'Anyways' by Zach Bryan – Lyrics & Meaning

A lot has happened in Zach Bryan's life in the years leading up to his sixth studio album, With Heaven On Top, which dropped on Friday (Jan. 9).

The 'Something in the Orange' star has traveled the world – he spent 2025 selling out major stadiums around the globe – and made innumerable hits, all while having his personal life thrust under a microscope to be dissected and prodded at by strangers. This last year alone saw his name and reputation drug through the mire at a head-scratching rate.

Whether Bryan is the hero or the villain of his story is subjective, but one thing is absolutely certain: that kind of constant scrutiny undoubtedly takes its toll.

The artist seems to battle with such perils of fame in With Heaven On Top's 'Anyways', a fearless anthem about getting back up even when you're at your lowest.

In the first minute, 'Anyways' grows from a wash of excitable strums into a torrent of horns and drums. The song becomes a swelling anthem that, by the middle, feels as if it might burst at the seams.

Even ahead of the album's release, Bryan appeared to have preemptively read the writing on the wall, sharing a post on social media that read: "I’m assuming this record is just like all the other ones and there’s gonna be a billion people saying it’s over produced and shitty."

He announced an entirely acoustic version of With Heaven On Top would follow shortly after the project's release.

It's not that 'Anyways' can be officially declared over-produced but rather over-crowded. He seems to have thrown everything at this song, turning the composition into a wall of sound and choking out his own voice in the process. Still, a poignant message can be discerned from the mayhem.

"You looked me in the eyes last summer
Said you hate all the pain I'm under
Told me to play your favorite cover
Of 'Between the Bars'
Been feelin' fuckin' empty lately
I wanna go and see the sea
But I don't got the gasoline
To get that far"

'Anyways' takes Bryan back to a dark place, to a time last summer that found him feeling empty inside. No specific circumstances are given, but there is a guiding light, a friend or a lover, that attempts to help him through this turmoil.

This person insists on him doing what he does best: playing music, even through the pain.

"She said, 'Don't stop it now
Still got that dreamer in your eye
Saw you back when you played West Virginia
When you were too scared to go on stage
But played anyway'"

This mystery person helps him look back on other times of struggle, moments when he's pushed through even when it felt difficult to do so. They refer to a show in West Virginia – this could be the massive Joan C. Edwards Stadium gig that he played on August 30, 2025 in Huntington, WV.

The lyrics explain how he was apparently scared to go out on stage but put on a show anyway. They look back on this time throughout the song as a moment of great impact.

"You looked me in the eyes last summer
After spendin' all of it inside
Underneath the covers tryna hide
From a world outside
And I ain't feelin' empty lately
I'm gonna go and make them see
I'll always have the gasoline
To get that far"

While the struggles that pepper this song are vague, Bryan opened up to fans about his mental health this last Fall.

In Nov. 2025, he wrote in a post on social media: “Being in the military for a decade and then thrown into a spotlight that I hadn't fully comprehended the scope of, had some subconscious effects on me as a person. I was not content but I also feared showing weakness because that's not who I am or how I was raised. To charge forward and to never settle was the motto."

He went on the explain how this led to a dependency on alcohol, writing, "I was stuck in a perpetual discontent that led me to always reaching for alcohol, not for the taste, but because there was a consistent black hole in me always needing its void filled”.

He continued: “I was having earth-shattering panic attacks. The anxiety I felt was paralyzing and I thought since I was successful, had the money I always longed for, and had great friends, that I could tough anything out."

He shared that he has since sought therapy, and at the time of writing, he was celebrating a sobriety milestone. In the post, he added, "All that said; I went out of my way to find a therapist and made the conscious decision to do something about my toxic relationship with booze and how I cope with major life changes”.

It is unconfirmed whether or not these events and the struggles within 'Anyways' are related. Still, the song's words of encouragement ring out in any situation that finds us downtrodden and directionless.

"And she said, 'If you quit now
You'll let those greedy bastards win somehow
How the time, it passes
How they hate when you feel afraid
Then play anyway
So don't stop now
Still got that dreamer in your eye
Saw you back when you played West Virginia
When you were too scared to go on stage
But played anyway'"

You looked me in the eyes last summer
Said you hate all the pain I'm under
Told me to play your favorite cover
Of "Between the Bars"
Been feelin' fuckin' empty lately
I wanna go and see the sea
But I don't got the gasoline
To get that far

She said, "Don't stop it now
Still got that dreamer in your eye
Saw you back when you played West Virginia
When you were too scared to go on stage
But played anyway"

You looked me in the eyes last summer
After spendin' all of it inside
Underneath the covers tryna hide
From a world outside
And I ain't feelin' empty lately
I'm gonna go and make them see
I'll always have the gasoline
To get that far

And she said, "If you quit now
You'll let those greedy bastards win somehow
How the time, it passes
How they hate when you feel afraid
Then play anyway
So don't stop now
Still got that dreamer in your eye
Saw you back when you played West Virginia
When you were too scared to go on stage
But played anyway"

If you quit now
You'll let those greedy bastards win somehow
How the time, it passes
How they hate when you feel afraid
But play anyway
Anyway

You looked me in the eyes last summer
Said you hate all the pain I'm under
Told me to play your favorite cover
Of "Between the Bars"

--

For more on Zach Bryan, see below:

Zach Bryan

Artist