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All the lyrics, meaning and easter eggs for Zach Bryan and Turnpike Troubadours’ collaboration, ‘Plainsman’, taken from Bryan's 2026 EP, ‘Young Manhood & Other Donatable Organs’.
- Song Plainsman
- Lyrics“You can take him off the plains, but the plains live in him
Like a moccasin, sittin' with his river bend venom
Gets into your blood and remains 'til you die
-
You can call him off the mountain, but the mountain stays callin'
Call him on his bluff, but he's always all in... - Artist(s)
- Album Young Manhood & Other Donatable Organs
- Released October 16, 2026
- Label Warner Records
- Songwriter(s)
- Producer(s)Zach Bryan, Jamie McLaughlin, Eddie Spear
The Background:
A full-circle moment for Zach Bryan, ‘Plainsman’ sees the ‘Something in the Orange’ singer-songwriter teaming up with one of his biggest musicals idol, Turnpike Troubadours.
Bryan has been open throughout his career about how his fellow Oklahoma trailblazers helped shape his early sound, with the ‘Dawns’ hitmaker even celebrating the band's reunion on ‘East Side of Sorrow’, as well as penning an unreleased ode to the band's frottman, ‘Felker’. ‘Plainsman’ marks their first official duet, with the song appearing on Bryan's 2026 EP, Young Manhood & Other Donatable Organs.
The Sound:
Through a haunting, yearning fiddle and the easy strum of an acoustic guitar, Bryan and his co-producers Jamie McLaughlin and Eddie Spear capture the spirit of the expansive Oklahoma plains. Bryan and Evan Felker trade wistful verses, giving ‘Plainsman’ the sense of a father or brother offering advice to a younger protégé.
The Meaning:
Across ‘Plainsman’, Bryan and Felker paint a vibrant picture of a lone, wandering plainsman, who tussles with thoughts of lost love, loneliness and belonging. They raise questions throughout the song, without really giving any answers, as they wonder whether the plainsman can ever truly settle down away from the plains.
They incorporate a range of imagery to convey how inextricable the plains are to this man's identity, such as the idea of a trout never being able to truly leave a stream, or - more ominously - the way a moccasin snake's venom stays with you until you're dead.
There's an easter egg nestled in one of the verses, with Bryan showing how big a fan he is of Turnpike by referencing ‘Lorrie’, the famous recurring character that pops up throughout their catalogue on songs like ‘Good Lord Lorrie’, ‘The Mercury’ and more.
For the full lyrics to Zach Bryan and Turnpike Troubadours’ ‘Plainsman’, see below:
“You can take him off the plains, but the plains live in him
Like a moccasin, sittin' with his river bend venom
Gets into your blood and remains 'til you die
-
You can call him off the mountain, but the mountain stays callin'
Call him on his bluff, but he's always all in
Killin' coyotes, know a country boy can survive
-
So where would you go when you need someone honest?
What would you wish if you only had a comet?
Would you understand, beauty of a barren land
If it wasn't for the hometown home now, plains man?
-
You can take him off the river, but the river stays flowin'
Take him off the hook, but the flier stays floatin'
Have a trout jumpin' out, askin' where his old friend's been
-
You can take him off the saw, but the saw stays cuttin'
You can take him off the hammer, but the frame needs buttin'
Worker's hands bloody, still come back for more
-
Now here you go, cut out, runnin'
Bet you now doubled or nothin'
You'll never find the beauty that'll beat this barren land
Or another like your hometown home now, plains man
-
Honeysuckle choking out an old fence road
Hardwood yellow of a boat dock post
Feelin' that you got it right when you had the chance
-
She ain't gone if I can sit here with her
I feel her on the water with a cold chill shiver
Lorrie lit a cigarette and I just headed home
-
Where would you go when you need someone honest?
What would you wish if you only had a comet?
Would you understand the beauty of a barren land
If it wasn't for the hometown home now, plains man?
-
Where would you go when you need someone honest?
What would you wish if you only had a comet?
Would you understand the beauty of a barren land
If it wasn't for the hometown home now, plains man?”
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