Cory Branan returns today with “Steppin’ Outside”, a striking new single featuring Tyler Childers. The song takes an unusual perspective — a ghost attending his own funeral — and turns it into something equal parts poignant, funny, and deeply human. With Branan’s lyrical bite and Childers’ soulful harmonies, “Steppin’ Outside” transforms death into a reminder of love that endures beyond the grave.

Click here to listen now.

Darkly comic images fill the verses — “Mouth full of staples / My heart all drained / Doctor done parted out my working remains / Local poet at the podium rhyming ‘womb’ & ‘tomb’” — before Branan and Childers drive home the heart of the song in its refrain:

“Steppin’ outside for a tear or two / I’m staying forever, I’m here for you / Steppin’ outside for a little air / Just steppin’ outside, ain’t gone nowhere.”

“I had this idea of a ghost at his own funeral who’s so embarrassed by the spectacle that he’s gotta duck out,” Branan explains. “But before he goes, he reassures his loved ones he’s not really leaving. That’s the heart of it. And it was real nice having the ever-rad Tyler Childers come in and sing it with me.”

Darkly vivid yet tender, “Steppin’ Outside” paints a picture of mortality with wit and warmth — undertakers, bagpipes, and casserole-bearing neighbors included — while never losing sight of the bigger message: love lingers.

To celebrate the release, Branan will join Tyler Childers for two massive shows in Nashville at GEODIS Park on October 10 and 11th.