‘X's’ by Maddox Batson - Lyrics & Meaning

A playful, rose-tinted ode to young love, 14-year-old Maddox Batson released the uptempo, light-hearted ‘X's’ as the keenly awaited follow-up to his debut single, ’Tears in the River’.

‘X's’ serves as the country-pop prodigy's first release after signing with Warner Records, with the feel-good anthem undoubtedly consolidating Batson's next-big-thing status. To coincide with the song's arrival, Maddox Batson released the official music video, starring Batson's rumoured girlfriend and fellow TikTok sensation, Harper Zilmer.

‘X's’ continues the sleek, radio-friendly ambience of ‘Tears in the River’, with Maddox Batson highlighting just two songs into his career how he has an ear for a killer melody. Batson's distinctive vocals float breezily across the beat-driven instrumental.

“Girl, I'm feeling you
Been looking at the stars in your eyes all night in this crowded room
Like there ain't a crowd in the room
For the last song or two
Before the doors get closed, been thinking, "How do I get close to you?"
Ain't nobody come close to you”

‘X's’ pivots around the story of Maddox Batson falling for a girl he spots while attending a concert, with both lovers having Sharpie-drawn X's brandished across their hands upon entry, signifying that they're under 18. This reference nods to the way Batson rebukes any naysayers that claim the duo are too young to fall in love.

“Steal a kiss, spin you 'round
Sweep your boots right off the ground
We're just getting started, girl, my favorite part is
Let 'em talk like they know us
Say we're way too young to fall in love
Like wе don't stand a chance
Dancing with these X's on our hands, ha
Dancing with thеse X's on our hands”

Throughout the hook, Maddox Batson conveys how captivated he is by the girl he's just met, underlining how, despite being marked out by the ‘X's’ because their young age, this shouldn't deter them from following their hearts and falling for one another.

“Time's on pause when we two-step
Love's on my mind with my hands on your hips
Feels so good, feels so right
If I had one wish, every night would go like”

In this verse, Maddox Batson emphasises how it feels as though time stands still when he's dancing with his partner, accentuating the country feel of the song by portraying how they're doing the classic Texas two-step. He yearns to spend every evening like this.

In a press release shared on the song's release date, Maddox Batson explained how the new single came about, “'X's' was inspired by a concert I went to with a couple of my friends. When I walked in, the security immediately wrote with a Sharpie a big ole' X on my right hand because I was under 18. The next day when I was in the studio, one of my co-writers noticed some of the Sharpie was still on my right hand - and we came up with the song name. We all loved it and the rest is history, lol”.

“(Dancing with these X's on our hands)

-

Girl, I'm feeling you
Been looking at the stars in your eyes all night in this crowded room
Like there ain't a crowd in the room
For the last song or two
Before the doors get closed, been thinking, "How do I get close to you?"
Ain't nobody come close to you

-

Let's do what we came here for
Make my way across the floor
Put my hand in yours

-

Steal a kiss, spin you 'round
Sweep your boots right off the ground
We're just getting started, girl, my favorite part is
Let 'em talk like they know us
Say we're way too young to fall in love
Like wе don't stand a chance
Dancing with these X's on our hands, ha
Dancing with thеse X's on our hands

-

Time's on pause when we two-step
Love's on my mind with my hands on your hips
Feels so good, feels so right
If I had one wish, every night would go like

-

Steal a kiss, spin you 'round
Sweep your boots right off the ground
We're just getting started, girl, my favorite part is
Let 'em talk like they know us
Say we're way too young to fall in love
Like we don't stand a chance
Dancing with these X's on our hands, ha
Dancing with these X's on our hands

-

With the stereo high, dancing with these X's on our hands
We could do this all night

-

Steal a kiss, spin you 'round
Sweep your boots right off the ground
We're just getting started, girl, my favorite part is
Let 'em talk like they know us
Say we're way too young to fall in love
Like we don't stand a chance
Dancing with these X's on our hands, ha
Dancing with these X's on our hands”

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