“I hope you’re haunted by the music of my soul
When I’m gone, please don’t fly away
And find you a new love
I can’t face living this life alone
I can’t bear to think that this might be the end.”
– Gregg Allman sings on My Only True Friend
Today we hear Gregg Allman reflect on death and a life on the road in the song My Only True Friend a track off the late Allman Brothers Band singer‘s LP Southern Blood. It is the only original song on the album and was co-written by Allman with the guitarist and bandleader Scott Sharrard, forming the album’s lead single. Although the track might initially appear to reflect Gregg Allman’s acknowledgment of his own mortality particularly given his health struggles during its recording – My Only True Friend was actually written from the perspective of Gregg’s late brother, Duane Allman. Co-writer Scott Sharrard revealed to Rolling Stone, “I never told him because I didn’t want to spook him, since his brother was such an important figure in his life,” explaining that the song was crafted in Duane’s voice, speaking to Gregg.
Southern Blood producer Don Was described the posthumous album by saying, “It’s not an album about dying. Gregg was explaining his life and making sense of it, both for the fans who stood with him for decades and for himself.” The album features 10 songs, 9 of which are covers of greats such as Jerry Garcia & Robert Hunter, Lowell George, Bob Dylan, Willie Dixon, Jackson Browne, Tim Buckley, Scott Sharrard, Spooner Oldham & Dan Penn, among others.
Gregg Allman passed away on May 27, 2017 at the age of 69. The singer, keyboardist and composer led the Allman Brothers, one of the pioneering bands of southern rock, for 45 years. His life was marked by excesses, addiction to alcohol and drugs, as well as his multiple marriages. He was married and divorced six times. His third wife was the singer Cher, a marriage that lasted only nine days. Gregg Allman recorded twelve studio albums with the Allman Brothers and eight solo albums, his last being the phenomenal “Low Country Blues” in 2011.
The video below pairs the song’s lyrics with scenic images of Allman’s beloved Georgia and footage of the rocker in the studio with his band.
[Verse 1]
You and I both know
This river will surely flow to an end
Keep me in your heart
Keep your soul on the mend
[Chorus]
I hope you’re haunted
By the music of my soul
When I’m gone
Please don’t fly away
And find you a new love
I can’t face living this life alone
I can’t bear to think
This might be the end
But you and I both know
The road is my only true friend
[Verse 2]
Another night alone
But I see you in my dreams sometimes
No matter where I go, Lord knows
You were always on my mind
References:
1. Hear Gregg Allman Reflect on ‘An End’ on New Song ‘My Only True Friend’ – Rolling Stone
2. My Only True Friend», primer adelanto del disco póstumo de Gregg Allman «Southern Blood» – Dirty Rock
“The more I live, the more I learn. The more I learn, the more I realize, the less I know.”- Michel Legrand
Observation Blogger 
You picked an absolute gem with this song, IMHO. That final solo album by Gregg Allman is incredible. I know this may sound a bit weird, when I got “Southern Blood” on “heavy vinyl” at the time it came out, it brought Allman really close to me. It’s always sad when a talented music artist passes away, and he certainly didn’t live a healthy life style, but for some reason, his death really got to me – not quite sure why.
I only had gotten into the Allman Brothers a few years earlier. Luckily, I got to see them once in New Jersey – on their very final tour in New Jersey in the summer of 2024, three months prior to their final curtain at New York’s Beacon Theatre.
I was wondering who put me onto this. I looked up this song on both your and Max’s blog and I couldn’t find it. But since you have just spoken of it in such glowing terms – I’m guessing it was you. So the Allman Brothers still toured despite the passing of the actual brothers Duane and Gregg?
My 9 year-old daughter made special mention of this song yesterday, telling me how much she liked it, which I found curious.
Gregg was still alive when they were touring, so I got to see him as well, which was amazing. However, since he passed I believe there have been tribute shows to the Allmans, featuring one of Gregg’s sons, Devon Allman, as well as Duane Betts, son of Dickey Betts.
Oh, so you mean’t the summer of 2014, not 2024. That’s cool their familys have passed on the torch to ensure their legacy.
Yep, 2014, thanks, my typing is really terrible. Combine that with my mobile that’s evidently too smart for me, and you have a recipe for disaster! 🙂
Great song. I always liked the Allman Brothers. Sometimes you post something that brings up a memory. I was attending a music industry cookout/barbecue in Georgia and was surprised to see Cher walking around. Allman Brothers were the outdoor entertainment that afternoon. Fun stuff. 🙂
I hardly know anything about them apart from what other bloggers have written. I believe this song was recommended to me from Christian here.
That music industry bbq must have been a real hoot. And to see Cher! Thanks so much for sharing this.
Gregg was my all time favorite musician. Still hard to believe he’s gone.
I’m afraid, I’m ignorant of a great deal of his music. Thanks for chiming in about the magnitude of his passing from your perspective.
He had a one of a kind voice… I love this and about everything the man has done. He had soul to spare.
I know how much you are fond of the Allman Brothers given your extensive book reading and post writing about their music. This Christian recommendation certainly impressed me.