Zach Bryan’s “Washington Lilacs” Proves That Second Chance Romance Is Underrated

Zach Bryan country music

Zach Bryan has a giant discography already.

Like to the point the that it has almost become a meme to say he’s released another new song.

And you gotta love his response to his unique release schedule:

The truth is, many songwriters are constantly writing new music, but it you have to stick to a strict release schedule, fans are generally going to be waiting a longtime to hear them… if they hear them at all.

Zach seems to drop them as he writes them, with his most recent release, “The Greatest Day Of My Life,” coming only a few days after he wrote it.

But because of this, I often will rediscover older songs that I missed or just didn’t really hear the first, second, or third time through.

The most recent of these rediscoveries is “Washington Lilacs” from his second album Elisabeth. This album has some of my all-time favorite Zach Bryan songs like “A Lover’s Point of View,” “Loom,” and “Mine.”

I’m a self-loathing love song gal if you couldn’t tell, and “Washington Lilacs” absolutely fits that theme.

The song seemingly has a couple who is no longer together finding their way back to each other now that they’ve cleaned up and bettered themselves. The singer admits to not having treated this person well, but he is different and wants to treat her like queen, wants to run away with her:

“So darlin’, won’t you lie back
And just let an old flame warm you
I know I’m not the same me
And Lord knows you’re not the old you
So babe just pack your things
And I swear that we won’t come back
You’re about as pretty as those
Washington Lilacs”

One of my favorite (and one of the best) romance tropes is the second chance romance. This trope has a couple who has broken up for some reason or another, trauma or miscommunication or whatever, and some time in the future they’re able to come back together and have a healthy relationship.

These stories are always so beautiful because seeing that people can change and grow is something heartwarming and oddly inspiring. It gives hope to the ideas that life imitates art and that people can change.

And this Zach Bryan song perfectly encapsulates this trope. These two had their shortcomings, but now that the singer sees this girl again, he can’t deny that he’s still drawn to her.

This is seen when he cuts off his own train of thought in the chorus to tell her that she’s pretty or when he compliments the way she looks in a dress in a punny way:

“I roll up with a killer in my hand
And I’ll never claim to be
Better than I am
You look like a killer in that dress
So I guess my aim is to be your man”

It’s almost like he can’t help himself, he’s got to admire her.

The whole song is soft and sweet with just the right amount of angst to give it some extra depth.

If you’re a complicated love song fan, you gotta check this one out.

A beer bottle on a dock

STAY ENTERTAINED

A RIFF ON WHAT COUNTRY IS REALLY ABOUT

A beer bottle on a dock