‘Backup Plan’ by Bailey Zimmerman & Luke Combs - Lyrics & Meaning

First teased as a birthday treat on January 27th, 2025, Bailey Zimmerman initially presented ‘Backup Plan’ as a heartfelt solo track. The timing of the snippet, with Zimmerman uploading the snippet shortly after asking for grace amidst the wave of backlash he received for his drunken Crash My Playa set, undoubtedly felt pertinent.

However, in April 2025 we got the exciting news that ‘Backup Plan’ was actually a momentous duet between Bailey Zimmerman and Luke Combs. Then, Combs brought out Zimmerman to deliver the spectacular live debut of the fiery, electric-guitar-fuelled anthem at Stagecoach 2025, with the duo filming the music video during that performance. The visuals dropped on May 2nd alongside the song.

‘Backup Plan‘ follows in a similar vein to the defiant, middle-finger-in-the-air battle-cry of ‘New to Country’, with Bailey Zimmerman offering encouragement to listeners across a rowdy, energising instrumental. A sea of electric guitars lead the way, with Zimmerman's charismatic vibrato and Luke Combs’ signature rasp complementing one another and accentuating the passion that permeates this earworm.

“So your back’s backed up against the wall

And the bandwagon’s fallen right off

And you’re hearing all the talk about

Maybe you should think about

Whatcha gonna do if it don’t work out

It ain’t about if it makes sense

Cause if the boot do, it don’t fit

As far as I can see there ain’t no way to be

Somebody if you’re just gon' quit”

Bailey Zimmerman begins by stepping into the shoes of someone's who's feeling down-and-out, with the Illinois native addressing the listener directly as he advises them to push through the pain. The overarching message of ‘Backup Plan’ is to never give up on your dreams, with Zimmerman stressing that, if you really want it and work hard enough, you can make it happen - in the same way that he has.

“So if you got a fire don’t lose it

If you got a do or die dream do it

If you got something to prove go on ‘n prove it

Don’t let nobody clip your wings

Keep your head down, keep on the blinders

Tune out the doubters and all the closed-minders

If it’s in your blood, falling down ain’t enough

To change who you were born to be

And gettin' back up, that’s the only backup plan you need”

Over the course of the rousing hook, Bailey Zimmerman and Luke Combs share their words of wisdom as they emphasise how the key to achieving your ambitions is, above all else, to keep going. They stress the need to remain focussed and not let others drag you down, before delivering the satisfying punchline, which revolves around the witty transition from “gettin’ back up” to “backup plan”.

“Well life’s got a lotta sticks ‘n stones

And a blade that’ll cut you to the bone

But if you’re doing what you love and it kills you

Well, you can live with that all day long”

For Luke Combs’ verse, the ‘Beer Never Broke My Heart’ crooner zeroes in on the various ways in which detractors might try to slow down your trajectory to greatness.

He highlights that, although other people might try to place obstacles in your path, you should keep pursuing your dream. Combs implies that even if it “kills you” and makes you feel exhausted at times, it's easier to live with that, than to try and live with the ‘what if’ that comes with giving up. There's another clever play on words here, as Combs follows the lyric “it kills you” with “you can live with that”.

The duo are yet to explain how ‘Backup Plan’ came about, but when teasing the initial clip of the track in January, Zimmerman gushed, “BDAY SURPRISE FOR YALL...I don’t know when I’m putting this out but ITS A BANGER...Let me know what yall think”.

“So your back’s backed up against the wall

And the bandwagon’s fallen right off

And you’re hearing all the talk about

Maybe you should think about

Whatcha gonna do if it don’t work out

It ain’t about if it makes sense

Cause if the boot do, it don’t fit

As far as I can see there ain’t no way to be

Somebody if you’re just gon' quit

-

So if you got a fire don’t lose it

If you got a do or die dream do it

If you got something to prove go on ‘n prove it

Don’t let nobody clip your wings

Keep your head down, keep on the blinders

Tune out the doubters and all the closed-minders

If it’s in your blood, falling down ain’t enough

To change who you were born to be

And gettin' back up, that’s the only backup plan you need

-

Well life’s got a lotta sticks ‘n stones

And a blade that’ll cut you to the bone

But if you’re doing what you love and it kills you

Well, you can live with that all day long

-

So if you got a fire don’t lose it

If you got a do or die dream do it

If you got something to prove go on ‘n prove it

Don’t let nobody clip your wings

Keep your head down, keep on the blinders

Tune out the doubters and all the closed-minders

If it’s in your blood, falling down ain’t enough

To change who you were born to be

And gettin' back up, that’s the only backup plan you need

-

So if you got a fire don’t lose it

If you got a do or die dream do it

If you got something to prove go on ‘n prove it

Don’t let nobody clip your wings

Keep your head down, keep on the blinders

Tune out the doubters and all the closed-minders

If it’s in your blood, falling down ain’t enough

To change who you were born to be

And gettin' back up, that’s the only backup plan you need

-

Yeah, gettin' back up, that’s the only backup plan you need”

For more on Bailey Zimmerman, see below: