From a family with a long history of military service, Bryan was born in Okinawa, Japan, in 1996, while his family was deployed overseas. Growing up in the small town of Oologah, Oklahoma, Bryan started playing music at 14, when his father and grandfather bought him a Takamine guitar for his birthday. After learning to play and write lyrics, Bryan began to create his own unique sound.
Bryan describes authenticity as essential to his music: “I’ll always tell the truth in whatever I’m playing or singing.Whether it’s one of the hopeless love songs I sing or a story I wanted to put into a tune, just know at one point in time I was putting all my heart and all my thought into how my feelings and thoughts might be understood by other people.”
Moon in Oklahoma
Zach Bryan Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Remind me of those railroad tracks
That we′d jump and not look back in our youth
And the brown in your eyes
Reminds me of those morning skies
Where the sun would try to hide behind the roof
The way those rivers flow in July
Keeps the lakes from goin' dry
'Cause you look like Oklahoma
And I'll keep you like I stole you
I thank God when I hold you, it feels right
You′re the moon in Oklahoma, and I′m the night
You're the moon in Oklahoma, and I′m the night
When you say the words you say
It reminds me of the days
We'd go dancing downtown, chemicals in our brains
When you move the way you move
It reminds me of the grain
That twists and turns and plays among the plains
′Cause you look like Oklahoma
And I'll keep you like I stole you
And I thank God when I hold you, ′cause it feels right
You're the moon in Oklahoma, and I'm the night
You′re the moon in Oklahoma, and I′m the night
Well, you look like Oklahoma
And I'll keep you like I stole ya
And I′ll thank God when I hold you, 'cause it feels right
You′re the moon in Oklahoma, and I'm the night
At its core, Zach Bryan's "Moon in Oklahoma" is a love song. The singer is infatuated with their partner, who embodies the very essence of their home state. The imagery in the lyrics is heavily influenced by Oklahoma's landscape, with descriptions of railroad tracks, morning skies, rivers, and grain among the plains.
The first verse compares the curves on the singer's partner's back to railroad tracks, which they would jump over as kids without looking back. This symbolizes the partner's ability to take risks and live in the moment. The brown of their eyes reminds the singer of Oklahoma's morning skies, where the sun tries to hide behind the roof. This imagery suggests that the partner's beauty is both natural and modest. The mention of rivers flowing in July keeping lakes from going dry symbolizes the partner's ability to nourish their love, even during difficult times when emotions might run low.
The second verse highlights the partner's words and movements, which trigger memories of dancing downtown with "chemicals in our brains" and the grain twisting and playing among the plains. These lyrics suggest that the partner brings a carefree attitude to the singer's life and helps them remember fond memories of their youth.
Overall, "Moon in Oklahoma" is a song about finding love and happiness within a familiar place. The lyrics paint a picture of passion, nostalgia, and natural beauty that are all symbolic of the Oklahoma landscape.
Line by Line Meaning
Well the curves down your back
The way your body curves towards the back is reminiscent of the curves on a railroad track.
Remind me of those railroad tracks
The curves on your back bring to mind the twists and turns on a railroad track.
That we'd jump and not look back in our youth
Like how we used to jump on railway tracks without looking back during our youth.
And the brown in your eyes
The earthy-brown color in your eyes.
Reminds me of those morning skies
Your eyes remind me of the color of the sky during sunrise.
Where the sun would try to hide behind the roof
When the sun tries to hide behind the rooftop during sunrise.
The way those rivers flow in July
The way the rivers flow during the month of July.
Keeps the lakes from goin' dry
The river flow helps keep the lakes from drying up.
It reminds me of what you'd do to my angry heart
Like how you calm my angry heart with your presence, the river flow calms the lakes.
'Cause you look like Oklahoma
You resemble Oklahoma in many ways.
And I'll keep you like I stole you
I'll hold on to you tightly as if I've stolen you from the world.
And I thank God when I hold you, 'cause it feels right
I thank God for giving me the opportunity to hold on to you because it feels like the right thing to do.
You're the moon in Oklahoma, and I'm the night
Like how the night in Oklahoma is incomplete without the presence of the moon, I'm incomplete without you.
When you say the words you say
The way you speak steals my heart.
It reminds me of the days
It takes me back to the days when we used to talk.
We'd go dancing downtown, chemicals in our brains
We used to dance wildly in downtown, under the influence of substances.
When you move the way you move
The way you move your body is an absolute delight.
It reminds me of the grain
It brings to mind the way crops sway in the wind on the Oklahoma plains.
That twists and turns and plays among the plains
Like the movement of crops in the wind, your body twists and turns playfully among the plains.
Well, you look like Oklahoma
Like how Oklahoma looks, you resemble that beauty in many ways.
And I'll keep you like I stole ya
Like how I've stolen you from the world, I'll hold on to you tightly.
And I thank God when I hold you, 'cause it feels right
I'm thankful to God for letting me hold you because it feels like the right thing to do.
You're the moon in Oklahoma, and I'm the night
Just like how the night in Oklahoma is incomplete without the moon, I'm incomplete without you.
Writer(s): Zachary Bryan
Contributed by Jordyn B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.