This week on GET REAL Podcast...WALKER HAYES!
Walker is one of the biggest STARS in country music today and deservingly so!
He is the epitome of HUMILITY and has such a bright LIGHT that shines through in EVERYTHING that he does.
IN THIS EPISODE, we talk:• His journey to SUPERSTARDOM• The reality of FAME• Having the biggest song on EARTH• The GIFT of SONGWRITING• Why failing isn't that SCARY and success isn't that GREAT• The THREE things Walker can't live without
Walker is a leading example of LOVE, LIGHT, and staying truly grounded in something so much bigger than us!
Listen to WALKER HAYES on GET REAL Podcast...NOW!
Stay tuned for our How-To Minisode on Thursday!
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:09):
Carol, she's a queen talking. She's getting not afraid of
things episode, so just let it flow. No one can
do with cry Carol, leon is sound learn. I have
been excited about talking to you since I knew that
(00:32):
you were coming on, because we're briefly talking before this
podcast started and just saying how we had both we've
been a Nashville forever ever. I think actually you and
I like my record deals stealing angels. I feel like
we kind of did a couple of shows together when
you were just getting started, Like we did want to
Tin Ruf in Lexington or something Louisville. Oh my goodness. Yeah.
(00:56):
It was like remember that no people there. It was
me into Legen and you and somebody else. And I
just remember like thinking you were so awesome and cool.
And I remember thinking it was so cool that you
had a family because you were like doing the artist
thing back in the day day already family, which is hard.
I mean, that's a lot of work and traveling to shows,
(01:18):
and but I just feel like now the generation and
what's going on, I'm like, I don't I don't know
what's happening. I am so out of the loop. Yeah,
I'm I mean, yeah, Laney and I got here in
oh four and you know, no, but you know, when
you get here and you're you're you're you're married or
(01:41):
you know, no one was like, hey, I recommend you, guys,
while you're chasing this dream, why don't you go ahead
and start a family? You know, so our first you know,
our first kid was kind of a surprise for us.
I remember Laney was pregnant our first anniversary, so that
was five and um, you know, it didn't make sense,
(02:04):
but kids just brought They just brought so much joy,
you know, and and purpose and uh and for me,
you know, my children and how have always been um
more or less fuel. You know, I'm not a I'm
not an achiever. I'm not a goal oriented guy. And
(02:24):
but my my children and my wife make me that. Uh.
I'm just honestly, on the angiogram, I think I'm like
a four. It's called an individual. Like if if the
whole herd is like rushing this way, I'm I'm this guy,
you know, I'm I'm the type of person if you
(02:46):
tell me how great a movie is or how how
much I'm gonna get along with so and so, you know,
because we're like we're not gonna get along and I'm
never gonna go see that movie. And I don't know why,
you know, I just I'm an individual. I I cannot
do it like everyone else does it. And honestly, that's
(03:08):
that's that hasn't made my career any easier. Um, that's
in fact made it. I think that's partly why it
took so long. But it's also partly why when it
did happened, it happened on a on a large scale,
if that makes any sense. But yeah, we've we've never
made sense. And I love my family, but just just
(03:29):
having them, Lanny on his last she's like, you would
be fine with a guitar and just a bag of
Hamburgers under a bridge, you know. But they give me
something to to provide for and to and to excel
for and to succeed for and to be an example for.
And and I love that. I love that God has
(03:50):
given me, you know, little people to to try to
guide and someone to love, you know, and to to
be the best version of myself. But yeah, I do
I feel exhausted. You know this, this town will will
tire you you out, you know, you you come here
(04:10):
just you're you're the one, you know, that live that
leaves wherever you came from, and you're and you're like,
you're fret, You're like, you you bucked the system there
and you're gonna come here and you're gonna make something happen,
and um, and it wears on you. You know, your
naivety is stolen? And um, when did you realize that
(04:33):
that was stolen? Like when did it start to switch
from the big beautiful dream? Because like this happened to me.
I still love creativity and I still respect the magic
of it all, but like I am so entrenched in
the truth of what it takes and how it eats
you up and all the sacrifices, and like the heart
that sometimes gets stolen, the individual heart that gets stolen.
(04:56):
It's like, you know, I can't unsee and I know
what know after twenty years and you can't either, And
so when did you realize that? Like when did the
shiny dream turn into oh my god, I'm like, this
is not this is so much more than like and
I feel like now it's the veils being lifted so
much more like TikTok and everyone sharing truth all the time,
(05:17):
but especially in our day like it was just I
didn't know all the stuff. Yeah, I think, man, I
mean I was, I was a late learner, but I'll
never forget. Um. When I had had a few publishing deals,
a few record deals, lost them. Um. So I had
(05:38):
seen how songs were created, how hard it was, you know,
to get other artists to cut them and stuff. And
I think Laney and I we were about to have
our sixth kid, and I was just you know, I
was working, I was stocking produce at Costco and you've
I know, you I know you felt this. It's yeah.
(06:00):
I was just kind of reflecting before I went in
the clock in and you know, there was a lyric
you know, scribbled on my hand and I just felt foolish,
you know. I was just like, what am I doing?
You know that the it's not even the odds, it's
(06:20):
just that this business is very um, it's very cultivated.
