Mama’s gripping on her hip on the fifth of May
In a photo daddy took on a humid day
In a town that’s anyone’s guess
Way out in Western Kentucky
She’s broken-hearted as he’s riding away
On a motorbike out to East L.A
To find a white line, it’s such a fine line, between broken and lucky
Getting high’s easy
Getting drunk’s fine
It’s the getting by that’ll get a soul down
So if you need me
Know that I’m bleeding
Somewhere alone in some coastal town
Some coastal town
And I can feel when your body ain’t in this bed
I can still hear you laughing last spring in my head
Now it’s April and I hate you and I’m heading home
The little notes that you left for me
In coat pocket and cabinetries
Are in a shoebox from when we once talked
Back when I felt free
Getting high’s easy
Getting drunk’s fine
It’s the getting by that’ll get a soul down
So if you need me
Know that I’m bleeding
Somewhere alone in some coastal town
Mama’s gripping on her hip on the fifth of May
In a photo daddy took on a humid day
In a town that’s anyone’s guess
Way out in Western Kentucky
Getting high’s easy
Getting drunk’s fine
It’s the getting by that’ll get a soul down
So if you need me
Know that I’m bleeding
Somewhere alone in some coastal town
In some costal town
Nostalgia and Longing in ‘Fifth Of May’
In “Fifth Of May,” Zach Bryan crafts a poignant portrait of memory, loss, and the search for belonging. The lyrics open with a vivid image: a mother captured in a photograph, her heart aching as a loved one departs. This sense of departure and distance echoes throughout the song, mirrored in the recurring reference to “some coastal town,” a place both real and symbolic of isolation. Bryan’s storytelling blends personal heartbreak with universal themes of trying to get by—where moments of escape through drinking or getting high are fleeting, but the struggle to endure everyday life is what truly wears the soul down. The song’s melancholic tone and reflective verses invite listeners to sit with their own memories, regrets, and the bittersweet beauty of moving forward.
Song Credits
Artist: Zach Bryan
Songwriter: Zach Bryan
Release Year: 2022