'Big Sky' by Parker McCollum – Lyrics & Meaning

With Parker McCollum’s self-titled fifth studio album on the way, the country star has been teasing what’s to come from the new collection. Most recently, he let us in on the carefree new wanderer’s anthem ‘Big Sky’.

As a follow up to ‘Hope That I’m Enough’, McCollum teased the new track on social media, a video of him performing the track live was simply captioned with ‘new one coming at ya soon’. Over the next few days, anticipation built with a clip of him in the studio, and a video of McCollum "listening to 'Big Sky' for the first time”–and he’s air drumming in the same way we do.

It’s not just fans that were excited about this one, though, a stand-out comment on McCollum’s socials came from fellow country singer ERNEST saying all there was to be said: "Yes".

If the hype for a single is this big, the release of the new album on June 27 is going to just keep building.

With McCollum promising an alt-country sound on the upcoming album, similarities to his 2015 album, Limestone Kid, are pretty strong.

‘Big Sky’ is driven by a carefree drum-beat, the song rolling by with electric guitar riffs drifting in and out before a heavier guitar solo adds a nice country rock-leaning edge to the track.

As the song flies into the chorus, comparisons to the laid-back groove of John Mayer come to mind. Some nice bass work sits gently in the background with vocal harmonies between McCollum and a female singer adding to the dreamy mix.

McCollum’s delivery is as easy as ever, reminiscent of a singalong drive under the ‘Big Sky’ itself.

“I went out walking through these pine trees
Woke up hungover on this Tulsa street
Can’t seem to find myself or what I believe
I just wander through the wild
Someone come and save me
I just wander through the wild
Someone come and save me"

With his head in the clouds, and perhaps feeling a little lost, McCollum is wandering far and wide.

Making it from "pine trees" to a "Tulsa street" with a big night behind him, it seems like he has been quite a long way and it’s not yet clear where he’s heading.

As the song progresses and he’s weaving his way "through the wild", it’s looking like he’s not sure which direction he’s going in either. Despite the laid-back, breezy feel of the song, there’s a feeling of pleading as he hopes that someone will be on their way to find and save him soon.

“I stole a car in Corsicana again
Ran from the law like a Wichita wind
Can’t remember all the places I’ve been
I just wander through the wild
Lookin’ for a new friend
I just wander through the wild
Lookin’ for a new friend"

It seems like this isn’t the first time McCollum’s found himself lost and wandering. If he’s left Texas behind and is now in Wichita, he’s on the run and travelling far and wide, crossing state lines and breezing through states.

But as he’s now looking for a "new friend", perhaps no one has come to save him just yet. Or maybe the last one didn’t work out.

Either way, he’s still on the move.

"I fly and I never land
It’s a big sky
I’m a lonely man
If you’re lookin’ for me
Just know that I’m free
There ain’t no tellin’ where I might be"

In the chorus, McCollum is really breaking free and recognising that being on the move, might just be the kind of person he is.

Although saying that he’s a "lonely man", the carefree vibe of the song suggests that this isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Although he’s alone, he’s free and when you’re under a big sky, it’s difficult to see a limit on just how far you can go.

"I had a lover but she broke me in two
Hauled ass to Houston it’s all I know to do
Ain’t seen her since and I bet she ain’t blue
I just wander through the wild
I was born to lose
I just wander through the wild
I was born to lose"

It’s only now that we’re seeing there might be a reason behind this particular escape, and it’s one as old as time: heartbreak.

Being the rambling man he is, heading to Houston is a natural option, but saying "I bet she ain’t blue" makes us think that she knew McCollum wasn’t one to settle down–he’s got a Big Sky to chase.

“Might rob a train and bury all of my gold
Head up to Boston just to stand in the cold
Nobody’s ever thrown this old dog a bone
I just wander through the wild
Everywhere is my home
I just wander through the wild
Everywhere is my home"

At this point, McCollum is ready to go full outlaw.

Travelling just about as far as he can, heading all the way up to Boston would set some serious miles between the Tulsa street he started on and the cold of the north east. Saying that "nobody’s ever thrown this old dog a bone", he seems pretty down on his luck. Although, if he’s burying his gold, surely he’ll go back for it at some point?

As the song comes to an end, we’re left on a somewhat hopeful note, when nowhere is your home, it makes everywhere your home, too.

On release day, McCollum seemed to leave the song to speak for itself, taking to social media to simply say "'Big Sky' out now" with a video of him cruising down a dirt road.

With this being the third release from the upcoming album after ‘What Kinda Man’ and ‘Hope That I’m Enough’, it’s already an impressive tracklist.

Looking towards the release of his self-titled album this summer, McCollum explained the idea behind it to a crowd of fans at a recent show: “Everybody always says, ‘Man, love The Limestone Kid’. So this album that's coming out this summer, it's not The Limestone Kid, but it's probably as close as I'm ever going to get... You gotta listen top to bottom... I really hope you guys love it”.

Looking back on McCollum’s career so far, it sounds like the new album is going to take a step back towards the blend of traditionalism and contemporary appeal that put him on the map.

I went out walking through these pine trees
Woke up hungover on this Tulsa street
Can’t seem to find myself or what I believe
I just wander through the wild
Someone come and save me
I just wander through the wild
Someone come and save me

I stole a car in Corsicana again
Ran from the law like a Wichita wind
Can’t remember all the places I’ve been
I just wander through the wild
Lookin’ for a new friend
I just wander through the wild
Lookin’ for a new friend

I fly and I never land
It’s a big sky
I’m a lonely man
If you’re lookin’ for me
Just know that I’m free
There ain’t no tellin’ where I might be

I had a lover but she broke me in two
Hauled ass to Houston it’s all I know to do
Ain’t seen her since and I bet she ain’t blue
I just wander through the wild
I was born to lose
I just wander through the wild
I was born to lose

I fly and I never land
It’s a big sky
I’m a lonely man
If you’re lookin’ for me
Just know that I’m free
There ain’t no tellin’ where I might be

I fly and I never land
It’s a big sky
I’m a lonely man
If you’re lookin’ for me
Just know that I’m free
There ain’t no tellin’ where I might be

Might rob a train and bury all of my gold
Head up to Boston just to stand in the cold
Nobody’s ever thrown this old dog a bone
I just wander through the wild
Everywhere is my home
I just wander through the wild
Everywhere is my home

––

For more on Parker McCollum, see below: