Walker Hayes’ New Single ‘Craig’ Will Restore Your Faith in Humanity [LISTEN]
Walker Hayes' new single "Craig" is a departure from the breakup songs that have helped him make a name for himself. The track shares a true-to-life story about faith and good people -- or rather, one faith-filled, exceptionally good person in particular.
"Craig" is a story song about meeting a man at church who made Hayes feel at ease and didn't pass judgement on the singer during hard times. Hayes tells CMT the real-life Craig "was so genuine, even though I was messed up at the time."
“I had a lot of wrong preconceived notions about church-y folks, and I’m bad at judging the messenger not the message. But my wife dragged me to church. And I met this guy, Craig," Hayes remembers. "I think I even showed up that night a little drunk after watching football all day. But this guy and I hit it off.”
In the mostly spoken-word song, Hayes talks about Craig and how he was there for him when a previous record deal fell through. Specifically, Hayes tells a story about Craig giving Hayes' family (the singer, his wife and their six children) a car after the dealership repossessed their minivan.
Walker Hayes Discusses the Man Who Inspired "Craig"
"Yeah, I know, he sounds cool, right? / Not your typical kid from Sunday school, right? / Nah, he can't walk on water or turn the Napa Valley red / But he just might be tight with a man that did," Hayes sings in "Craig." "Now he's not the light of the world / But I wish that mine was bright as his / Yeah, he just might be tight with a man that is."
"I just sent it to him, out of the blue. I sent it to him and his wife and just said, ‘Thanks. I always wanted to just say thanks,'" Hayes recalls to Taste of Country. "It crushed him. He listened to it in the parking lot of a theater, and his wife texted me and said ‘He heard it, he can’t speak. He can’t text you right now.’ I think he was just losing it, crying."
Hayes released his first album in 2010 but really broke onto the scene with the casual sound of his breakup song "You Broke Up Me" in 2017. "Craig" follows that song as a single.