Walker Hayes is teasing a vulnerable new song. The father of six just posted a clip of an unreleased song, once that shows his struggles with sobriety, his faith, and more.
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"10 years without a drop, but I still get that itch," Hayes sings. "Just passed my old bar, slowed down a little bit / Thinking about my wife, and everything that matters / Model on the billboard, trying not to start at her / Little version of me in the backseat, reading me like a novel / Saying, 'Dad, why do you keep spitting in that Gatorade bottle' / Jesus, please help, come back I need you / I'm desperate, messed up, trying to do my best ... I hate church but I love you and I'm praying he does too / Looks up to me, but I hope sees me looking up to Jesus."
The new song might be honest, but at least it isn't controversial, like one of his former singles. Hayes reveals his wife Laney was sure he would be canceled when he released "AA" after "Fancy Like" went viral.
" data-instgrm-version="14" style="background:#FFF;border:0;border-radius:3px;margin: 1px;max-width:540px;min-width:326px;padding:0;width:99.375%;width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px);width:calc(100% - 2px)">Walker Hayes' Sobriety
In 2016, Hayes unexpectedly quit drinking, after struggling with alcohol addiction for years.
"It had come to an embarrassing point," Hayes recalls to CBS News. "But I had a handle of vodka in my Honda Accord at all times. And it went in every beverage."
Hayes ultimately quit drinking after he had an epiphany that one drink would someday be his last, one way or another.
"I woke up, and physically, I've never felt like this before," Hayes remembers. "It wasn't even a hangover. It just felt like if I start again today and do this, I might die."
Hayes admits he has almost relapsed multiple times. But thanks to Laney and his circle of friends, he is still sober, even after all these years.
"I'm not gonna lie, but there were many nights where I called my wife and I said, 'Look, there's a bar down at the hotel, there's nobody there, and nobody would know,'" Hayes tells Rolling Stone. "There were many nights where I counted on my wife and friends to talk me through and say, 'You will not regret it if you don't have that drink. You will not regret it if you wake up tomorrow and don't have that secret to keep.'"