It's very manipulated. Yeah, as you know, it's not it's
not about it's not about what's in our hearts as
the creator just just trying to express ourselves. It is
a business, and it's a very lucrative and cut throat
(06:41):
and just dangerous business. And and I knew, you know,
but at that U in that many years, I had
seen front row what really happens behind the scenes, you know,
why some people make it, why some people do why,
you know, I I clearly seen, Oh my gosh, this
(07:02):
is not just like here's my diary. I want to
put it to music. You know, everybody listen, you know
it's it's It wasn't like that, but yeah, there was
still a lyric, you know, written on my hand. And
so I just felt like an idiot. I was like
I was, I was asking myself, why why I want
(07:23):
this dream, why I want this songwriting thing? Why why
why won't it just leave me alone? Because honestly, again,
like I said earlier, I'm not a gory and a guy.
I'm very I'm very Like there's only a few things
in my life that I want to do forever, and
and that's I want to I really literally, I mean,
(07:44):
I love Laney. I didn't know that I could love.
So I mean, I I'm I have to pray to
God that I don't I don't love Laney more than him.
That like that's a constant prayer of mine. And and
and that's bad. You know, If I love she her loyalty.
(08:05):
I mean, I've never had anyone stay with me this long,
you know. I mean I was I was not a
good I was a horrendous teenager, trouble troue, troublemaking teenager.
I was an alcoholic before I was old enough to drink. Uh.
I'm seven years off smokeless tobacco. So for for the
(08:26):
majority of Laney's life, there's been spit cups everywhere. You know. Uh,
I'm just the you know, I'm another kid in the house.
I mean, but I'm just saying Laney and I just
have this friendship. You know, that started when when we
were in high school, and it was different from the start.
(08:46):
But what my my point was, you know, Laney, I
want to be a dad and I want to write songs.
I mean, really, that's that's it for me. You know,
I want to love the Lord, you know most of all.
But I'm not a I don't know how much money
we have. I don't care. Um, I'm not like you know,
(09:08):
I get into other hobbies and stuff and they're they're okay,
But I'm not like that guy who's twenty hours on
the golf course trying to improve my game. I mean,
it's fun, but I really am there there. It's really simple,
like those are the things. But that's what happened to me,
you know, is I could not and I still won't.
(09:30):
You know. I was talking to somebody the other day, Caroline,
I I don't really know what's going on in my career.
I can't quite explain it. I'll take it, hey, I'll
take it because it's obviously we can go eat and
we can we have food and you know, we we
we we have a roof and the heats on and
the A C works in our cars and it's awesome.
(09:52):
But I still wake up with it with that lyric,
a new lyric on my hand and it and praise
God for that. You know, I do feel blessed in
that music. Man. Without that therapeutic outlet, you take the
whole business and you shove it aside. But without that gift,
(10:14):
that language of songwriting, I would be in jail. I
know I would. It is it is. I'm not really
good at, you know, communicating, but like I said, I
can write it on my hand and then it eventually
makes it to paper and then I've been able. I'm
able to say, you know, what's on my heart. So
(10:37):
I don't know if that makes any sense, but yeah,
the business and just life in general. You know, it's
I think I think I'm at an age. It's a
I think all ages have their you know, ups, ups
and downs, their positives and their negatives. But I just
lost my dad. You know you, I know you've talked
(10:57):
to Lanny Laney. We've lost a kid. I've got a
seventeen year old daughter. That's that's so weird and also hard,
but also beautiful. I'm at a I'm at a very
like I always you, I'm in the middle. You know,
I'm looking I'm looking at old, and I'm looking at young,
and I'm looking at me. And like you just said,
(11:20):
I'm kind of noticing like that drive, that desire, that
naivety is gone. There's a fatigue, a natural fatigue. And
I think it's beautiful too, because I do not think.
I just don't think life is the end all be all,
as beautiful as this place is. I mean, I cannot
wait to walk in in God's kingdom and and just
(11:44):
rest and just you know, all the sorrow is gone,
and and I'm with my Savior and the maker of
all things, and and and I don't have to have
a foot, and it's very like insecure, unsettling, broken place. Agreed. Okay,
(12:05):
I feel you all the way. I I love everything
you said because, like I said, you're my favorite, like
you really are. I'm about I'm gonna tell you a
few of the reasons why you're my favorite. Okay, so
let me sit back for this. I love the way
(12:29):
you have played your cards, and you've been given some
really tough cards like you Hey. I like that you
have these three things, Laney, like writing songs and your kids,
and that's it. And it's not like you don't have
all these expectations for how it's supposed to be. It's
like I just in every different chapter of your life
(12:52):
and having been able to know you for so long
and just like loosely follow your career. We've never been
like exactly like best friends are total running tase, but
I've always like known what's going on in your life
and like seeing you just continuing on and you have
hit some moments in your life, You've hit some great
moments like you started off with Laney. You have this
(13:13):
and like talking to her like yea, this beautiful, awesome
young love that y'all were able to actually like keep
and cultivate and pursue and keep alive and grow together.
And that's another thing. Your marriage, Like I you and
Laney are such just an example of why you don't
(13:33):
quit in marriage when things get hard, because there are
so many seasons of marriage that aren't easy to be in,
you know, that are hard, that will test you, that
will like you don't have anything to give, and you've
gone through several of those with Laney, Like you've gone
through some really hard ones, from like like you said,
overcoming alcohol, to losing a child together, to going through
(13:55):
all these record deals, to all instability of the music industry,
to raising all these kids is to all the responsibility,
like so much pressure. There's so much pressure, there's so
many highs, there's so many lows. It's so intense, and
there's so many reasons for both of you all to
have called it. I'm sure if you wanted to. You know,
I have a friend who just had a baby and
(14:17):
she is like with her husband and she loved her husband.
