Released: 2019
Zach Bryan’s ‘Flying or Crying’ is a heartfelt song that dives deep into the complexities of youth, camaraderie, and the harsh realities of life. It’s a song about the pursuit of happiness amidst adversity, the value of shared experiences, and the inevitability of pain and heartbreak.
The song starts with a vivid picture of friends gathering on a porch, screaming ‘Childers’, a reference to Tyler Childers, a fellow country artist. They’re drinking, reminiscing about their younger days before life got tough. The ‘shit that kills us’ is likely a reference to alcohol, a common theme in country music. It’s a symbol of both camaraderie and escapism.
The chorus brings in the title of the song, ‘Flying or Crying’. It’s a poignant way to describe the emotional extremes of their nights together – either soaring with joy or drowning in tears. The phrase ‘living towards dying’ is a sobering reminder of life’s fleeting nature.
In the following verses, Bryan imparts some wisdom. He warns the ‘boy’ not to be naive, as the world can be harsh and unforgiving. To the ‘girl’, he advises not to stop dancing until it feels right, a metaphor for persisting in the face of adversity until one finds joy or satisfaction.
The song continues with a story of a girl trying to get a ‘plainsman’ drunk and alone. The term ‘plainsman’ refers to a man from the plains, symbolizing a simple, hardworking individual. The boy with ‘calloused hands’ and a ‘mind set on leaving’ is a classic country image of a restless soul, aching for freedom.
The song ends on a bittersweet note, acknowledging the harsh realities of life (‘this world will break and burn you’) but also the comfort of shared experiences (‘if I’m going down, least I’m not going down alone’). The final chorus reiterates the song’s central theme – the duality of joy and pain, and the resilience of the human spirit.
