‘All The Way’ by BigXthaPlug & Bailey Zimmerman - Lyrics & Meaning

After weeks of hearing the same 45-second clip replayed and re-replayed all over TikTok, we finally have the full version of BigXthaPlug and Bailey Zimmerman's long-teased duet, ‘All The Way’, with the genre-blending track dropping on April 4th, 2025.

It finds the two artists reflecting on a painful split, with the protagonist pleading with their ex to ensure it's a clean break, as they won't be able to handle the pain of an on-off romance with them, hinting that deep down they're still in love with their old flame.

Aptly, ‘All The Way’ was first teased by BigXthaPlug on Valentine's Day, with Bailey Zimmerman revealing he had no idea the rapper was going to share the clip with the world that day.

After it proceeded to go highly viral, the duo were left with no choice but to rush the song out as quickly as possible. ‘All The Way’ is expected to be the lead single from BigXthaPlug's highly anticipated debut country-leaning EP, which is set to feature Post Malone, Luke Combs, Shaboozey, Morgan Wallen, Jelly Roll and more. Although, judging by Wallen's recent comments during a conversation with Theo Von on This Past Weekend, it seems their duet might have been scrapped.

The full version sticks closely to the original snippet that we heard in February, with a couple of slight tweaks in the instrumental - such as the introduction of the rattling hi-hats on the second chorus - and the minor lyric change in the hook from “Walk away like I don't want you to wait” to “Walk away like I'm someone you hate”.

Despite Bailey Zimmerman hailing from the country music world and BigXthaPlug being firmly situated in the rap sphere, ‘All The Way’ feels like a seamless blend of their respective styles. Zimmerman's brooding, stormy vibrato adds weight and atmosphere to the track, while BigX's fierce flow accentuates the anguish and drama that permeates it. The undulating, ominous guitar that serves as the enchanting recurring motif, with the galvanising drums injecting an extra jolt of energy into this country-trap anthem throughout BigX's ferocious verses.

“Don't let me down easy, if you're gonna leave me
Baby, go and leave me all the way
Don't ask for all your things back, cussin' out my name, yeah
Just to go and take back what you say
Burn all the bridges, don't ask forgiveness
Walk away like I'm someone you hate
Don't let me down easy, if you're gonna leave me
Baby, go and leave me all the way”

In your typical heartbroken laments, the protagonist is either pleading with their ex to fall back into their arms, or bemoaning the fact that they've walked out the door for good.

What makes ’All The Way’ unique is that both Bailey Zimmerman and BigXthaPlug are begging their ex to leave and never return. However, crucially, this is not out of spite, rather, because they know they still have lingering feelings for their past lover and couldn't handle the emotional turmoil of an on-off romance.

In Bailey Zimmerman's angsty hook, the ‘Religiously’ hitmaker swaps out the original line from BigXthaPlug's Valentine's Day demo, “Walk away like I don't want you to wait”, in favour of the new lyric, “Walk away like I'm someone you hate”. It's not 100% clear as to why this switch was made, with the songwriters perhaps wanting to highlight how the ex shares the protagonist's deep-seated desire to get back together, with the revamped line implying the old flame doesn't hate them.

“Ayy
If it's over, it's over, so fuck it
Just don't act like my love wasn't nothing
Like I wasn't the one you was holdin' at night
Tellin' all of your secrets and huggin'
Guess you right, it's too good to be true
Was a point all I needed was you
But, shit, time after time, all this fussin' and fighting
It's time that you do what you do”

Throughout BigXthaPlug's first verse, he sets the scene and adds in some details as to what went wrong with the relationship. The Texas rapper seemingly suggests that he's made peace with the idea that they won't be together anymore, but even so, he yearns for his old flame to admit that their love meant something.

He implies that it was a tumultuous relationship, touching on how they'd spend a lot of time “fussin’ and fighting”, with BigXthaPlug asking his ex to move on and leave him be.

“And it's cool
Mama said there was fish in the sea, I got lost in the pool
Knew it was comin', I watched how you move
How you turn your back on me and leave me to lose
Remember the text, how you said that you'd do
Said that you'd never leave, we would fight 'til it's due
But as it went on, I was fighting for you
Seen the texts had turn green, why the fuck it ain't blue?
Guess you done and I get it
Said you stayin', you wanted my name and you left, so I'm guessin' that you never meant it
Said you'd try and hold on 'cause the love was so strong, now I'm standing alone this kitchen
Singin' sad songs, but I'm knowin' that this shit don't last long
If you leavin' then leave 'cause your bags gone
But just know, you can never come back home”

Here, BigXthaPlug employs a playful metaphor, riffing on the age-old adage that there are always “more fish in the sea”, with BigX confessing that he lost himself amidst the “pool” of romantic options. This could be a cryptic reference to cheating, but judging by the feeling that he's been wronged that underpins ‘All The Way’, we think it most likely isn't a pointed nod to either of the partners being unfaithful.

BigXthaPlug recalls his sense of bemusement when his texts to his lover started turning green instead of blue. This is meant to suggest that she blocked him towards the end of their time together, with BigX describing how, despite both of them expressing their keenness to fight for the relationship, it felt like he was in a one-sided battle. As his verse draws to a close, BigX reminds the listener that the break-up is still up-in-the-air, as he advises his partner to leave properly, and to know that if she does, there will be no route back into his heart.