She loves her husband, but there in that first year
having a baby, their life's getting turned upside down. Like
I think I might have to get a divorce and
I'm like, no, no, she's not. Even we talked her
out of it, she's not going to but like, you know,
she's just like she's in one of those really tough
moments that make you question everything. But when you walk
(14:38):
through them with your spouse and when you walk through
them with yourself, and you choose to take the higher road,
and you choose to have hope even though you feel hopeless,
and you choose to believe in your highest and best
self and what you're capable of, and to pursue your
gifts and to pursue your passions and to pursue what's
on your heart. And you choose to keep doing that
(15:00):
when you have so many reasons and things to tell
you otherwise, and reasons to quit, reasons to call it,
reason to say this is too hard. I give up
on all of it. Like I'm done, I'm peace, Like
I'll see you all later, everybody. You know, it's like
there's a million times you could have done that, and
you maybe had moments of like being in the bottom
of the of the you know, the moment, feeling all
(15:22):
of it. But every time you and Laney and your
family you all come out together, and you'll walk out
together and you stay together and you keep moving forward,
and it makes you cry because it's so inspiring. Like
you are. I love watching and I'm I know you're tired,
and I know your family is tired, and you are
working so hard. But it's like to see your family
(15:44):
as this unit doing this dream with all the ship
that you'll have had to go through. I'm like, Jesus,
like seriously, Jesus, Like it is amazing, Like it is
coming through y'all, and you're giving all of us hope
to hang in there, to keep going, to stay a unit,
to believe in marriage, to believe in the family, to
believe in what's on your heart, and like to know
(16:05):
that like you can go through the shittiest things, like
the worst nightmare of a parent, and like overcoming alcohol
and like going through all these setbacks and you still
can come out and have hope and have dreams fulfilled.
And that is what we need to see because so
many people quit when things get hard. It's so easy
to quit, you know, people, It's like a quit society.
Everyone's canceled. Everything is quit and canceled immediately if something
(16:28):
goes wrong. You know, you just have never done that.
And I am so inspired by you. That's why you're
my favorite. And you're adorable with your family and your
great songs, and it's like you're do you just and
I and I know like you're giving all this and
so you are giving so much to people, which is
such a blessing and a gift to give like you give,
(16:49):
and to share like you share. But it is truly
you are you guys, as ripple effect is huge. It's
such an example that is like y'all are like one
of the only family example is out there to this
degree of love and commitment and togetherness that it's just inspiring. Walker,
It's amazing. Well, I sincerely appreciate your kind words. And honestly,
(17:11):
Landy and I look at each other and first you're
you're just you're just seeing the Lord. That's all you're seeing,
is not It's not Landy and Ie willpower. The last
thing Landy and I would ever do is um judge
anyone who got divorced. And I say that just because
(17:33):
we've just looked at each other and not know, not
knowing how to go forward, you know, and I what
a hopeless feeling, you know, to look at your best friend,
to look at your best friend in life and feel lonely,
there's nothing worse than that. And Laney and I have
we felt like that this year. We felt like that
(17:56):
in true tragedy, and we felt like at in worldly
success beyond our mind's imagination. And so that's really set
us free from our earthly circumstances. So praise God for
that lesson. We didn't know that in our twenties. We
didn't know that in our thirties. You know, again, walking
(18:18):
through that, I think that's the that's the thing that
you guys are doing and showing us, and I agree,
like some people it's it's in their best interest to
get divorced or whatever, Like I feel the same way,
no judgment. I just know though, for a lot of people,
if you can walk through it with a higher calling
like you guys, when you get to the other side,
when you look at each other, it's better than anything
(18:41):
you could have ever imagined. Because to go through something
so hard and feel so hopeless, but then actually get
to the other side, what is that feeling like? Uh,
it's just to to me, the my favorite thing about
getting to those seasons on the kind of like past
(19:03):
the storms is just the strength you know you feel, Um, honestly,
I really do. I mean, look, I I can't imagine
living forty three more years. I mean my life like
you described, well, I just I'm just saying I have
tasted everything. I mean, it's honestly, it's like the if
(19:28):
the world was a sponge. I feel like pretty much
my entire life, it's like God just rang it out
and and I've I've literally tasted I've I've taken a
drink of every single thing you you know, Like I said,
I mean, I've lost a kid. I don't know anything
(19:49):
that's gonna suck worse than that. Um, I've had the
biggest song on earth. I don't know. I don't know
if however, I got I would be stupid even try
to do that again. Like that's that's that's like Hayley's
comment coming around two nights in a row, like I
don't know, and and so, so there's this spectrum right there.
(20:13):
Your bandwidth is literally from the highest of highest to
the lowest of those. Like you have that big of
a bandwidth. Most people are so small, like they can't
you know, their life does stay so small and it's
like you're you have that you have touched the top
of the earth, to the bottom of the top of
the heavens, to the bottom of the It is every
(20:34):
and it's everything in between. Nothing really shops you or
nothing's really nothing can nothing can do anything for you,
really right, nothing nothing I'm I'm I mean honestly, And
that's why I'm still shocked that I do wake up, um,
and I desire to to to write something, you know,
(20:54):
And in my heart of hearts, I want to just um,
I want to find people who don't want to be
here anymore and just help them stay, you know. And
so that's that's kind of my hope on socials is
not you know, I think and you and I you
(21:14):
and I know this. I I can be. I can
be tempted, tempted to to begin to look side to side,
you know, and go, we don't have that. I didn't
have that many people in my crowd last night. I
don't have that car in my driveway. Oh that family
looks happier than me. Oh that that guy looks like
(21:37):
everybody gives him more credibility for his his craft. You know, um, Lenny,
you know that Mom's got a little more together. You know,
she's got a little more reins hold on her kids.
