Zachary Edwards was 22 when he released “Southern POS” as his debut single, choosing it because it was his parents’ favorite. The Fort Worth artist wrote the track about someone showing up at his worst point and him being honest enough to admit he couldn’t give anything healthy back. Edwards clarifies the title isn’t geographic—it’s not about being from the South, it’s about looking at yourself and believing you’d only hurt someone if you let them get close.
The Meaning Behind “Southern POS”
The song opens with rescue: “You pulled me from that ledge / said boy look me in my eyes / Oh I promise it ain’t better on the other side.” She saves him, they dance until their feet grow tired, talk till they’re tongue tied. But the narrator knows the timeline doesn’t work—being pulled from the edge doesn’t mean you’re ready to stand on solid ground. The chorus turns self-awareness into a barrier: “I’m not ready for your lovin / And even if I was / I know I couldn’t keep it / And even if I could, you’d still end up heart broken.”
It’s the logic of someone who’s internalized their own toxicity so completely they mistake isolation for protection. The verses document relapse—”These late nights / These blood shot eyes / Are feelin familiar again”—and locate the problem: “My hands still soaked in sin / And my mind’s lost where has it been / And my heart still stuck in the past.” Edwards returns to the opening image in the outro, confirming nothing changed: still on the edge, still drinking sideways, still not thinking about tomorrow. Some people reject love because they don’t want it. Others reject it because they want it too much to ruin it.
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