Tyler Childers singing about love between two gay coal miners did not appear on anyone’s 2023 bingo card. But here we are. With his song “In Your Love,” the Kentucky-born singer-songwriter relates a love story between two people. He masks who they are behind a touching, timeless story about love, companionship, and undying loyalty. 

It’s only in the accompanying visual that the audience gets a clear picture of who these two lovebirds are. “It’s a long hard war / Ah, but I can grin and bear it,” he vows over stunning piano, “‘cause I know what the hell I’m fightin’ for, and I will wait for you.”

The video (written by Silas House and directed by Bryan Schlam) depicts two coal miners Jasper and Matthew (played by Colton Haynes and James Scully) working together underground and eventually falling in love. But they must hide who they are from their fellow workers in fear for their lives. It’s as timely as you might expect. In a year of growing violence against the LGBTQ+ community, the message is a human one. We’re all the same when you come down to it, and we all deserve to love and be loved. As the story progresses, Childers and company tug harder and harder on the heartstrings until they snap.

“[One] reason that I wanted to do this music video was my cousin growing up, who’s like my big brother, is gay,” Childers told acclaimed journalist Ann Powers in a deep-dive interview. “And he graduated from Northern Kentucky, went to Chicag, and never came back. He taught me so much about singing; he was my first tough critic. And just thinking about him not having a music video on CMT that spoke to him.”

Grab your tissues and watch the moving “In Your Love” video below.

For this particular portrayal, detailing the love between older men, House had this to say: “Tyler and I talked a lot about the older men in our lives. The farmers and working people. Maybe that’s about how much Tyler and I both love Wendell Berry. [In the video] they go from working for somebody else — from the mines — to working for themselves with the land. We talked a lot about that sort of thing. Beyond the love story, we wanted that Appalachian representation too. We looked to our family pictures from this period, and used those pictures in helping shop for costumes, and for set design.”

“In Your Love” leads off Childers’ forthcoming record, Rustin’ in the Rain, out everywhere September 8.