'Wish I Could Stay' by Wyatt Flores - Lyrics & Meaning

Within country music there is a niche group of artists, one for those who say "I don’t like country music but I listen to…". Right now, that group is having its moment in the sun. One of the faces leading the pack is Wyatt Flores; a master of lyricism and song-craft at the tender age of twenty-two.

Following the release of his wildly successful project, Life Lessons, Wyatt Flores took a brief step back to focus on his mental health. As Wyatt returns to the spotlight, you can tell that his upcoming 8-song project, Half Life, will reflect this period of introspection. ‘These songs come from the heart and capture my perspective at 22 years-old on the complexities of relationships, self-discovery and the balance between life and death”.

‘Wish I Could Stay’ is the third offering from Wyatt’s upcoming project which continues to pull from country, rock, folk, and pop influences.

A gentler and more romantic take, 'Wish I Could Stay' opens with the warm and mellow tone of a fiddle. It's quickly joined by a slide guitar and bright piano, making the song sound sonically full and rich. Beau Bedford's production accentuates this, subtlety embellishing the tenderness of the slide guitar with an atmospheric hue while ensuring its at the forefront of the song.

As it progresses, ‘Wish I Could Stay’ builds toward a guitar solo and the peak of Flores’ exasperated voice. With each release, Flores' unique and now signature intonation becomes more and more embedded within our minds, and with this new song, he shows it can flow beautifully across an affable countrypolitan ditty.

‘We cut the hours from 8 down to 4
We met in a town that I’ve never been before
It was too cold for walking
So we drove to some local bar’

The first verse introduces the listener to a whirlwind romance. Two star-crossed lovers who meet in a new town on a cold night, driving to a local dive to spend some time getting to know one another.

‘That look in your eyes
Felt like a kiss
I’ve never felt a moment I knew I would miss
So dance with me darling
Hold on like you’ll never let go’

Wyatt paints a portrait of the feelings of a flash-in-the-pan love in the second verse. ‘That look in your eyes felt like a kiss,’ invokes in the listener a physical reaction - the feeling of butterflies, a warmth in your chest, the sensation of that sweeping feeling of true love’s kiss. Flores is present in the moment, recognizing that this fleeting interaction is one he’ll revisit for times to come.

‘And don’t take me away
Like night meets the day
I don’t want to be like the sun when it rains
Here in your arms
I feel so alive
I’ve never been so scared to die
But how do I escape?
When it’s time to say
I wish I could stay’

Legend says the sun and the moon have always been in love, but they could never be together because the moon rises at sunset and the sun just at dawn. Using imagery of the night being pushed out by dawn’s light, and the sun eclipsed by clouds as thunderstorms brew, its hard not to harken back on legend. The protagonist wonders how to escape that heartbreaking moment of having to let yourself, and the one you love, down with ‘I wish I could stay’.

‘Probably ignore it
When other guys say it
And blame it on alcohol
And you won’t admit it
You can tell that I meant it
Cause love gets the best of us all’

An ‘I love you’ spoken on hushed breath, the scent of a Coors Light accompanying the sentiment, is brushed off as a drunken confession to be forgotten with the sun. Flores is reluctant to hold onto it because of the fear it will be retracted just as quickly as it is heard.

‘We came to meet
We didn’t know
We’d be talking like we’d spent
20 years down the road
That’s what it’s like when you’re two strays
Who ain’t so alone’

There are times the world can feel so big and lonely, then you meet someone who instantly fits your molds and grooves like a puzzle piece you never knew you were missing. In a single moment, it can be as if you’ve known each other your whole lives. This verse reflects on that instant connection that can bring two people together.

We cut the hours from 8 down to 4
We met in a town that I’ve never been before
It was too cold for walking
So we drove to some local bar

That look in your eyes
Felt like a kiss
I’ve never felt a moment I knew I would miss
So dance with me darling
Hold on like you’ll never let go

And don’t take me away
Like night meets the day
I don’t want to be like the sun when it rains
Here in your arms
I feel so alive
I’ve never been so scared to die
But how do I escape?
When it’s time to say
I wish I could stay

Probably ignore it
When other guys say it
And blame it on alcohol
And you won’t admit it
You can tell that I meant it
Cause love gets the best of us all

We came to meet
We didn’t know
We’d be talking like we’d spent
20 years down the road
That’s what it’s like when you’re two strays
Who ain’t so alone

So, don’t take me away
Like night meets the day
I don’t want to be like the sun when it rains
Here in your arms
I feel so alive
I’ve never been so scared to die
But how do I escape?
When it’s time to say
I wish I could stay

Don’t take me away
Like night meets the day
I don’t want to be like the sun when it rains
Here in your arms
I feel so alive
I’ve never been so scared to die
How do I escape?
When it’s time to say
I wish I could stay

How do I escape?
When it’s time to say
I wish I could stay

For more on Wyatt Flores, see below: