Zach Bryan’s God Speed

The sky was crystal blue north of Flagstaff a couple months back, and three feet of fresh snow covered the San Francisco Peaks like a white blanket. I had spent 90 minutes in traffic driving the 15 miles from Flagstaff to Snowbowl ski resort. I strapped on the skis and and spent the late morning and early afternoon on some fun, looong cruiser runs. Until last year, I hadn’t put on a pair of skis since Bill Clinton was prez. So no need for moguls or black diamonds for me, not anymore. I’m happy gliding down that smooth hill with long slalom turns, wind against my smiling face…

It was a good day. At mid afternoon I was wrapping it up, clopping along in my ski boots, equipment gathered up, making my way to the rental shop to return everything. A song was drifting through the air, from the Hart Prairie Lodge sound system. It was a song that I hadn’t heard before, but I paused and listened.

Well, I wanna send a post card
From the edge of a place I’ve never been

It stopped me in my big heavy boots. The singer’s voice was raw, matter of fact, with a hint of desperation. Someone who was done with the bullshit. Plaintive but determined.

Well, I wanna see the road melt
Into the mountains away as I drive
And make it out of this damn town alive
And not let the dreams I shoulder die

Yeah, it’s 2023, so I grabbed my phone and tapped the Shazam app. I needed to know.

I’m movin’ at God speed
Only God and my mama know what I need
And I feel the hardwood floors on my knees
As I beg you just to take it easy on me

Zach Bryan. “God Speed.”

I’d listened to his latest critically acclaimed album American Heartbreak not too far back, but I wasn’t familiar with this beauty of a song. “God Speed,” from his 2019 self-release debut album, DeAnn. Zach just turned 27 years old for crying out loud! I can’t wait to see what he’s got in store for us.

“God Speed” blows me away with each listen. And as long as I’m around listening to it, I’ll think of that mountain snow, that blue northern Arizona sky, and a shuffle along the wood floors of the lodge as it hit my ears for the first time.

Zach Bryan’s Official Site