'Slicked Back' by Zach Bryan – Lyrics & Meaning

A lot has happened in Zach Bryan's life in the year leading up to his sixth studio album, With Heaven On Top, which dropped on Friday (Jan. 9).

In the midst of major sold-out stadium shows around the globe, in between his highly publicized breakup with Brianna LaPaglia and all the drama that followed, the artist managed to find new love. All of these events – all the growth and change and heartache and love – seem to inhabit Bryan's fresh batch of music. Making the biggest appearance throughout the 25-track album is his new wife, Samantha Leonard.

Like many others in the collection, the song, 'Slicked Back', seems to be an ode to his bride and all the good that she has brought into his life since their meeting.

From the jump, 'Slicked Back' has a heartland rock feel, easily comparable to the works of Tom Petty and Bryan's personal hero, Bruce Springsteen. It's a rollicking number, warmed through by an emphatic rhythm and clear strings.

It's steady, but skillful, bursting with a driving beat and talkative riffs, the perfect foil for an uninhibited song like this one to play out.

"Fell in love with the shotgun in my hands
If you were saying, must've be contrarian
But I've been working on myself all fall
Six beers a week ain't bad, a little boring is all, huh"

'Slicked Back' finds Bryan in love. The song picks up with the artist in the thick of infatuation, recalling the moment this new romance first struck him.

He had been working on himself for months, attempting to get a handle on his struggles with alcohol, when a women – likely Leonard – came into his life.

Now, he sings her praises:

"You're so cool in my living room
And when you talk trash with your hair slicked back
When I get to Hell or Heaven, can I bring my girl?
'Cause she likes romance, good sex, music, and ruling the world"

While Bryan has been married and in committed relationships before, he sings of this love as if it is an all-new experience. This woman is cool and charismatic, a free-spirited, fun-loving soul. There is hope and excitement in his words.

This person is different from others he has known in his past. In the song, he sings, "Used to know some folks who put it all online," which could be construed as a dig at his ex, LaPaglia, who is a social media influencer. But he doesn't dwell on that long, continuing in his adulation:

"'Cause you're so cool in my living room
And when you talk trash with your hair slicked back
When I get to Hell or Heaven, can I bring my girl?
'Cause she likes romance, good sex, music, and ruling the world"

Fell in love with the shotgun in my hands
If you were saying, must've be contrarian
But I've been working on myself all fall
Six beers a week ain't bad, a little boring is all, huh

You're so cool in my living room
And when you talk trash with your hair slicked back
When I get to Hell or Heaven, can I bring my girl?
'Cause she likes romance, good sex, music, and ruling the world

I'm gonna start a riot from the edge of my bed
'Cause I still see you in that pool hall in New York in my head
Used to know some folks who put it all on line
But you paint landscapes in the evening time

'Cause you're so cool in my living room
And when you talk trash with your hair slicked back
When I get to Hell or Heaven, can I bring my girl?
'Cause she likes romance, good sex, music, and ruling the world

'Cause I'm a seventh-generation country boy
My father used Redman tobacco bags as baby toys
I'm gonna start a riot from the edge of my bed
'Cause I still want you in that pool hall in New York in my head

You're so cool in my living room
And when you talk trash with your hair slicked back
When I get to Hell or Heaven, can I bring my girl?
'Cause she likes romance, good sex, music, and ruling the world

You're so cool in my living room
And when you talk trash with your hair slicked back
When I get to Hell or Heaven, can I bring my girl?
'Cause she likes romance, good sex, music, and ruling the world

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For more on Zach Bryan, see below:

Zach Bryan

Artist