'Splitsville' by Zach Top – Lyrics & Meaning

Zach Top is back with his latest project, Ain't In It For My Health, an album that sees him flexing his Neo-Traditional tendencies once again and delivering a fresh batch of hits to his many hungry fans.

When it comes to Top, though, we all know what new music really means. An all-new parade of heartbroken offerings is set to grace our ears and flood the airwaves once again, so it's best to be prepared.

Among the more downtrodden is 'Splitsville', likely one of his most brutal breakup ballads to date.

'Splitsville' isn't far off from the singer's Cold Beer & Country Music hit, 'I Never Lie'. In their choruses, the two songs carry similarly sharp cadences and rely on the same emotionally sodden steel. 'Splitsville', however, has a fuller sound, the composition having been beefed up and rounded out with a driving rhythm, insistent keys and layers of skilled strings.

It's a complex country tune, the perfect mirror to the complex emotions roiling within the song.

"Got TV's on the wall playin' baseball and football
No one wants to turn 'em off
The bar's all stacked ain't nothin' it lacks
For makin' a memory get lost
A lot of people around makin' happy sounds
So you never have to be alone
Till they close it down and you're the last one out
With no reason for goin' home"

'Splitsville' finds our artist down in the dumps, hiding his true emotions and placating his pain on a barstool, where televisions and noisy patrons serve as distractions and alcohol is nearby to numb the despair.

It's obvious early on that his heart is broken, but the remedy he's currently leaning on can only get him so far. Last call always comes for him in the end and he's right back in the middle of what he calls "Splitsville" once all the bars have closed and he's left alone with his thoughts.

"Welcome to Splitsville
Home of the lonely members of the heartbroke club
Yeah this is Splitsville
The place where people go when they fall out of love
Mmm when you've tried every turn
And every turn's lead straight downhill
Welcome to Splitsville"

Splitsville isn't so much a place as it is a state of mind. It's a detour on the road toward mending a broken heart, a deviation from the path to healing. Splitsville is where one finds rock bottom at the end of a relationship.

As he attempts to find his way around and navigate this new locale, Top reminisces on his own relationship's disintegration, recalling a disastrous fight, slammed doors and a point of no return.

In the song, he remembers, "I thought I’d let you leave let you blow off some steam / Then we'd fix it all somehow / Now we're so far gone past that fork in the road / Looks like there ain't no fixin' it now."

That's how he found himself here in Splitsville. While he knows this isn't his final destination – he sings, "Aw you'll find someone and I’ll find someone / And we'll talk about tryin' to stay friends" – this desperate state, what could have been and all that never was will likely stay with him always.

Splitsville may just be a pit stop, but boy, does it leave a lasting impression.

"Welcome to Splitsville
Home of the lonely members of the heartbroke club
Yeah this is Splitsville
The place where people go when they fall out of love
Mmm when you've tried every turn
And every turn's lead straight downhill
Welcome to Splitsville
Aw welcome to Splitsville"

Got TV's on the wall playin' baseball and football
No one wants to turn 'em off
The bar's all stacked ain't nothin' it lacks
For makin' a memory get lost
A lot of people around makin' happy sounds
So you never have to be alone
Till they close it down and you're the last one out
With no reason for goin' home

Welcome to Splitsville
Home of the lonely members of the heartbroke club
Yeah this is Splitsville
The place where people go when they fall out of love
Mmm when you've tried every turn
And every turn's lead straight downhill
Welcome to Splitsville

I remember the night we had that big ol' fight
Said you were done this time for sure
You were so mad over something I said
You stormed out and slammed that door
I thought I’d let you leave let you blow off some steam
Then we'd fix it all somehow
Now we're so far gone past that fork in the road
Looks like there ain't no fixin' it now

Welcome to Splitsville
Home of the lonely members of the heartbroke club
Yeah this is Splitsville
The place where people go when they fall out of love
Mmm when you've tried every turn
And every turn's lead straight downhill
Welcome to Splitsville

Aw you'll find someone and I’ll find someone
And we'll talk about tryin' to stay friends
But you won't wanna see me anywhere with her
And I damn sure won't wanna see you with him

Welcome to Splitsville
Home of the lonely members of the heartbroke club
Yeah this is Splitsville
The place where people go when they fall out of love
Mmm when you've tried every turn
And every turn's lead straight downhill
Welcome to Splitsville
Aw welcome to Splitsville

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