‘I Don't Know How To Say Goodbye (Bang Bang Boom Boom)’ by Dwight Yoakam & Post Malone - Lyrics & Meaning

Dwight Yoakam is officially ushering in his first dose of new music in nearly a decade with the single, 'I Don’t Know How To Say Goodbye (Bang Bang Boom Boom)', and he's in good company on the rollicking new track.

The 'Guitars & Cadillacs' legend tapped country newcomer Post Malone for the song and lead offering from his upcoming November release, Brighter Days, his first album since 2016's Swimmin' Pools, Movie Stars.

'I Don’t Know How To Say Goodbye (Bang Bang Boom Boom)' isn't the first time Yoakam and Malone have joined forces, the pair having appeared in several live settings over the last few years. However, the song marks the first time the two stars have committed their dynamic partnership to tape, and we're sure glad they did.

'I Don’t Know How To Say Goodbye (Bang Bang Boom Boom)' is a bright barroom waltz, the vibrant tune carried by driving strums, wailing steel and a buoyant beat. The song steadily bops along, not straying too far from its unwavering arrangement, until the instrumental breakdown unleashes a dizzying display of dazzling organ, effervescent fiddle and reliable drums.

The rollicking composition, however, doesn't echo the lyrics, Yoakam and Malone's emotive croons chronicling what happens when words fail.

“I don't know how
To say goodbye
I don't know where
I would start to even try
I never learned
Can not tell you why
But I don't know how
To say goodbye”

From the beginning, 'I Don’t Know How To Say Goodbye (Bang Bang Boom Boom)' presents a problem. Yoakam and Malone find themselves at an impasse, going through their respective heartaches and unable to let go.

Yoakam takes the lead, singing about the difficulties of saying so long. He finds it impossible to say goodbye, unable and maybe unwillingly to face some fated end.

Farewell feels insurmountable to Malone, as well. He's at a loss, trying to pinpoint where it all went wrong as he sings, "I don't know how we lost our way / I don't know where these two hearts both went astray."

If a song were to represent the five stages of grief, 'I Don’t Know How To Say Goodbye (Bang Bang Boom Boom)' has surely got denial in the bag. Come the chorus, however, anger, depression, and eventually, acceptance join the mix.

“Bang, bang, boom, boom
There's nothing left here now but sadness
Bang, bang, boom, boom
And the emptiness of all that's gone
Bang, bang, boom, boom
No sounds but just sorrow and madness
And bang, bang, boom, boom
It's how a broken heart beats on (Come on)”

In between flourishes of onomatopoeia, the pair begin to realize the dangers of hanging on to something that has soured. When faced with heartache, sadness and emptiness, sorrow and madness are natural side effects, but by the end, they recognize that broken hearts still beat.

While that may not make them any better at handling goodbye, it's a comfort knowing that there is life after "au revoir."

“I don't know how
To say goodbye
I don't know where
I would start to even try
I never learned
Can not tell you why
But I don't know how
To say goodbye
I don't know how we lost our way
I don't know where these two hearts both went astray
I'd have to lie
It hurts to say
'Cause I don't know how
We lost our way

-

Bang, bang, boom, boom
There's nothing left here now but sadness
Bang, bang, boom, boom
And the emptiness of all that's gone
Bang, bang, boom, boom
No sounds but just sorrow and madness
And bang, bang, boom, boom
It's how a broken heart beats on (Come on)

-

Bang, bang, boom, boom
There's nothing left here now but sadnеss
And bang, bang, boom, boom
And the emptiness of all that's gonе
Bang, bang, boom, boom
No sounds of love, just sorrow and madness
And bang, bang, boom, boom
Is how a broken heart beats on

-

I don't know how (I don't know how)
To say goodbye (To say goodbye)
I don't know where (I don't know where)
I would start to even try (To even try)
I never learned (I never learned)
Can not tell you why (Can't tell you why)
But I don't know
How to say goodbye (Goodbye, goodbye)
No, I don't know how
To say goodbye (Oh)”

--

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