Her kids behave better, her kids dressed better. They care
about the things I want. You know, I can. I
can definitely be one of those people. But I desire
(22:01):
now just as as an artist. It's just to show
people the mess and to not you know, and obviously
also one of my one of my biggest jobs I
see is to not react two the wrong response. I mean,
not a lot of people. A lot of people don't
love me, Caroline. You know, a lot of people aren't
(22:23):
fans of my music. A lot of people don't like
my family. A lot of people don't like my A
lot of people don't like my faith. A lot of
people if I post something in my house, they find, uh,
something I'm doing this dangerous or my kid doesn't have
a life jacket on or you know, yeah, you know,
(22:45):
and so you know, you can never you can never
share anything, you know where everybody is pleased. But it
is just my hope that like you like you saw
Lanny and I literally wake up and and every single
place we go, if if we're driving to a high
school basketball game, if we're if we're driving to a
(23:05):
show that's work related. If we're driving to a a
family event, we just beg the Lord just to shine
through us, and and and and it takes the pressure
off us, you know, to to pretend to act, to
try to please um, to perform um. I'm a natural performer.
Landis a natural pleaser. And those, you know, I don't
(23:28):
think that any of gram stuff is stuff like to
to see about ourselves an applaud like, yeah, I'm a pleaser,
and I think it's it's those those are actually our
flaw Those are actually our sins, you know, like I
and and so I. We we just we asked God,
you know, to to shine through us somehow. And our
messy family and you know, my kids are bad, they're
(23:50):
not perfect, and our house is messy and we're not
even gonna try to, you know, clean it up. And
we're just we're just trying to do the best we
can and life and we would love to allow people
to watch us and hopefully just relax um and and
just go. You know, life on earth isn't isn't isn't
(24:13):
about you know, more and more and more because like
I said, we've tasted at all. And I'm telling you
if if I could give one lesson to all the
kids you know who want to be me, is that
success is the the biggest letdown of my life. It is. Um.
(24:35):
It did it didn't fix anything that matters at all. Um.
As a matter of fact, I don't know how to
properly describe, And honestly, I'm still kind of processing what's
happened to us over the years. But the other night,
Landy and I were driving home from Chuck E Cheese
and I'm sure we had every disease in the world,
(24:56):
you know, we we we went hard. We shut the
place down. There was one family there, it was it
was so late, and one family was there and they
didn't know who I was. And when we left the
a rock had hit our windshield and it was cracked ore. Um.
(25:17):
Some things in our band weren't working right. We were freezing,
and we all have pizza on our hands, and the
kids had, you know, their their toys, you know that
they have bought with their tickets or whatever. And I, honestly,
I looked over at Laney and I said, we feel this.
We I feel poor again, like financially poor, and and
(25:38):
I don't know why, but it feels so good, and
yeah it did it felt great? And why did you
like that feeling? What did it? What did it make
you reminisce about? It made me reminisce about um kind
of being unrecognizable, you know, as a family. Uh, and
just the simplicity of of life, you know, success and
(26:03):
you know everywhere I go, God blessed. I freaking love people.
But it's you know, you'd uh, you can't. I can't.
I can't stay hidden anymore. People want to talk to you,
Like when you go out in public, people like, well
you're like, they're like Walker, Walker, take her picture with me?
Is it like that? Yeah, yeah, it's that, And I
(26:24):
love I wouldn't. I mean, I wouldn't switch total totally.
I mean, but I think the I think what the
I think for me just as an individual, Why I
I suck at handling? It is that it was so
It wasn't It wasn't a it wasn't like a hey,
let's this comes gradually. It was literally like overnight, you know,
(26:48):
I went from just some dad you probably passed in
our neighborhood to the next moment I went into Chick
fil A. It was like there's a line, you know, people.
What happened exactly? You did a TikTok video with your daughter. Yeah,
(27:08):
it was fancy like, it was fancy like yeah, and
it was and and it was I mean literally I went.
I mean it just it exploded, I mean over it
literally overnight. So y'all made the dance up, put it up,
and then everyone just got it. Yeah. I mean it's
as simple as that. No, no, no, um, I mean
(27:30):
we didn't even know if my fans would like the song,
you know, and you you know, um Caroline, you know
how you you have a song, you have an album
coming up, and you're like you share it with gatekeepers
and stuff. Nobody, not one person was like, hey, I'd
love to support that song. Um, So we didn't have
(27:52):
We just didn't know what was coming. I mean we
were clueless and uh so it came like a freight train.
What happened when you woke up and the world now
all of a sudden knew your name. That's kind of terrifying. Actually,
that kind of makes me have hives a little bit.
Well what, yeah, it was And I think from the
outside you were like, well, isn't you know you could
be like, well, isn't this what you are in this
(28:12):
what you wanted, you know, but I just you know,
I guess I just was my neve to like what
what all that in compet like, you know, and it's
not just me, you know, it's my it's my family,
you know, it's my wife, it's one of my kids. Right,
It's like people are me included, are obsessed with watching
(28:33):
your family because it's so it makes you feel y'all.
Make whatever you're describing about your life, your truth, your honesty,
your real life with your family that you're sharing. It's
so comforting to see this, like it's so I share
my family and I you you have to understand this,
you know, from from like a social influential place. You know,
(28:57):
when you're making a video, you're not thinking of I
don't count how many people watch this thing. It's not
like I scroll, I'm like how many viewer? You know
what I mean? I just I just pop stuff off.
