Oklahoma City Lyrics
Old friend it's been awhile
I ain't spoke to you in years
And often times boys from this town
Put wheels down and disappear
Ms. Cole asked about you just three days back
And I had no answer to give her
I told her that you moved way out west
To write some songs and grow a little more bitter
The kids talk about you around here
Like you're some kind of legend
I wonder if they know a thousand sunrises ago
You were eager just like them?
[Chorus]
But if you ever decide to bring your pain and your pride
Back to this side of Oklahoma City
There'll be a porch light on from the post you leaned on
'Fore you wound up on the wrong side of pity
And often times I pray for you and often times I don't
Is it the goodbyes that haunt you or the fear of new hellos?
Won't stay for long 'cause you won't stop your runnin'
Wait for tomorrow until tomorrow's not comin'
[Verse 2]
Heard you landed in Tulsa while he slipped away
Is that the reason you're fleein' the fields we hauled hay?
The heat this July or the dark last December
Look in my eyes and you might remember
The weed out in Norman or the Stillwater strip
Run far enough boy and you're bound to trip
But if you ever decide to bring your pain and your pride
Back to this side of Oklahoma City
There'll be a porch light on from the post you leaned on
'Fore you wound up on the wrong side of pity
And often times I pray for you and often times I don't
Is it the goodbyes that haunt you or the fear of new hellos?
Never stay long 'cause you won't stop your runnin'
Wait for tomorrow until tomorrow's not comin'
Send it
[Chorus]
If you ever decide to bring your pain and your pride
Back to this side of Oklahoma City
There'll be a porch light on from the post you leaned on
'Fore you wound up on the wrong side of pity
And often times I pray for you and often times I don't
Is it the goodbyes that haunt you, or the fear of new hellos?
Never stay long 'cause you won't stop your runnin'
Wait for tomorrow until tomorrow's not comin'
About
Zach wrote the song Oklahoma City for his deceased grandfather, Proctor Mullen, who is featured on the cover standing on a horse. Zach’s grandfather passed while he was stationed overseas in the military. “This song is for him, and about other things. Oklahoma City, the people who cared about me growing up, the wild stuff we did in the towns around it, the nights I had in Stilly and Norman and what it feels like to have left all of it.” It appears to be from the perspective of a friend or family member who Zach left behind when he left Oklahoma City with big ambitions and it seems to tell the same story as Tishomingo from a different perspective.
Q&A
Find answers to frequently asked questions about the song and explore its deeper meaning
This question has not been specifically answered by the songwriter Zach Bryan so any answers are open to interpretation.
That being said, Zach Bryan was born and raised in Oklahoma so many of the lyrics are likely based on his real life experiences growing up there.
- 1.Late July
- 3.Heavy Eyes
- 4.Mine Again
- 10.Tishomingo
- 11.She’s Alright
- 13.Darling
- 14.Ninth Cloud
- 15.Oklahoma City
- 16.Sun to Me
- 17.Highway Boys
- 18.Whiskey Fever
- 19.Billy Stay
- 21.High Beams
- 22.The Good I’ll Do
- 25.From Austin
- 28.Open the Gate
- 29.Half Grown
- 30.No Cure
- 31.’68 Fastback
- 32.Blue
- 33.Morning Time
- 34.This Road I Know
