‘Dear Miss’ by Zach Bryan - Lyrics & Meaning

As any Zach Bryan fan knows, just because the ‘Something in the Orange’ crooner decides to tease a new song on socials, it doesn't mean he's ever going to release it. Few artists have a catalogue of unreleased songs as expansive as the Oklahoma native, with fans still calling for tracks to drop that were first shared years ago.

Thankfully, though, in 2025 Zach Bryan has been treating listeners to some long-awaited fan-favourites. In late January, after his beloved Philadelphia Eagles secured their spot in the Super Bowl LIX with a victory over the Washington Commanders, we got ‘Blue Jean Baby’, and then in mid-February, we were gifted ‘Dear Miss’ in honour of the Eagles’ Super Bowl triumph over the Kansas City Chiefs.

Initially, Zach Bryan revealed he'd drop ‘Dear Miss’ - which was first teased back in 2024 - the day after the Super Bowl, providing the Philadelphia Eagles won. However, on the Monday following the Eagles’ surprise victory over the Chiefs, ‘Dear Miss’ was nowhere to be found, with Bryan taking to Instagram Stories to clarify that he meant the track would be dropping the following day (Tuesday, February 11th).

Zach Bryan infuses his trademark bittersweet, nostalgic tone into ‘Dear Miss’, with the track opening with a noodling, undulating electric guitar riff, before the thunderous drum pattern sends a fizz of energy coursing through the rousing chorus. Bryan's weathered vocals accentuate the sense that the ‘Dear Miss’ protagonist has been on a long, chequered journey to this point, with the ‘Revival’ crooner consolidating the yearning that pervades the song with his impassioned delivery.

“There's a letter to your mother that is hidden is my desk
That I wrote to her in a sober mind
It's my apology for all the things I used to be
And swearin' I'll change over time
She might not believe me 'cause no one ever does
Except her daughter that loves me true
God forbid all it takes for a boy to finally wait
Just to be cherished and loved all the way through”

The curtains open on a protagonist that is deeply in love, yet he has this persisting, niggling feeling that he's undeserving of his partner's affection. He suggests that he's made some mistakes in the past, confessing that he wrote a letter to his girlfriend's mother promising that he'll one day become a better man for her. This implies that the mother shares his concern that he's not worthy of her daughter.

The suggestion that our narrator wrote this letter “in a sober mind” implies that he is perhaps intoxicated now, and hints that he has an over-reliance on alcohol. He stresses, nonetheless, that he's on a path towards improving himself, as he strives to reach a headspace where he feels worthy of being “loved all the way through”.

“She lets me drink my liquor when I'm singin' through the night
She slaps my hand when it's too much
She's mean and she's kind, strong and divine
And Lord only knows how tough”

The protagonist describes his partner in more detail here, depicting her as being forgiving and understanding of his apparent dependence on alcohol, before fondly recalling how she'll sometimes slap his hand when he goes overboard. Zach Bryan champions her as being wonderfully mean, kind, strong, divine and tough.

The positive portrayal of his partner as being ‘mean’ is interesting, as this is usually seen as a negative trait, but perhaps the implication is that they are both flawed, which helps them to be more compassionate towards one another's mistakes.

“So dear Miss, by the time you see this
It'll be in love or it'll be in pain
May God bless and keep us
May you think kind of my name”

Although not 100% clear, it seems the hook is again directed towards the mother of the protagonist's partner, with the lyrics potentially being lifted from the letter in his drawer. He suggests that she won't read it for a while yet, with Zach Bryan looking ahead to the couple's future, predicting it will either hold “love” or “pain”, suggesting it's a tempestuous romance. Bryan asks for God's protection, and for the mother to soften her attitude towards him and to “think kind of my name”.

Alternatively, these lines could be interpreted as being directed towards the protagonist's lover herself, with the narrator perhaps leaving her a note before he embarks on some kind of trip. The hook could be read as a letter explaining his departure, as he longs to remain with his partner and for her to keep him fondly in her thoughts.

“And I know I've had my days and I've made my mistakes
So please point me to the nearest perfect man
I'll gladly take advice from a man with no vice
If it means I can hold your hand”

Here, the protagonist again alludes to the erroneous behaviour that has led to him building a poor reputation, before underlining he'll willingly take any advice from a perfect man, if it'll result in him being able to hold onto his partner's hand for good.

The implication is that no man is without vices, with Bryan making the point that everyone has imperfections, so he hopes his girlfriend and her mother can look past his shortcomings.

“She was raised up proper and I was raised up
With a poor working boy's heart
The way the light is beatin' on her smilin' cheeks this evenin'
Is the finest of the world's fine art”

Zach Bryan highlights the differences between the couple, depicting himself as possessing all the rough edges of a “poor working boy's heart”, before exacerbating the contrast by portraying his lover as being “the finest of the world's fine art”.

It's an endearing description, consolidating just how besotted the protagonist is with his partner, despite acknowledging their disparity. The underlying message appears to be that, although the narrator makes a point of showcasing his flaws and the various reasons why he's unworthy of her love, in reality, his devotion gives the listener the impression that he is, in fact, deserving of this relationship.

“And she's standin' in the doorway ramblin' on about my old ways
How they were reckless and free
How all my imperfections and every ugly lesson
Is worth every last second with me”

The vignette concludes with Zach Bryan meeting his lover in the doorway to their home, with Bryan describing how she begins “ramblin’ on about my old ways’, regurgitating all the flaws and deficiencies he has spent much of the song listing.

However, the story ends on a refreshingly sweet, heartwarming note, as the narrator's partner emphasises that she will always love him regardless of his multitude of negative traits, underlining that “every ugly lesson / Is worth every last second” with him.

Taking to Instagram in the lead-up to the blockbuster Super Bowl LIX weekend, Zach Bryan surprised fans by announcing his intentions for ‘Dear Miss’, “IF THE BIRDS WIN THE BOWL DEAR MISS IS OUT THE NEXT DAY SEE YALL IN NOLA SHANE GILLIS N ME MIGHT DO A POP UP N GET ROWDY SOMEWHERE LOVE U GUYS”.

When Monday, February 10th came and went without any sign of ‘Dear Miss’ on streaming platforms, the country-folk megastar explained via his Instagram Stories that it would actually be dropping the next day instead, “guys I said dear miss would be out the day AFTER they won! It's out at midnight cmon you know I always have you”.

“There's a letter to your mother that is hidden is my desk
That I wrote to her in a sober mind
It's my apology for all the things I used to be
And swearin' I'll change over time
She might not believe me 'cause no one ever does
Except her daughter that loves me true
God forbid all it takes for a boy to finally wait
Just to be cherished and loved all the way through

-

She lets me drink my liquor when I'm singin' through the night
She slaps my hand when it's too much
She's mean and she's kind, strong and divine
And Lord only knows how tough

-

So dear Miss, by the time you see this
It'll be in love or it'll be in pain
May God bless and keep us
May you think kind of my name

-

And I know I've had my days and I've made my mistakes
So please point me to the nearest perfect man
I'll gladly take advice from a man with no vice
If it means I can hold your hand

-

She was raised up proper and I was raised up
With a poor working boy's heart
The way the light is beatin' on her smilin' cheeks this evenin'
Is the finest of the world's fine art

-

So dear Miss, by the time you see this
I'll be in love or it'll be in vain
So may God bless and keep us
May you think kind of my name

-

And she's standin' in the doorway ramblin' on about my old ways
How they were reckless and free
How all my imperfections and every ugly lesson
Is worth every last second with me”

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