“Ayy
If you say that you done ain’t no take backs
Said you fell out of love and I hate that
But see me I was stuck like a drug really fiending for love and somehow I can’t shake back
When you walked out that door I was hurting
All the dreams in my head you was perfect
You remember the very first time that we chilled and I reached for your hand where them nerves at”

Over the course of ‘All The Way’, the protagonist makes it clear that he still has some feelings for the ex in question, with the tone suggesting it's in her court as to whether she ends the relationship or not. Here, BigXthaPlug looks through rose-tinted glasses at their romance, reflecting on some of the happier moments they shared.

“Time repairs shit and that’s what it do
It be times I be sick, sittin’ thinking bout you
It was death do us part
Till you gave me the blue
Really played my heart
Left me lost and confused
Thought this shit was fair game
But you made up the rules
On my heart left a scar and a bruise
Hope that you can stand on all the shit that you did
Cause I’m done, yeah I’m finally through”

Again, BigXthaPlug outlines his frustration at how his partner made it seem as though they'd be together forever, before pulling the rug from under his feet and breaking his heart.

We get a witty piece of wordplay here, as BigX conveys how he thought they would be in love ‘til “death do us part” - referring to the classic marriage vow - before mourning how his lover then gave him “the blue”. Of course, blue is a colour often associated with feelings of melancholy and sorrow, but this line also ties in with the marital theme, as brides are traditionally given “something old, something new, something borrowed and something blue” on their wedding day.

Later in this verse, the ‘Take Care’ crooner flips the well-known phrase “fair game” and dismisses his ex's recent behaviour as an example of her making up the rules. As he reaches the crescendo, BigXthaPlug seemingly removes the will-they-won't-they element that pervades ’All The Way’, and concludes, “I'm finally through”.

When sharing the initial teaser of ‘All The Way’ on February 14th, BigXthaPlug offered a brief insight into the inspiration behind the despondent track, “This for everybody who asked if she would be your Valentine...and she said no...When should I drop?”

In a March interview with Eddie Marange, Bailey Zimmerman delved into the track's origin, “I was up in my studio one night, and I had heard that BigX was doing a country project, and I said, ‘Man, dude, how cool would it be to do a song with BigX? I would love to do that one day. That day was super soon, and he sent me the song. I cut it, and we were just gonna wait, and then...They loved it. He was like, ‘Dude, I love this song’, and then he just randomly posted it...Nobody knew he was gonna post it...Now, we're here. So we're trying to figure it out, dude”.

Zimmerman went on, “When I first got it, I was like, ‘Dude, I wonder if I'm gonna sound good’, and then when I cut it, I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, dude, this thing is so fire’...Hopefully we can get it out soon, bro...It's like my sound and his sound really blended together super well...I'm just excited to see how people react to it and if they love it or not”.

“Don't let me down easy, if you're gonna leave me
Baby, go and leave me all the way
Don't ask for all your things back, cussin' out my name, yeah
Just to go and take back what you say
Burn all the bridges, don't ask forgiveness
Walk away like I'm someone you hate
Don't let me down easy, if you're gonna leave me
Baby, go and leave me all the way

-

Ayy
If it's over, it's over, so fuck it
Just don't act like my love wasn't nothing
Like I wasn't the one you was holdin' at night
Tellin' all of your secrets and huggin'
Guess you right, it's too good to be true
Was a point all I needed was you
But, shit, time after time, all this fussin' and fighting
It's time that you do what you do
And it's cool
Mama said there was fish in the sea, I got lost in the pool
Knew it was comin', I watched how you move
How you turn your back on me and leave me to lose
Remember the text, how you said that you'd do
Said that you'd never leave, we would fight 'til it's due
But as it went on, I was fighting for you
Seen the texts had turn green, why the fuck it ain't blue?
Guess you done and I get it
Said you stayin', you wanted my name and you left, so I'm guessin' that you never meant it
Said you'd try and hold on 'cause the love was so strong, now I'm standing alone this kitchen
Singin' sad songs, but I'm knowin' that this shit don't last long
If you leavin' then leave 'cause your bags gone
But just know, you can never come back home

-

Don't let me down easy, if you're gonna leave me
Baby, go and leave me all the way
Don't ask for all your things back, cussin' out my name, yeah
Just to go and take back what you say
Burn all the bridges, don't ask forgiveness
Walk away like I'm someone you hate
Don't let me down easy, if you're gonna leave me
Baby, go and leave me all the way

-

Ayy
If you say that you done ain’t no take backs
Said you fell out of love and I hate that
But see me I was stuck like a drug really fiending for love and somehow I can’t shake back
When you walked out that door I was hurting
All the dreams in my head you was perfect
You remember the very first time that we chilled and I reached for your hand where them nerves at
Time repairs shit and that’s what it do
It be times I be sick, sittin’ thinking bout you
It was death do us part
Till you gave me the blue
Really played my heart
Left me lost and confused
Thought this shit was fair game
But you made up the rules
On my heart left a scar and a bruise
Hope that you can stand on all the shit that you did
Cause I’m done, yeah I’m finally through

-

Don't let me down easy, if you're gonna leave me
Baby, go and leave me all the way
Don't ask for all your things back, cussin' out my name, yeah
Just to go and take back what you say
Burn all the bridges, don't ask forgiveness
Walk away like I'm someone you hate
Don't let me down easy, if you're gonna leave me
Baby, go and leave me all the way”

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