Zach Bryan has a rare gift for turning the ache of love, loss, and life’s brutal turns into poetry that feels lived-in and unflinchingly honest. Fresh off his massive 2024 release The Great American Bar Scene, the Oklahoma troubadour kicked off 2026 with With Heaven On Top, his sixth studio album dropped on January 9, 2026, via Belting Bronco Records and Warner Records. Clocking in at 25 tracks and over 78 minutes of raw Americana, the project captures Bryan in full stride—introspective, defiant, and deeply rooted in the kind of storytelling that has made him a generational voice. Sitting at track 16, Rivers and Creeks emerges as one of the album’s standout moments, with fans already diving deep into Rivers and Creeks lyrics by Zach Bryan for its haunting imagery of frozen love, betrayal, and the relentless pull of rivers leading to inevitable pain.
| Lead Vocals | Zach Bryan |
| Songwriter | Zach Bryan |
| Music Producer | Zach Bryan |
| Mastering Engineer | Pete Lyman |
| Mixing Engineer | Jacquire King |
| Background Vocals | Keenan O’Meara & Heaven Schmitt |
| Label | Warner Records |
| Release Date | January 9, 2026 |
| Song Language | English |
| Copyright © | Belting Bronco Records & Warner Records |
| Phonographic Copyright ℗ | Belting Bronco Records & Warner Records |
Lyrics of Rivers and Creeks by Zach Bryan
[Verse 1]
Well, All Them Girls Were Talking ’bout
All Their Boys Walking With Their Big Chests And Prideful Mouths
Had A Friend In Cincinnati Who Died With A Six-Shooter Taped To The Roof Of His Mouth
‘Cause His Girl Was Making Love To A Man Who’ll Never Give Her What She Needs
Like A Shark In The Middle Of The Big Pacific, She’ll Eat Anything That Fucking Bleeds
When It Gets Cold, Your Love, It Comes And Goes
Grows With The Vines And The Trees
Hate That It Grows Inside My Lungs
Freezes Up On The Rivers And Creeks
When It Gets High, You’re Not Around
Go To Town To Get A Different Look
Deep Within The Shaking, Earthquake In California Summer
Oh, I Pray You’ll Never Find Another [Verse 2]
Well, I Flew Across The Ocean,
Just Humbly Hoping I Would Make It To The Other Side
‘Cause Them Boots Of Spanish Leather Are Only
Worn Better When The Summon Went Down To High
When There’s Nowhere To Go And Nowhere To Call Home,
I Hope You Swim On Back Some Day
As The Sharks Eat All The Hearts That Are Fallin’ In Love In San Francisco Bay
When It Gets Cold, Your Love, It Comes And Goes
Grows With The Vines And The Trees
Hate That It Grows Inside My Lungs
Freezes Up On The Rivers And Creeks
And When It Gets High, You’re Not Around
Go To Town To Get A Different Look
Deep Within The Shaking, Earthquake In California Summer
Oh, I Pray You’ll Never Find Another [Bridge]
Well, Love Is Just A River, Yeah, Love Is Just A Creek
Leadin’ To The Slaughter With The Big, White Teeth
Love Is Just A River, Yeah, Love Is Just A Creek
Leadin’ To The Slaughter With The Big, White Teeth
Love Is Just A River, Yeah, Love Is Just A Creek
Leadin’ To The Slaughter With The Big, White Teeth
Love Is Just A River, Love Is Just A Creek
Leadin’ To The Slaughter With The Big, White
[Outro]
Well, Love Is Just A River, Yeah, Love Is Just A Creek
Leadin’ To The Slaughter With The Big, White Teeth
Love Is Just A River, Yeah, Love Is Just A Creek
Leadin’ To The Slaughter With The Big, White Teeth
About “Rivers and Creeks by Zach Bryan”
Zach Bryan channels raw heartache and poetic grit on Rivers and Creeks, blending vivid storytelling with a brooding, atmospheric flow.
The song’s verses paint stark pictures: girls gossiping about proud men, a tragic suicide tied to infidelity, and sharks circling in bays and oceans as metaphors for predatory love. The chorus hits hard with seasonal shifts—love that “comes and goes,” growing like vines but freezing on rivers and creeks, absent when the high hits, and a desperate prayer that she’ll never find another. The repetitive bridge drives it home: “Love is just a river, yeah, love is just a creek / Leadin’ to the slaughter with the big, white teeth,” a chilling refrain that echoes through the outro like a warning carved in stone. Written and produced entirely by Bryan himself, the track features his signature stripped-back style with subtle bass from Zephyr Avalon, delivering a sound that’s both intimate and expansive—think late-night drives through frost-covered landscapes.
With Heaven On Top arrives as a bold, sprawling statement following Bryan’s recent personal milestones: getting sober, marrying Samantha Leonard in Spain over the holidays, and navigating the aftermath of past relationships that have fueled much of his catalog. The album’s tracklist spans everything from high-energy rockers like “Santa Fe” and “Cannonball” to fragile folk moments, with nods to influences like Elliott Smith and even an Elvis-esque impression on this very track. Fans have noted its emotional depth, including apparent reflections on exes and sobriety, making it feel like a culmination of Bryan’s evolution from Navy vet to arena-filling songwriter.
In this phase of his career, Bryan is honing his craft—preempting “overproduced” critiques by dropping an acoustic version shortly after, proving he’s in control of his narrative. Rivers and Creeks reflects that maturity: a song that doesn’t shy away from darkness but finds beauty in the freeze and flow of human connection.
