Zach Bryan released a beautiful tragic song about the kids coming home after the passing of their parents. A reality that we all have to go through, but we never hope that we have to. “Pink Skies” is a somber realization of what this life stands for–impermanence.
The song “Pink Skies” by Zach Bryan is a taste of what’s to come on his upcoming album ‘The Great American Bar Scene’ due to release later this year.
In an interview with Variety magazine, Zach Bryan confessed that “Pink Skies” was not about the death of his mother Annette DeAnn, who passed away in 2016; “Everytime I sing about someone dying people assume it’s about my mom. This definitely was not. I just think all the dynamics in families are beautiful and interesting and generationally it’s a really cool thing.”
Pink skies hint at a storm brewing. But for sailors, pink skies hint at good weather the day after. So is the duality of life–the ying and yang. In the song, Zach Bryan narrates a typical funeral setting of a parent. The kids come back home. Things get dusted. Floors get mopped. For some people, this is the reunion of a lifetime–happy to revisit the past. But in the present, they cannot be happy as the cold lifeless body lays in front of them.
Listen to “Pink Skies” by Zach Bryan
Zach Bryan “Pink Skies” Lyrics Meaning and Song Review
The song seems to be narrated from the point of the remaining partner of the deceased. The singer addresses their children as kids and eagerly awaits their return despite the somber occasion.
As the parent awaits the return of their kids and some long-lost relatives, they cannot help but think about the youthful exuberance they enjoyed a few decades back. A tear rolls down their cheeks at the thought of everything they have lost over the years–family, friends, kids, youth, and now their partner. But they can take comfort in the fact that their kids have plenty more pink skies to outlive.
And plenty nights under pink skies you taught ’em to enjoy
In the first verse of the song, the singer narrates the typical tidying up that happens in a household to welcome guests. However, only this time, both the parents won’t be there to welcome the guests. The house cannot look as if it’s losing life too. They already have a lifeless body to paint everything blue.
In the chorus of the song, the remaining parent thinks to themself how proud their deceased partner would be to see their kids all grown up and become successful on their own accord. But the parents never see their kids as grown up. They will always be their little babies.
The funeral was beautiful. Everyone enjoyed each other’s company. Some shed a tear as the memories from the past came crashing down. Overall, it was a typical farewell. God definitely must see this coming.
In the second verse of the song, the singer flushes more memories. The grass still smells the same as the days back. The narrator skips through some vivid memories but keeps getting dragged back to the presence as their eyes meet the body that lies in front of them. Everything has just changed, but somehow everything else seems the same. The smell of grass outside, the rush of the river at the border of their home, and the laughter of the kids feel the same. One line in the song also reflects on the religious aspect of their lifestyle.
Let us hear what you think about this song in the comments below. Read the complete lyrics to the song on Genius.
