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"My Father Taught Me Always Forgive": Zach Bryan Says This Life Lesson Made It On 'Young Manhood & Other Donatable Organs'

November 13, 2026 3:44 am GMT

In his recent interview "Young Manhood & Other Donatable Organs - On The Porch (With Matthew McConaughey)," Zach Bryan opens up about the life lesson he learned from his father, one that ultimately inspired a new song on his latest Young Manhood & Other Donatable Organs EP.

"My father taught me; 'keep it walking, always forgive,'" Bryan said to McConaughey. "And I thought that was cool, because the entire song I'm saying, 'This is how you walk backwards,' and at the end, I tie it together; and you can walk either way, as long as you're moving - and I thought that was important."

Of course, Bryan was referring to his new song 'Backwards,' one of eight tracks on his latest EP. According to Bryan, the song blends influence from advice from his dad, his wife Samantha, and his sobriety journey. Bryan says 'Backwards' was born when he fully became sober in November 2025. In a new sober state of mind, Bryan says he took the opportunity to reflect and forgive the wrongs that he felt others had done onto him.

Bryan, who has a seemingly close-knit relationship with his father, often finds himself inspired by the U.S. Navy Veteran. Having the strong Navy-bond he does with him, it seems as though he has played an important role in many of the achievements Bryan has made in his life, becoming one of the many muses Bryan has looked to for songwriting.

'Backwards' refers to the process behind looking back in one's past and truly forgiving. It is the final let go of all the grudges Bryan revealed he had been holding onto, chips on the 'Something In The Orange' crooner's shoulder about the many things and people in his life that had caused him pain.

"I forgive myself, I forgive everyone else, I forgive Nashville for the radio country, I forgive my dad for all the weird stuff he says, I forgive my mom for all the sh*t she put us through," said Bryan. "I realized it's important to forgive everyone around you before you can forgive yourself, and that's what I wrote that song for."

Of course, personal reflection requires looking in the past, or "walking backwards." Bryan reveals that in order to fully forgive, he had to do both. In turn, Bryan says he also spent time apologizing for different situations; things and people from his personal life he felt he had to own up to.

Which is what makes 'Backwards' all the more interesting of a song. It's tributed to a journey; the awkward, uncomfortable moments where one must right their wrongs to become a better person the next day. It takes the growing pains, and the tough pills Bryan had to swallow about himself and the people around him and sprinkles the magic of authentic songwriting all over it.

As a track, 'Backwards' is criminally underrated. In this writer's eyes, there are many reasons for that. It's mid-project placement automatically puts it in a position to be overlooked, as someone who is viewing the track list for the first time may look to the more eye-catching song titles such as 'Robot Killed The Working Man' or those attention-grabbing Lana Del Rey and Turnpike Troubadours features.

Furthermore, it is the only song, next to 'Is The Blue Tangled In You?' that received absolutely no promotion pre-EP release. For these reasons, many casual listeners may view 'Backwards' or even 'Is The Blue Tangled In You?' as filler songs, however, if we know Bryan, we know that every song he puts on a project has purpose, with even deeper meaning.

Written by Melissa Manzi