‘Madeline’ by Zach Bryan & Gabriella Rose - Lyrics & Meaning

Initially expected to be a solo release, Zach Bryan surprised us with a feature from fast-emerging country prodigy, Gabriella Rose, when ‘Madeline’ dropped on Friday, July 18th.

It's believed to be the lead single from Zach Bryan's long-teased With Heaven On Top EP, with the Oklahoma native celebrating the release of ‘Madeline’ by confirming the project will arrive on January 9th. It marks the first collaboration between Bryan and Gabriella Rose, with the duo seemingly recording ‘Madeline’ while across The Pond in London, UK together for their BST Hyde Park shows in late June.

‘Madeline’ finds Zach Bryan and Gabriella Rose trading wistful verses across an undulating, pared-down instrumental. Bryan sounds jaded and mournful, with the ‘Something in the Orange’ crooner delivering his vocals with a sense of weight and gravitas.

The delicacy and intricacy of Gabriella Rose's voice complements Zach Bryan's heavy croons, with the former showcasing her versatility after becoming synonymous with swaggering, tongue-in-cheek tracks such as ‘Doublewide’ and ‘Necklace’.

“Well, oh, Madeline, how you been? I've been waiting 'round to die again
Well, I saw all your friends and you weren't there
And here's a picture of us holding up a pitcher of our favorite beer
I'm tryna slow down this year, they can't hold it like we used to”

The track revolves around a male protagonist that can't seem to get over a past romance with a woman named ‘Madeline’. He admits he feels like he's simply “waiting ‘round to die”, such is the pain he feels in her absence, before confessing that he's been looking through old, faded pictures of them being happy together.

He addresses the two people in that photo as if they're different to the people they are today, musing how “they” can't hold their alcohol like “we” used to. There's also a satisfying piece of wordplay, with Bryan transitioning from “pitcher” to “picture”.

“I ain't never felt this lonely as I do tonight in this nice hotel
Twelve hundred miles from that shit motel you kissed me softly in
Well, I heard you been on the road, West Coast, just song singing
Are you coming home again? 'Cause I'd like to see you smile
If you feel inclined, don't be dying on just anyone
'Cause I'm the only one that gets to call you home”

Gabriella Rose delivers this verse, singing from the perspective of ‘Madeline’ as she reciprocates the protagonist's loneliness. She suggests that she's become more successful since their romance, but she'd still rather be in the run-down motel they spent the night in together, than in the fancy hotel she currently finds herself in.

Here, she implies they left the status of their relationship in somewhat of a grey area, with ‘Madeline’ pleading with the male protagonist to ‘come home’ after being out on the road.

“And, oh, Madeline, how you been? I've been waiting 'round to die again
If you see her, won't you tell her I need her like a sailor needs the ocean
Oh, Madeline, how you been? are you back with that boy again
That deserves a broken jaw, does he touch you like you need him to?
Come back when he call”

Zach Bryan takes the helm again for the conclusion, asking someone at the bar to tell Madeline how badly he needs her if they ever see her. He wonders if she is back with an old flame that he doesn't approve of, outlining that he “deserves a broken jaw”.

As the song progresses, it takes on a similar feel to Zach Bryan's 2022 fan-favourite, ‘Oklahoma Smokeshow’, during which he laments how a former lover is stuck with a terrible partner. We don't get a resolution in ‘Madeline’, with Bryan and Rose leaving listeners wondering whether they ever made it back into each other's arms.

“(Ready? Yes)

Well, oh, Madeline, how you been? I've been waiting 'round to die again
Well, I saw all your friends and you weren't there
And here's a picture of us holding up a pitcher of our favorite beer
I'm tryna slow down this year, they can't hold it like we used to

-

I ain't never felt this lonely as I do tonight in this nice hotel
Twelve hundred miles from that shit motel you kissed me softly in
Well, I heard you been on the road, West Coast, just song singing
Are you coming home again? 'Cause I'd like to see you smile
If you feel inclined, don't be dying on just anyone
'Cause I'm the only one that gets to call you home

-

And, oh, Madeline, how you been? I've been waiting 'round to die again
If you see her, won't you tell her I need her like a sailor needs the ocean
Oh, Madeline, how you been? are you back with that boy again
That deserves a broken jaw, does he touch you like you need him to?
Come back when he call

-

Oh, Madeline, how you been? I've been waiting 'round to die again
And I saw all your friends and you weren't there”

For more on Zach Bryan, see below: