundown
Come quitting time he’d make his way
To Stacey Johnson’s house
Word has a way of travelin’
To every corner of this town
Wasn’t long before the whispers
Made their way around
With a broken heart
And his 45
She laid them in the dirt
Told everyone he must of run off to be with her
Without a body there’s no crime
She didn’t need no alibi
The house they built together
Was the court where she was tried
CHORUS
Sage for forgiveness
Shine to forget
She died there as a widow
Shackled to the ghost of what she did
VERSE
She was all of 82
When she took her final breath
Her bones are 6 feet in the ground
But she was never laid to rest
Now the truth is in this valley
Not even time will tell
Cause in this dark little holler
We keep our secrets well
CHORUS:
Sage for forgiveness
Shine to forget
She died there as a widow
Shackled to the ghost of what she did
OUTRO:
In this dark little holler
With its dark little secrets
You can’t outrun the voice, that finds you in the night
ABOUT THE SONG:
Hannah Anders returns to her Appalachian roots with her new single “Sage and Shine,” a track steeped in Southern Gothic mystique and the folklore of the holler. With its dark imagery and spectral undertones, the song captures a haunting energy that feels both timeless and deeply personal, something only a native voice could truly convey.
From the first notes, Anders brings listeners in a world where myth and memory blur. She recalls, “All my life I heard the legends that haunt them. If you hear a voice calling you, no you didn’t. If it sounds close, it’s far away. If it sounds far, it’s close by. Whispers of spirits, ghosts, and warnings all woven into the hills and the history.” Those echoes find their way into her songwriting, shaping a narrative that feels more like an oral legend than a simple country ballad.
Musically, the song begins with a dark hued guitar line that swells into a boot-stomping rhythm, Anders’ voice commanding yet vulnerable at its center. Lyrically, she paints the story of a young bride whose vows unravel into betrayal, heartbreak, and ultimately, vengeance. The chorus feels like a reckoning: “Sage for forgiveness, shine to forget. She died there as a widow, shackled to the ghost of what she did.”
As the verses unfold, the story traces a woman’s life from devotion to lifelong torment, ending with her spirit bound to the valley even in death. Anders threads this tale through the Appalachian tradition of secrets kept and sins buried, where time cannot erase what the land remembers.
“Sage and Shine” stands out in today’s country landscape, not just for its storytelling, but for its atmosphere. It’s gothic yet grounded, and destined to leave a lasting mark. With this release, Anders doesn’t just share a song, she carries forward a piece of Appalachian folklore.
Co-written with Ryan Nelson (Platinum) Songwriter (Riley Green) and Kerrigan Barry
Produced and Mixed by: DrFord
Written by: Hannah Anders, Ryan Nelson, Kerrigan Barry, James Cody
Distribution: Heart Songs Music Group
Cover Art: Atomic Blonde Collective
Photos: Kerrigan Barry
Public Relations: Publicity Nation PR
