When I get back to Oklahoma
I’ll be a little better off than I am right now
And you talk so strong but you can’t stand straight
How’d you fall for a man I’ve grown to hate?
I can drive you by where I learned to curse
He’s got his creased dress whites in an all black hearse
Why’s the green more green in the east of Eden?
Swing on by ’cause I know you ain’t eaten
Did the city beat your ass like the trash you are?
There’s still smoke smell in your old fast car
You can’t hide where you’re from
With nightcrawler blood on your casting thumb
You can fight and fiend and sell your guns
But you’ll always be the Oklahoman son
You’ll always be the Oklahoman son
When I get back to Oklahoma
I’ll be a little better off than I am right now
I can’t buy her a house like I swore I would
When I was naïve and eager child
And money can’t buy an old friend of mine
And money can’t buy me back no time
You can’t hide where you’re from
With nightcrawler blood on your casting thumb
You can fight and fiend and sell your guns
But you’ll always be the Oklahoman son
You’ll always been the Oklahoman son
You can’t hide where you’re from
With nightcrawler blood on your casting thumb
You can fight and fiend and sell your guns
But you’ll always be the Oklahoman son
You’ll always be the Oklahoman son
Returning Home and Facing the Past
“Oklahoman Son” by Zach Bryan is a heartfelt reflection on identity, belonging, and the inevitability of one’s roots. The lyrics evoke a sense of longing to return to Oklahoma, paired with a bittersweet recognition that leaving does not erase where you come from. Through vivid imagery—such as nightcrawler blood on a casting thumb and the lingering smoke smell in an old car—Bryan paints a picture of rural life and the scars it leaves. The repetition of “you’ll always be the Oklahoman son” underscores an inescapable connection to home, regardless of one’s struggles or attempts to change.
Song Credits
Artist: Zach Bryan
Songwriter: Zach Bryan
Release Year: 2024