But when you go out in public, it is it's overwhelming.
How many people. How many people are like I watch
(29:17):
your ticket, you know, like we'll walk through Walmart here
in Winchester and everybody, you know, everybody that that we passed,
is like, I love your stuff, what we watch your videos.
I know your daughter, you know, are you Lilly? You know?
And and it's and I love that. I'm like, this
is our family, but you know, it can be a lot.
And again it was the whip lash and what I honestly,
what I love now is that it is taught Laney
(29:43):
and my kids how meaningless I mean, I know the
stuff we share again, I hope that people can see
the Lord and us just on our knees saying God
help us through this life, like what does it look?
How do we do today? But it's also just sensitized
(30:03):
us too. The we don't curate stuff we pust like,
we just do, like Leela doesn't care if she hadn't
have makeup on. You know, it's and it's And we've
also found out how fast the world forgets like something
if it's positive or negative. Last Thursday, No, no one
remembers next Thursday. I mean it's it's already over and
(30:25):
it's cycled and it's but yeah, I mean I I,
Lanny and I have really done our best again, we
have had there there was what happened honestly when when
we blew up, I left and you know, as you
know as a as a tour musician. I was gone
and I had a conversation with my manager and I said,
(30:48):
this is not you know, I said, I was grateful
because I said, my team, you guys are definitely gonna
be compensated wonderfully for this song. So I didn't feel
bad for this. But I said, I'm done. You know,
I just finally got it, like it finally hit on
the biggest level ever and you're like, yeah, well, actually
(31:12):
not gonna do this. Well I left. I mean, I
didn't see my kids for about six and I thought
yeah and and and uh and not gonna lie. I mean,
there's there's been moments where Laney and I've been driving
to the bus and I have said I have literally
just this is this was that, this is that one
(31:33):
of those moments that I'll definitely get emotional if I
sit and dwell on it too long, So I'm gonna hurry.
But We're sitting in the car and it's just all
too much, and we're we're just kind of praying together
but also fighting but also crying, and and we're yeah,
and we're and I'm just like, do we just need
(31:54):
to lead? Like, do we just need to stop. Do
we just need to turn it off? Um? Because I
read a quote the other day and and it really
gosh it it hit me right in the stomach, and
but in it if it felt good as I read,
somebody say, you know, God is the only individual created
(32:20):
who can handle worship humans. We just can't. None of
us can do really good. It's will it will always
be a fight if you are worshiped. And honestly, that's
to any level. That's if you're if you're a middle
school basketball player and you had a great game and
all of a sudden you're a guide on that court.
(32:40):
You're not created to handle that. And if you're just
a dad you know who writes songs and you really
really you know, I'm just handing pictures to people wanting
to put on there, want me to want them to
put on their fridge, and then all of a sudden,
I write fancy like and it's like now everybody everybody
thinks we I know something, they don't, you know they
And I'm like, bro, my odds are terrible. I've written
(33:02):
two thousand songs and I had one that did did
did amazing, you know, and thank god I had a
couple after that, and and and we're we're on a
we're having a moment, and that's that's great and all.
But yeah, it's just success has really been um tragic.
I mean it's been it's been humbling. It's been to struggle.
(33:24):
It's it's it's impacted my marriage and negative ways. It's
impacted me as a father. Um. There's mornings where I
wake up and I feel gross and I think, I think,
am I just using my family to glorify me? That's gross,
that's nasty, that's gross. I don't want to do that
to y'all. You're not an object, You're not a product.
(33:46):
We're just a family who happens to share, you know.
And I have to reverse and go why are we serving?
How am I serving? What? What am I serving? Am
I am I looking for more affirmation for from from
people out there from Nashville or from radio? What? Who
am I trying to gain? What is your answer? Because
(34:10):
now I'd be so interested to know your answer to
part what is who are you serving? But why? Now
that you have had the full bandwidth of top to bottom? What? Why?
How do you want to do anything anymore? I just
want to serve the Lord and this are the tools
that he gave you. Yeah, I mean I think, I think,
(34:32):
I think all those things I just described in those
battles are by by His mercy and his grace and
the Holy Spirit. Those are that's awareness that He's given me.
You know. I think every single day God uncovers more
of my sins, which leads me back to the cross,
back to Jesus, because I need you know, I'm never
(34:55):
gonna go to bed here and go bound. I kicked
all those sins, but you know, like I am, all
my motives today were completely pure, uh and I certain
you know that's not ever going to happen this side
of heaven. And each day again, like I said, I
just have an awareness of what I'm really what I
(35:17):
was really trying to accomplish every day, and it was
kind of gross most that mostly it was to make
me look good, exalt me, get me more followers, sell
more records. But by God's grace, like you said, sometimes
people turn on my Instagram. Sometimes people turn on my
song and they don't they don't hear me singing. They
(35:39):
get a hug from from the Lord, you know, and
that's not that is not because of me. That is
not because Landy is a good mom. That's not because
my kids are all star kids. That's not because our
family is like the freaking Brady Bunch. You know. It
is just God shining through a really really messed up
(35:59):
house old that is just trying to fall on our
knees daily and and give everything we've got to him
because a of all, he gave it to us in
the first place. You know, he gave me music, he
gave me Laney, he gave us each other, um, he
gave us our beautiful kids. He gave us Oakley, the
(36:21):
kid we lost, who literally has impacted lives around the world.
