Link copied
Zach Top - ‘South Of Sanity’
Release Date: August 1, 2025
Album: Ain't In It For My Health
Producers:
Songwriters: Zach Top, Carson Chamberlain, Mark Nesler
The Background:
Ahead of his upcoming album, Ain’t In It For My Health, slated for release on August 29th, Top has released an emotional single that will have you sitting at your window, crying, looking out at the rain. ‘South Of Sanity’ is the second instalment of singles from this record, following the summer anthem, ‘Good Times and Tan Lines’.
The Sound:
Steeped in melancholy and the perils of life on the road, Top delivers a ballad-style song in complete juxtaposition to his previous release, ‘Good Times and Tan Lines’. With a bluesy guitar and a heartfelt piano, Top explores the narrative of the hopelessness of love and how it can hurt all the same, wherever you are.
The Meaning:
Playin' a rodeo in Montana tonight
She's two thousand miles away
Says she loves me on the phone as she cries
And wishes I’d come home to stay ... But
Top introduces us immediately to his heartbreak. The constraints of his job on the road have caused issues in his relationship, and he’s unsure what her thoughts are. Crying ‘I love you’ on the phone, she simply wants him closer to her and to no longer share him with the rest of the world.
I’m somewhere outside of Missoula
They just called my name from the stage
When we hung up she was talkin' leavin'
Now how am I supposed to sing and play
She's left me somewhere south of sanity
Still just north of insane
Bound by a life on the road, duty calls, and he isn’t able to remedy the problem in time, leaving him no choice but to end the call. ‘The show must go on', and Top does his best to get back to the artist his fans are waiting for. But, with a heavy heart and no resolution, he’s left wondering where he stands.
The show is over
I tried twice to call her back
But no answer either time
My thoughts are racin' like a fast car 'round the track
Aw and I can't get her off my mind ... And
The last thing he heard her say was about leaving and now he’s desperate for an answer. It’s late, his show has finished but she won’t pick up his call. Maybe she’s asleep, maybe she can’t bear the heartache of saying goodbye, but it leaves him exhausted with his mind racing, trying to hold on to her a little bit longer.
Startin' to believe I might be losin' everything
Still I’m somewhere outside Amarillo
They just called my name from the stage
When we last talked she was talkin' leavin'
But I gotta show I gotta play
Somewhere south of sanity
Still just north of insane
As his location changes each time, it suggests that this is either a familiar conversation in all of his relationships, or a familiar conversation in this particular one. Maybe they resolve it for one more tour stop, or maybe he knows that this is as far as any relationship goes. But his dreams are on the road, and so he will always remain somewhere south of sanity, wherever he plays.
What has Zach Top said about ‘South Of Sanity’?
Zach Top has remained pretty tight-lipped about this one thus far. The single hasn’t had the big teased roll out like previous tracks. He shared a simple acoustic snippet of a dark, barely there video of him and his guitar captioned, ‘New one comin in hot’, the night before release, but that’s all we’ve heard from him on this at this time.
For full lyrics to Zach Top’s ‘South Of Sanity’, see below:
Playin' a rodeo in Montana tonight
She's two thousand miles away
Says she loves me on the phone as she cries
And wishes I’d come home to stay ...
ButI’m somewhere outside of Missoula
They just called my name from the stage
When we hung up she was talkin' leavin'
Now how am I supposed to sing and play
She's left me somewhere south of sanity
Still just north of insane
The show is over
I tried twice to call her back
But no answer either time
My thoughts are racin' like a fast car 'round the track
Aw and I can't get her off my mind ...
And I'm somewhere outside Albuquerque
They just called my name from the stage
When we last talked she was talkin' leavin'
Now how am I supposed to sing and play
She's left me somewhere south of sanity
Still just north of
Startin' to believe I might be losin' everything
Still I’m somewhere outside Amarillo
They just called my name from the stage
When we last talked she was talkin' leavin'
But I gotta show I gotta play
Somewhere south of sanity
Still just north of insane
--
For more on Zach Top, see below:
