Released: 2022
Zach Bryan’s ‘Highway Boys’ is a soulful country ballad that paints a vivid picture of the life of a traveling musician. The song speaks to the struggle of staying true to oneself and one’s roots while navigating the highs and lows of fame and success.
The song starts with the ‘Highway boys on the road tonight, Got a gig out at the Ryman.’ Here, Bryan is referring to the life of a touring musician, with the ‘Ryman’ being a nod to the historic Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, a mecca for country music artists.
The line ‘Finally learned the hard way, That all good things take time, my friend’ is a reflection on the artist’s journey to success. It wasn’t an overnight ride, but a slow and steady climb, filled with lessons learned the hard way.
When Bryan sings ‘They make a southern boy cry, Turn a northeast man confused,’ he’s likely talking about the emotional impact of his songs. His music can bring a tough southern boy to tears and leave a man from the northeast, who might not be familiar with country music, puzzled.
The verse ‘And I awoke with a fever, Sweatin’ oceans again, There’s mirrors in hotel rooms, But I do not recognize them’ speaks to the disorientation and loneliness that can come with constant touring. The unfamiliarity of hotel rooms and the physical toll of the road are all part of the journey.
In the chorus, ‘I wanna ride that K-10 to way back when, Sleep next to the river, hear it rushin’ again,’ Bryan expresses a longing for simpler times. The K-10 is a highway in Kansas, possibly a reference to his roots or a place of comfort and familiarity.
The line ‘Highways work both ways, And I can’t stand the liars in town’ suggests a tension between the allure of the open road and the dishonesty he encounters in the music industry or his hometown.
When Bryan sings ‘Highway boys don’t rest, And don’t hang hats till they’re home,’ he’s saying that the life of a touring musician is relentless. They’re always on the move, never truly settling down until they’re back home.
The final lines ‘So if you need me, call, If you’re in love, fall, Just know that highways boys, Don’t stick around at all’ are a candid admission of the transient nature of a musician’s life. Despite the deep connections they might form, they’re always on the move, always leaving.