That that that's that's unbelievable to me. How God has
used that, um, you know, as a part of his plan.
And I still selfishly would look back and go, I
don't care God, I just want to I just want
to see my kid, you know. And you know, and
(36:44):
so I don't know, man, life life is just it's
crazy to to Laney and I and we we really
do you know, if people want to know, we we
sit a lot together and just look at each other
and go, I don't know, like, what what are we doing?
(37:07):
Like I mean we I mean like I said to
you today, I'm sitting at a we live on the
water now at Thamesford Lake. I I truly every day
wake up and I'm like, six years ago, I couldn't
change a tire on my car, And now I go
to a Wendy's and people want me to sign their
(37:31):
baby's forehead and I have a boat, and I'm just
like what in the crap? Like what is this? You know,
like what you know? And I don't know. It's just
a weird life is so I think the veil is
just lifted, you know, it is completely I feel that
(37:55):
way in my own personal journey. I just I have
been saying this like lately, like I literally have zero goals,
Like I don't have one goal, and I like, I'm
not like an unmotivated person, but I just there is
nothing out there that is so like unattainable or so
(38:15):
spectacular or so out of this world. I'm like, no,
it all is just you're you're you're you're like quoting
Ecclesiasts is what you're doing? What is the quote? Well, No,
I'm just saying mean that that book is written you
know by a Keen who did it all? I mean
he learned everything. Yeah, every woman, you know, he he
(38:39):
did it all. He did literally the whole thing. He partied,
he learned, he fasted, he did, he did it. He
did it all. And it's basically like it's kind of meaningless,
you know, And honestly, to me, there is a it
walks a line, you know, when you when that veil
is lifted, you can easily get sad. You can easily
(39:02):
be like, ah, that's like the matrix is like reverse reverse.
I want to take the other pills, right, yeah, yeah,
you're right, and I want I want that, like I
want that just enthusiasm to do things, to do things.
And then but then there's also the freedom um which
allows you to literally like wake up and walk a
(39:26):
circle around the house with the dogs and watch each
of them poop and be like man, God made dogs,
like it's crazy, you know, and then come inside and
like my kids wake up that staggered and they come
out and I'm like, you know, I could chase another
hit right now, or I could just sit here and
(39:49):
just yawn together with Lilly, you know, and you know,
to heal to brush your teeth because her breath is bad.
But we can laugh about it. And then you know,
it's like I think, I think, honestly, I think that's
a gift for the veil to be removed and allow
you to be present on this earth for what it's worth.
Next time old lady down the street gets out of
(40:12):
her car, and you know she talks too much, just
be like, I'm gonna sit here. So she literally runs
out of things to say because you know what, it
doesn't matter. Well, it's gonna. Honestly, what always happens to
me is I'm like, I'm gonna, yeah, I'm gonna like,
I'm like, I'm gonna do this old lady in favor,
and then I leave with all this the stories and
(40:34):
this this wisdom, and I'm just like, I'm like, man,
why didn't I talk to that lady before? You know?
And I'm too busy. We got too many same things
to do. You gotta stay on wheel, you got me,
come on emails, you got stuff with me. It's but
it's like, who Here's nothing matters, And so I feel
(40:55):
the same way as you do. It's like my whole
thing now is like I heard life Coach. Last year,
I literally was so like lost in my own matrix
of this world in this swirld, but I was like,
I need to get on to track. I need to
like figure out some major blocks that I have, and
I need to clear my brain. And I have just
really come to realize that the only thing I can do,
(41:17):
like now, for me to have a fulfilling life is
to literally be so in tune with my connection to
the higher calling, like it guides me, like I had,
and like that's the only way I can live my life.
Because I'm like, God, you know, I'm here at your service,
like I literally because I'm the same with you. I like,
I'm like, oh, I'm I believe me. I don't want
(41:41):
to die at all, especially now that I have a daughter.
I want to stay on earth. But I'm like, man,
I'm like like, if I'm lucky, I'm halfway through, which
is wonderful, and I want to stay and do it all.
But I'm like, I'm tired too. I'm worn out by
all of the complexity of like the extremes, the suffering
and the pleasure and all that like that win I got.
I just yo yo with it all so much. And
(42:02):
I'm just like and I so I feel the same way.
I'm like, Okay, the only thing I can do is
literally be so clear in an alignment with my higher
calling that I am guided and I will know what
to do, and the doors will open and all the
opportunities that are for me will come, and the things
that won't won't, or whatever happens, I can live with
because that was yeah, and you're you're what you just said.
(42:24):
I mean, shoot, that's that's um. You know plenty and
little is exactly what you said. Where you're where you're.
You know, let's let's all be removed from our circumstances.
You know. I try to help my kids, like sometimes
their circumstances yank their emotions and then their emotions just
(42:47):
take them on a ride, you know, door slam. Kids
get silent, they're mad, and I'm like, hey, you know,
you're allowing your situation and to be the end all
be all, Like all you care about is this. The
outcome of this situation in life is gonna be miserable
(43:09):
if you do like you and I do yo yo
with the you know, I can't honestly, I can't stand.
I can't stand my my overwhelming joy as much as
my overwhelming depression. You know, when I when I write
a song and I turn it in and everybody gets
excited and they say, it's gonna be my next hit.
(43:29):
It's you four it. I come home and I'm a
better dad. I'm like, can I cook you guys dinner?
