‘This World's A Giant’ by Zach Bryan - Lyrics & Meaning

Amidst the furore surrounding his high-profile break-up with BFF's Podcast co-host, Brianna LaPaglia, Zach Bryan surprised fans by announcing on Wednesday evening (November 6th) that he'd be treating fans to brand new music later that night. The single artwork is taken from an old ‘secret’ show Zach performed in New York, with the date on the poster behind him suggesting it took place on December 20th, 2021 at 17 Chrystie. After the song's release, the ‘Snow’ crooner joked, “Anyone who has these original posters get free tickets for life”.

The ‘Revival’ hitmaker followed through on his promise, releasing ‘This World's A Giant’ on Thursday, November 7th, an introspective, repentant reflection on his role within the world. He explores his sense of self and morality, as he admits he wants children one day, but confesses he still believes he's too ‘childish’ to be a father.

Many fans have interpreted the jaded feel of the new song as Zach Bryan addressing his break-up, but ‘This World's A Giant’ was first teased on socials back in January 2024, so it seems unlikely the lyrics are referring to the split with Brianna. Rather, ‘This World's A Giant’ comes across as a wistful ode to the need to slow down in life.

The timing, however, does feel pointed, with ‘This World's A Giant’ arriving hot on the heels of Brianna's BFF's co-hosts, Dave Portnoy and Josh Richards, releasing a Zach Bryan diss track, ‘Smallest Man’. Zach Bryan's new song has also dropped on the eve of Brianna, Dave and Josh's tell-all podcast episode delving into the split, with the release of ‘This World's A Giant’ seemingly serving its purpose of shifting the focus back onto the thing we've always loved most about Zach - the music.

‘This World's A Giant’ features a fuller, more built-out composition than much of Zach Bryan's previous two studio albums, Zach Bryan and The Great American Bar Scene. The track opens with Zach crooning warmly over the easy strum of an acoustic guitar and some intermittent brass, all of which combines to give ‘This World's A Giant’ a deliberately soothing, relaxed ambience. This mirrors the yearning of a return to a slower pace of life, which pervades the narrative of the song.

For the hook, we get a layered vocal style that we rarely see from Zach Bryan, who tends to favour a raw, weighty delivery. Here, though, the layering has the effect of giving ‘This World's A Giant’ a Ben Howard and Bon Iver-esque feel at times. The sudden, pounding drum pattern that concludes ‘This World's A Giant’ accentuates the burgeoning angst that simmers beneath the surface throughout the track.

‘This World's A Giant’ features accompanying vocals from fast-emerging New York indie artist, Grumpy (aka Heaven Schmitt), who also sings on Zach's unreleased track, ‘Motormouth’.

“There's guitars ringin' now from the top floor of this house
That I've learned to rest my soul inside
Be still, be quiet, this world's a giant
That I don't feel like facing tonight
I don't have the words yet, I'll smoke a cigarette
Even though she'll smell it on my breath
I say I want kids even though I can't quit
The things that make me childish”

The opening verse captures the feeling of fatigue and weariness that underpins ‘This World's A Giant’, with Zach portraying the noise and ‘the world’ that surrounds him as a mighty, fearsome giant that he cannot bear to face for the time being. Instead, he wants to hide away, and find some fleeting comfort by taking a drag on a cigarette. This leads to the admission that he wants children one day, despite feeling as though he's not yet mature enough, with Zach pinpointing his inability to quit smoking as one example of “the things that make me childish”.

“But it ain't all bad, the windows are cracked
I came down to hear you laughin' in the kitchen, babe
Let's pour some wine, there's still a little timе
And maybe a little bit left in mе to save
Be still, be quiet, the world's a giant
I ain't ever had myself a David's heart
I'll say sorry to God for all the trouble I caused
Maybe that's a good place for me to start”

The line “But it ain't all bad, the windows are cracked” is fascinating, because on first listen, it feels as though the lyric should be flipped to “The windows are cracked, but it ain't all bad”. By crafting the line in this way, Zach Bryan perhaps creates a sense of foreboding, as he desperately attempts to find the joy in the midst of the gloom, but he cannot help but notice all the windows in this supposedly restful house are cracked. This seemingly represents that he feels like parts of him are broken.

The protagonist describes another temporary moment of contentment he finds as he descends the staircase to hear his lover in the kitchen, before they share a glass of wine. There's a feeling of impending doom or darkness that shrouds most of ‘This World's A Giant’, as is highlighted in the suggestion that they only have “a little time”. Perhaps they will be apart soon, or maybe this touches on a feeling that the relationship is nearing its end. The repentant tone of ‘This World's A Giant’ is accentuated here, as Zach hopefully wonders if there's “a little bit left in mе to save”.

