Walker Hayes is treating fans to brand-new music with the release of not one, but two fresh singles. Marketed as a package deal, the two-piece offering is titled, being a dad and missing mine. The double dose of tracks includes the tunes “6 string American dream” and “if father time had a daughter.”
Both songs find Hayes digging deeper into his personal life as he shares a vulnerable side of himself in contrast to his 2021 light-hearted viral hit, “Fancy Like,” which took the top spot on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart, entered the top 5 on Billboard’s Hot 100 Songs chart and earned him his first-ever GRAMMY nomination.
“6 String American Dream”
The first of the two offerings, “6 string American dream,” gives a glimpse into Hayes’ perception as a successful country artist as he acknowledges the earnings that have come from making it in the music business and topping the charts. The 43-year-old Alabama native points out the “pair of jet skis” sitting in his yard and how he “could buy the park” near his house. Despite all of the riches and respect he receives, he still notes that “money can’t fix anything that really matters.”
“Yeah, I’m a little bit higher up on that Nashville ladder / But money didn’t fix anything that really matters / My haters still say I can’t sing / My marriage still needs counseling / My sons don’t know how not to fight / My daughter’s shorts are too short & too tight / if I’m drinking honestly / Still can’t drink responsibly / I’m a 6 string American dream / but I still wake up sad / I still need Jesus / and I still miss my dad,” Hayes sings the chorus of the track.
Even though both tunes show a more emotional side of Hayes, he still sticks to the slightly up-tempo grooves and authentic sound that folks are used to hearing from him.
“If Father Time Had A Daughter”
In “if father time had a daughter,” the proud husband to wife, Laney, and father of six focuses on the heartwarming relationship he has with his daughters. He cherishes the happy moments he gets to spend with his girls but wishes they didn’t have to grow up too soon.
In the chorus of the song, Hayes imagines the father/daughter dance on his baby girl’s wedding day, singing: “And they’re gon’ play that song, it’s so bittersweet / And I remember her in her little bare feet / Dancing on her toes on my boots / I’ma try not to cry but shoot / Y’all gon’ have to give me a break if you see a few tears / Least I had some really really really good years / Bet daddy’s girls would stay little a little bit longer / If father time had a daughter.”
Indeed, Hayes has reached a level of success he couldn’t have imagined after spending nearly two decades grinding it out as a singer/songwriter and musician. But as with many people, the star, who earned a GRAMMY nomination with his viral hit, “Fancy Like,” has experienced pain and tragedy with the passing of his father Charles Hayes in 2021 as well as the loss of his seventh child, a daughter named Oakleigh, in the summer of 2018.
“Been waiting to get these two songs out for a long time,” says Hayes. “As I look at the body of work and the songs I’m sitting on, I think about what I want to say – and this is what I want to say to the world right now. These songs wreck me in different ways, and it’s my hope that everyone that listens will leave feeling real feelings.”
Walker Hayes Will Soon Hit The Road On His Headlining Duck Buck Tour
Additionally, Hayes will soon embark on his headlining 22-city arena tour, The Duck Buck Tour. The trek, which kicks off on April 13 in Rosemont, IL, will visit 20+ cities before wrapping up on August 5 at Michigan Lottery Amphitheatre in Sterling Heights, MI.
The 22-show trek will feature support from Ingrid Andress, BRELAND and Ray Fulcher on select dates. Chris Lane and Nicolle Galyon will also make a special appearance during Hayes’ one-of-a-kind performance at Colorado’s iconic Red Rocks Amphitheatre on May 5.
being a dad and missing mine, featuring Hayes’s two new introspective tracks, is out now.
For more information on Hayes’ latest project and his upcoming tour, visit Hayes’ official website HERE.