You know? Or like I'm like, no, let's go out,
let's just blow a ton of money, and like you know,
and it's funny. I'm yeah, Well, well, what I'm doing
is letting my circumstance just fulfill me. It's it's just
(43:50):
like it's like this nasty meal of like doritos that's
not nutritious, but it just tastes so good right now.
But why they're the thing though, don't you think since
you have this bigger awareness, that it's okay to let
yourself ride the wave of joy or grief all the
way because that is the human experience. You know that
it's not the end all be all, but like it
(44:12):
is the human experience to be able to have those
moments with feelings extremities, you know, because you want to
be able to feel it something like a remorse, a
joyful hangover, like what happens? Well, it's it's just like
you said, it's it's all those the sad and the
joy are fleeting if they're not in Our Maker, you
(44:37):
know what I mean, Like our Maker fills us up.
You know, the song the affirmation, it goes away and
it's almost like it is a drug. You know, life
is a drug in that sense where um, the more
you get, dude, I gotta tell you, Caroline, like I
(44:58):
am worried that I affirmation, like if it was one
of those punching bags that you punched and it goes
up on a number. I sometimes feel that this year
it broke that. I mean, there were nights on stage
where I would I would go sit in the green
(45:18):
room and just kind of stare and and have to
come down from that applause and and it's it's almost
like it ruined. It will never be as loud, you know.
It's it's like if it doesn't get above that next
I won't feel that. And so now I'm I'm chasing it.
(45:41):
You know, I'm like, what because it can't if it's
the same as it was last night, it just didn't
hit the it doesn't hit the same, you know. And
so and I think the again, I think these are
all things. They're they're they're created, we're created to enjoy
these things. It's when it's when they become our idols
(46:05):
that that we begin they begin to have consequences. You know.
If if I rely on this industry two make me happy,
you know, and and to fulfill me, to fill my heart,
it's just not it's gonna let me down. And I'm
gonna wear myself out trying to squeeze everything I can
(46:28):
out of it. I'm gonna ruin my marriage, I'm ruined
my family. I'm gonna ruin my kids. I'm gonna teach
my kids to do that same thing, you know, to
go out there and succeed, succeed, succeed, because that's the
only way you're ever gonna matter. And then they're not
gonna matter, you know, to themselves. And it's just gonna
be this comp this hamster wheel, you know that that
I'm gonna send them on. Um. But look, I don't
(46:52):
have anything figured out. I think that's kind of the
point I'm trying to make to the world. Is failing,
isn't It's not that scary. Success isn't that great? Um,
Even if you do have a crowd of a hundred
and they all applaud, it's good it feels good for
a night, you know, but you wake up the next
(47:13):
day and you go, what do they think today? And
then if two days go by, you're like, they still
like me, you know, um, And so don't chase that,
you know, like you said, look up, you know, uh,
look at the Father, look at the maker of all things.
He he doesn't want us um running around ironing what
(47:38):
he just offers you already, you know, Walker, I'm telling
you you are. You are on this platform because what
you have to say is so important here and if
it wasn't someone who would live the life that you
have lived with the platform that you now have, Like
the message you're speaking, it's just so it's so thoughtful,
(48:01):
and it's so heart centered and soul centered, but it's
just so real and you're just speaking how everyone is living.
But you just are like, so you've lived so much
that you don't even care to try to be anything
other than what you are. And that's what's so refreshing,
Like you're just like, this is it, all of it,
And that's what's so amazing that you're that you are,
(48:22):
that that you are able to speak with this. Your
message comes out and it's so received because of your honesty.
I appreciate it. And I, like I said, I don't
I don't have I don't have any any real answers
except Jesus and uh, but I will. You know, I
can tell you're you're here too, is um Craig my
(48:45):
my neighbor, that basically the guy who introduced me to Jesus.
He just helped. He helped my family so much. He
told told me one day that our greatest like the
greatest gift, Um, you know, we can give each other.
It's just our attention. And um, I believe that, you know.
(49:08):
That's you know, that's that's what Laney gives me. You know,
it's just it's just time. And that's what Craig, you know,
gave me. And that's that's hard, you know, that's hard
to find in this world. Is just somebody who will
be a tenant, you know, because because most you most
(49:29):
all of us are, we're on our way somewhere for ourselves,
you know essentially, And that's okay, you know that, that's
all right. That's that's always gonna be a battle, you know,
to to put down whatever you got on your agenda
and just pay attention to people. But that's kind of something. Um,
(49:49):
you know, dwelling on you know as this year past,
it's been nice. Lanny and I've had we have off
till April, so we we don't tour till April. And um,
it's uh, it was at first it was that curtain
was ripped under, you know, I didn't have a show,
and I was like, who am I? And uh, three
(50:12):
days later I was like, no, really, who am I?
You know, I gotta do I gotta accomplish something. And
then um, but then about seven or eight days and
I was like, I'm feeling I feeling pretty good, being lazy,
uh and just hanging so man, human human kind is
interesting life the whole thing in bananas. It is. It
(50:37):
is and and um, you know it's been good for us.
I mean I thank God every morning for for this
little town we're in right now. It is it is
it just I love, you know, getting out of Nashville
for a second. No, nothing against Nashville. I just not true.
(51:01):
Sometimes you know, not go for it. It's like no,
I'm with you. Yeah, yeah, you're not sure what Oh.
I was just saying, it's it's not Nashville. It's it's
it's more my um knowing myself. It's just really hard
(51:23):
to to prioritize, you know. It's it's hard to prioritize,
it's hard to rest uh and it's and it's um.
You know, I think, like I said, we know, I look,
I don't go in a liquor store, um, you know.
