'When I Ain't Lookin'' by Tucker Wetmore – Lyrics & Meaning

Tucker Wetmore has taken country music by storm over the last several months, releasing songs like ‘Wine Into Whiskey’ and ‘Wind Up Missin’ You’ to viral acclaim. Now, he's showing fans what else he has up his sleeve.

On Friday (Oct. 4), the quickly rising star dropped his debut EP, Waves on a Sunset, an 8-track project that finds the artist flexing his versatility while also further showcasing the talent that has kept him on top lately.

'When I Ain't Lookin'' is one of the tunes joining the mix and rounding out Wetmore's already well-loved catalogue.

'When I Ain't Lookin'' is another of Wetmore's offerings that begins softly and subtly. However, the song's hushed acoustics are soon layered with glittering steel and pillowy rhythms, growing into a sweeping arrangement fitting for such a reflective tune.

"There's nothing like a billboard with a Bible verse
That sticks with you down the road
An arrowhead laying in the dirt on the side of that turn road
I bet I walked that field a thousand times
Yeah, I like what I find when I ain't looking"

Some of the best things come around when we least expect it. That's the lesson throughout Tucker Wetmore's 'When I Ain't Lookin''.

A much-needed Bible verse, a long-overlooked arrowhead, a pawn shop guitar and an heirloom pocket knife – the artist counts these little surprises as blessings, singing, "I like what I find when I ain't looking."

It turns out he's found love in this way too.

"Kinda like you
Where you been all my life?
Right out of the blue
I wasn't planning on leaving that bar with nothing but a buzz
But you showed up
Gave me a chance, and girl, I took it
I couldn't dream it up no better, even if I tried
Yeah, I like what I find when I ain't looking"

He discovered a companion without even searching, leaving the bar that night with more than just a buzz, and now, he can't imagine a life without them.

He doesn't know how or why it happened, singing, "Call it timing / Stars aligning / Call it luck or happenstance." But that's the magic of simply letting life unfold, he echoes with "But if you ask me / I believe it's part of a bigger plan."

"Kinda like you
Where you been all my life?
Right out of the blue
I wasn't planning on leaving that bar with nothing but a buzz
But you showed up
Gave me a chance, and girl, I took it
I couldn't dream it up no better, even if I tried
Yeah, I like what I find when I ain't looking"

While Wetmore hasn't gone into great detail about 'When I Ain't Lookin'', during a conversation with Holler, he did explain that all the tracks on Waves on a Sunset have a purpose.

“It was all very intentional”, he offered, “I hope people really dive into the purpose behind every song placement, especially at the end. When the album comes next year, they'll see, ‘Oh, that's why he chose ‘Mister Miss Her’. I'm going to do something with the album too, where it's like, ‘Oh, this is why’. It's all storytelling. It's almost like songwriting within songs. I'm not going to say what my whole idea behind the album is yet, but what is coming on Friday is very intentional”.

There's nothing like a billboard with a Bible verse
That sticks with you down the road
An arrowhead laying in the dirt on the side of that turn road
I bet I walked that field a thousand times
Yeah, I like what I find when I ain't looking

Walking out with an Epiphone when you went to pawn a gun
A pocketknife in between the seats, cleaning out your granddad's truck
A little hidden gem he left behind
Yeah, I like what I find when I ain't looking

Kinda like you
Where you been all my life?
Right out of the blue
I wasn't planning on leaving that bar with nothing but a buzz
But you showed up
Gave me a chance, and girl, I took it
I couldn't dream it up no better, even if I tried
Yeah, I like what I find when I ain't looking

Yeah, I like living on my toes better than on my heels
Yeah, I like where I wind up when my hands ain't on the wheel
Yeah, I think the biggest blessings in my life came in disguise

Kinda like you
Where you been all my life?
Right out of the blue
I wasn't planning on leaving that bar with nothing but a buzz
But you showed up
Gave me a chance, and girl, I took it
I couldn't dream it up no better
Yeah, I like what I find when I ain't looking

Call it timing
Stars aligning
Call it luck or happenstance
But if you ask me
I believe it's part of a bigger plan

Kinda like you
Where you been all my life?
Right out of the blue
I wasn't planning on leaving that bar with nothing but a buzz
But you showed up
Gave me a chance, and girl, I took it
I couldn't dream it up no better, even if I tried
Yeah, I like what I find when I ain't looking

Yeah, I like what I find when I ain't looking

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