Zach Bryan, Something In The Orange: the meaning of the lyrics

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Zach Bryan is one of the most popular country singers in the United States right now. He’s young (class 1996), but he has already published three albums, the latest of which is American Heartbreak, out on May 20th, 2022. A triple album posted finally by a major, Warner. The song that first entered the hearts of his fans is Something In The Orange, a beautiful country love song with poetic lyrics and a meaning which is not evident at first.

Below you can find the official streaming of the song, which doesn’t yet have an official video. Below we will analyze the meaning of the lyrics.

Zach Bryan - Something In The Orange
Zach Bryan – Something In The Orange

Something In The Orange: the meaning of Zach Bryan song lyrics

The song Something In The Orange is a sad ballad about the end of a love relationship. Zach is still emotionally connected to the girl, but the story is over, and he knows she won’t miss him as much as he will. “The Orange” in the title refers to the sunset, a metaphor for the end of the story.

The author still sees hope in the sunset. Something inside him tells him that it cannot be over yet. “Something in the orange tells me we’re not done,” says Zach at the end of the first verse. But as the song continues, we discover it’s a way to illude himself. He explains it symbolically with the verses:

I poisoned myself again
Something in the orange tells me you’re never coming home”.

The sunset also works as a new awareness: the hope that he sees in the sun in the morning is just an illusion; the sunset is telling him that she’s going away and will never be back. And he feels lost. Looking at the way the orange rays of light will touch everything around him, painting everything with nostalgia.

She is not able to say it explicitly. Her voice trembles. But the author saw it in her eyes: the story is over. Poetically, Zach compares the truth in the orange sunset with the artificial orange light he sees in her eyes, reflected from a light bulb.

I need to hear you say you’ve been waitin’ all night
There’s orange dancing in your eyes from bulb light
Your voice only trembles when you try to speak

Ultimately, Zach asks her to leave. “Please turn those headlights around.” I’ll take care of myself. The song’s meaning is then this: I’m in pain; I didn’t want it to be over. But deep inside myself, I know it is. So I need to go ahead and heal my wounds. I can do that. You can leave.

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The full lyrics

It’ll be fine by dusk light I’m telling you, baby
These things eat at your bones and drive your young mind crazy
But when you place your head between my collar and jaw
I don’t know much but there’s no weight at all

And I’m damned if I do and I’m damned if I don’t
‘Cause if I say I miss you I know that you won’t
But I miss you in the mornings when I see the sun
Something in the orange tells me we’re not done

To you I’m just a man, to me you’re all I am
Where the hell am I supposed to go?
I poisoned myself again
Something in the orange tells me you’re never coming home

I need to hear you say you’ve been waitin’ all night
There’s orange dancing in your eyes from bulb light
Your voice only trembles when you try to speak
Take me back to us dancing, this wood used to creak

To you I’m just a man, to me you’re all I am
Where the hell am I supposed to go?
I poisoned myself again
Something in the orange tells me you’re never coming home

To you I’m just a man, to me you’re all I am
Where the hell am I supposed to go?
I poisoned myself again
Something in the orange tells me you’re never coming home

If you leave today, I’ll just stare at the way
The orange touches all things around
The grass, trees and dew, how I just hate you
Please turn those headlights around
Please turn those headlights around