The titular phrase is then repeated, with the narrator framing himself as being pitted against ‘the giant’ that is the world, before referencing the famous Biblical story of David and Goliath, which appears in the Book of Samuel in the Old Testament.

Unlike David, who mystifies the onlooking armies by conquering the formidable Goliath and goes on to become the messianic king, Zach Bryan feels he doesn't have a strong enough heart to follow in his footsteps and take on his own personal giant - the world around him. The religious imagery is extended when Zach apologises to God “for all the trouble I caused”, before adding another hesitant note of hope, as he reflects that this self-examination and remorse might be “a good place for me to start” as he embarks on his journey of redemption. These themes of penitence and contrition recur throughout Zach's discography.

“You'll be holdin' to no other holdless boy
I heard breathin' in this world is the thief of joy
You're better off fightin' than you are dead
The time for rest ain't now 'cause the kids need fed
The time for rest ain't now 'cause the kids need fed”

The line “You'll be holdin’ to no other holdless boy” is delivered in such a way that it could be heard as “You're beholden to no other holdless boy”, with the protagonist addressing his lover directly. By framing himself as “holdless”, Zach Bryan emphasises his feeling of being unworthy of love. After remarking that suffering is necessarily intertwined with existence, as he portrays ‘breathing’ as being ‘the thief of joy’, Zach offers a more optimistic outlook, observing that “you're better off fightin’ than you are dead”. He then reneges on his earlier claim that he needs rest, by concluding that now isn't the time to take his foot off the gas with his musical career, due to him feeling a duty towards his fans (“The kids need fed”).

“Guitars ringin' now from the top of that house
We used to rest our souls inside
Nothing lasts, memories pass
Think of home on an August night
There's reasons to go, reasons to stay
Just know you'll fear it all anyway
Be still, be quiet, this world's a giant
Maybe there's a little bit left to save”

Beginning with the same two lines that open the whole song, Zach Bryan goes on to forlornly posit that “nothing lasts” - not even memories - again hinting that something troublesome is looming on the horizon. He nostalgically longs to be at home in August, with this rose-tinted portrayal of ‘home’ clashing with the earlier reference to being in a house that he's “learned to rest my soul inside”, which suggests he never felt entirely comfortable there. The lyric “There's reasons to go, reasons to stay / Just know you'll fear it all anyway” feels like another nervous glance at the prospect of a break-up, with the narrator shrugging his shoulders and pragmatically admitting there are pros and cons to ending the relationship. Regardless of whether the romance concludes or not, Zach Bryan admits he will be fearing the potential end of their time together either way. He finishes on a positive note, again hoping that his lover can find something in him worth saving, and that he's not too far gone down a path he regrets.

A few hours before surprise dropping ‘This World's A Giant’, the ‘Dawns’ singer-songwriter took to his Instagram Story to tease the imminent release and explain the sentiment behind the new track, “Worlds been a bit heavy lately, new music tonight”.

When announcing his break-up on Instagram from Brianna LaPaglia in October, Zach Bryan revealed that he'd been going through “an incredibly hard year personally and struggled through some pretty severe things”. As a result, ‘This World's A Giant’ could be perceived as Zach delving into his feelings regarding these unspecified challenges.

“There's guitars ringin' now from the top floor of this house
That I've learned to rest my soul inside
Be still, be quiet, this world's a giant
That I don't feel like facing tonight
I don't have the words yet, I'll smoke a cigarette
Even though she'll smell it on my breath
I say I want kids even though I can't quit
The things that make me childish

-

But it ain't all bad, the windows are cracked
I came down to hear you laughin' in the kitchen, babe
Let's pour some wine, there's still a little timе
And maybe a little bit left in mе to save
Be still, be quiet, the world's a giant
I ain't ever had myself a David's heart
I'll say sorry to God for all the trouble I caused
Maybe that's a good place for me to start

-

You'll be holdin' to no other holdless boy
I heard breathin' in this world is the thief of joy
You're better off fightin' than you are dead
The time for rest ain't now 'cause the kids need fed
The time for rest ain't now 'cause the kids need fed

-

Guitars ringin' now from the top of that house
We used to rest our souls inside
Nothing lasts, memories pass
Think of home on an August night
There's reasons to go, reasons to stay
Just know you'll fear it all anyway
Be still, be quiet, this world's a giant
Maybe there's a little bit left to save

-

You'll be holding to no other holdless boy
I heard breathin' this world is the thief of joy
You're better off fightin' than you are dead
The time for rest ain't now 'cause the kids need fed
The time for rest ain't now, the kids need fed”

For more on Zach Bryan, see below: