Charlie Worsham and Brent Cobb Reflect On Writing Kenny Chesney’s ‘This Too Shall Pass’
Both Worsham and Cobb hope Chesney will release the song as a radio single someday.
Charlie Worsham, Brent Cobb, Kenny Chesney; Photos Provided
In March, Kenny Chesney unveiled his highly anticipated new album, BORN, his first project in four years. The 15-track collection is a quintessential Kenny Chesney album filled with feel-good anthems about life, love, and everything in between.
One track that feels especially true to Chesney is the song “This Too Shall Pass.” Co-written by Brent Cobb, Charlie Worsham, and Jaren Johnston, “This Too Shall Pass” takes a lighthearted approach to resilience and encourages listeners to find joy in tough times. It was written as a play on the saying “This Too Shall Pass” as the lyrics suggest, “I believe this too shall pass me a beer.”
Country Now recently sat down with two of the co-writers, Charlie Worsham and Brent Cobb, who shared insight into writing the song.
Worsham explained that the stars had to align for them to all get in the room together and finally, one day in 2020, they wound up writing together.
“It’s the hardest thing to get Jaren and Brent and I together because we all have crazy schedules,” he admitted. “Most songwriting sessions in Nashville start at 11 in the morning, but we met at like 8:30 in the morning because by 11 I think Brent had to be somewhere.”
Cobb recalled, “We got together at Jaren’s house that day, and I had had the melody and the chord structure just kind of rolling around for a while. But I whistled that melody and Jaron was like, ‘I got this title. It might be stupid, but it’s called ‘This Too Shall Pass Me a Beer.’’ And we kind of just took off. I mean it didn’t take very long at all. We probably wrote that in about 30 minutes.”
Worsham remembered Jaren pitching the title with a “big grin on his face.”
“You could tell something good was about to come,” he said.
With Johnston’s title and Cobb’s melody, Worsham says he dove right in: “I just started doing what I do, which was starting to connect the dots and come up with lyrics. And that whole first verse, of course just kind of spilled out. And we were off and running.”
Cobb expressed their intention to deliver a message encouraging people to worry less.
“Everybody wants to freak out about so many things. Not that there ain’t things to freak out about, but it’s also not the first we last time that whatever there is to freak out about, is going to be around to freak out about,” he pointed out. “And so it does no good to worry about things.”
Having Kenny Chesney cut a song you wrote is a songwriter’s dream. Worsham says he had the chance to introduce himself to Chesney and thank him for recording the song while playing in the house band at the Country Music Hall of Fame Medallion Ceremony in 2022.
“I got to go up to and be like, ‘Hey man, I heard you cut ‘This Too Shall Pass.’ I just want to introduce myself. I’m a co-writer on it. Thank you so much.’ And he’s like, ‘Oh man, I need to go back and sing that one again,’” Worsham recalled.
The reigning CMA Musician of the Year admitted it was a “surreal moment” for him.
“Everybody that moves to Nashville with a dream, that’s what you hope for, is that moment where somebody you really love and admire cuts your song,” he shared. “It can change your life.”
Both Worsham and Cobb are so thankful to have the Chesney cut and both shared their hopes that it will someday be a single on the radio.
“Come on, Kenny. Make it a single. Pay off those kids’ college educations for us,” Worsham joked, while Cobb added, “I wish that Kenny would put that one on the radio. Kenny, if you’re listening, come on man!”
Lauren Jo Black is a longtime country music journalist, editor, host, and media personality whose work has helped shape the conversation around country music for nearly two decades. As the current Editor-in-Chief of Country Now, she has become one of the genre’s most respected voices, interviewing hundreds of country music’s biggest stars, including Dolly Parton, Garth Brooks, Reba McEntire, Shania Twain, Randy Travis, Luke Bryan, Carrie Underwood, Blake Shelton, Luke Combs, and countless others. Over the course of her career, Black’s written work and interviews have reached billions of country music fans worldwide. A 2009 graduate of the University of Central Florida, Black began her career by founding Country Music Is Love, one of country music’s earliest independent digital publications, which she later sold to a major record label in 2015 before it was rebranded as Sounds Like Nashville. She then served as the publication’s Editor-in-Chief for more than two years. Her work has also appeared in Forbes, and she previously served as the Country Music Expert for Answers.com. Widely recognized for her expertise, Black has appeared as a featured guest on The Bobby Bones Show, BobbyCast, and Scripps News Morning Rush, providing insight on country music’s biggest moments. She has also hosted Country Now Live, a concert series featuring performances from artists including Lady A, Dierks Bentley, Riley Green, Jordan Davis, Dustin Lynch, Gabby Barrett, Brett Young, Jon Pardi, Kip Moore, Chris Young, and more. The series has welcomed thousands of fans in person while reaching millions more online. In addition, she hosted Connect With Country Now, a weekly interview series featuring conversations with rising country stars. Throughout her career, Black has earned a reputation for discovering and championing artists long before they become household names. She has covered Luke Bryan since the early days of his career, beginning when he was writing songs for other artists, including Billy Currington’s No. 1 hit “Good Directions,” before stepping into the spotlight with his debut single, “All My Friends Say” and eventually becoming one of biggest names in music. She also gave Megan Moroney her first opportunity to walk a major red carpet as Country Now’s official guest correspondent at the 2022 CMA Awards. An interview she conducted in 2018 for Forbes.com with Luke Combs that inspired his multi-week No. 1 hit, “Doin’ This.” She has also hosted stages at CMA Fest, moderated an industry panel at Country Radio Seminar, and helped lead important conversations about the evolving landscape of country music media. Beyond journalism, Black has also used her platform to support charitable causes and highlight organizations making an impact. Through Country Now Live, she has helped raise awareness and support for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, while also advocating for animal rescue through Country Now’s Pupdate series, spotlighting organizations including MuttNation Foundation, Wags & Walks, and Proverbs 12:10 Animal Rescue. Black has been recognized as one of Country Aircheck’s Women of Influence and received the 2012 Rising Star Award from the University of Central Florida. She is a longtime member of both the Country Music Association (CMA) and the Academy of Country Music (ACM). After nearly 20 years covering country music, Lauren Jo Black has spent her career telling the stories behind the artists, songs, and moments that have shaped the genre. Her first-ever book, Country Music Forever: An A-to-Z Celebration of Icons, Songs and Stories, brings that same passion and firsthand knowledge to the page, celebrating not only the legendary artists and timeless songs that have become the soundtrack to generations of fans, but also the places, traditions, and cultural moments that have made country music one of the most beloved genres around the world.
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