And so honestly, sometimes I'm like I might need to
(51:44):
get on not get on social media today. You know,
I just need to live alone. You know that that's
a there's just awareness is you know. I think God
gives us about ourselves, and it's okay not to shun,
you know, shun certain people are showing plate. It's not
the place, not the people that are at it's us
that are bad in those environments. And it's okay to
(52:04):
wake up and go I don't do the right things there,
you know, I don't. I don't quite have the self
control to go into the music row today. You know,
I'm gonna I'm gonna try too hard for the wrong reason.
You know, I don't know that. I love that. And
(52:24):
just like I think removing things from your life is like,
honestly more important than put adding things in. It's like
you gotta get get a clear cleansit purget like that simple,
simplify what actually matters, and prioritize and get the distractions gone,
because the attractions are what we'll think the ship You're right, like,
it really will with all those little things, right. Yeah,
(52:46):
I could feel I could feel Laney if she if
she was here, she would not and say, amen, you
know I think you know she is. She's an incredible mom.
But there there with within that you know, realm of her,
you know, life and stuff. There there arises a lot
(53:06):
of things that don't matter as there does you know
in mind, and we're constantly looking at each other going
is that you know it kind of like we would
to our kids, you know, back to the emotional thing.
I'll be like, is that you know in the whole
scheme of eternity really you know, um, my daughter is
(53:29):
kind of in a c t land and I'm like,
I'm telling you, Leila, I don't know what I made.
You know. She's like I'm dying. She's dying to know
what I made. And I'm like you, I don't remember,
you know, I don't even remember what it was out of.
And that's how you know, that's how little of importance
(53:50):
and honestly, if you're that age, that's the biggest thing
you have in life basically, I mean, that's what our
community tells you, is it all comes down to this number.
This is your this is make or break, you know,
and you and I you and I felt like that
in this centerce this showcase tonight. It will dictate which, Yeah,
(54:13):
will you go home and open the failing car business
with your brother or will you succeed into the realm
of fame and matter forever. And it's just like, that's
not you know, that's not that's not how it's going
to go. Good. Oh, I love it. Your take on
(54:34):
life is so refreshing. I love it, Walker, I mean
it's not, I'm it's refreshing in the fact that you've
just lived it all. Like it's just you are just
you just know you know what life is about because
you just know, you just know it, and it's nice
to hear and you're so grounded and something something bigger
than yourself, which is telling you, I mean you know this,
but you are you are truly a light in this world.
(54:57):
And I know that's probably a heavy load to are
sometimes and you are human as well, but like what
you're doing is really phenomenal. So I appreciate you having
this conversation with me. Honestly, I I am not excited
by a lot of people in the world today because
I'm so like, I'm so jaded by it all. I'm like,
(55:18):
we've talked about this conversation. I feel this, but like
with you and like your whole journey, I just it is.
It is so warming to my heart to see your
life because you are someone who I truly like respect
your journey, and I respect your choices, and I respect
your mindset, and I respect your family and the way
that you have chosen to navigate this and all the
(55:39):
things I told you earlier, Like I just like have
such admiration for the people that you and your wife
and family are because you didn't you don't have to
be this way, and you're shining such a light on
how to find how to really find happiness because that's
what we all are looking for. But you're not going
to find it on earth, and you are here to
let everybody know that just by being yourself. And I
(56:00):
appreciate you so much for coming on here. I always
wrap up with leader, like last question, first thing, You've
said so many inspiring things, but what do you want
people to know? Uh ah, that's a that's an opening.
And you know obviously, um, I just wanted to know
(56:21):
crisis the answer again, that's it. That's that's my main
my main goal. And and another thing just that included
with this answer. But the last thing I ever want
to be is some family you know that people look
(56:44):
at and say, I want to be like that family,
because I know how that feels. Um. Lanny and I
had a fight one time about maybe seven or eight
years ago. I mean, we were struggling, but Leela was
doing gymnastics and some mom some moms shared with Laney
(57:10):
some like magical tradition they have where they play like
Monopoly every Wednesday night or something, and you know, Laney,
she just dwelled on that like that really it competed
with what our family looked like, you know. And and
(57:31):
you know at that time, I was, you know, I
was getting up at like four, and we didn't have
any money, and you know, I was playing shows and
that hurt my feelings and it it made her sad.
You know, she was like, we don't do Monopoly night.
This sounds stupid, killing but I was like, I was like,
(57:56):
you know, and I got defensive. I was like, Monopoly
Nights stupid, you know, and I was like board games
are stupid, you know what, and it it kind of
started a fight because the the way Landy was lying
to herself based on what that lady said, you know,
she was basically looking at Monopoly Night going that family
(58:18):
is freaking perfect. I want that, which we all know.
That family is just as stupid, is just as screwed
up as ours is. They just had a golden moment
and and I was, I was looking at it, going
and Dad's such a better dad, and he wears khakis
and like they have and he probably has savings and
(58:41):
like he can pay for you know. And I was
like bloodshot eyed and like I was probably you know,
kind of buzzing. I don't know, but what I want
people to know is we're just like you. Like we fight.
Our kids are like mom, Dad's don't fight right now.
I need you to help me with math, you know.
(59:03):
And then and then I'll pick up the guitar and
be like I got an idea, and my son's like, no,
don't sing right now, lay play basketball with me, you know,
And then Laney and I are like, man, we haven't
had a date and you know, three weeks. So I
just want everybody to know you don't want to be us,
(59:23):
you already are us. You. I swear on my life
like you and I and your wife and all of
us were all struggling with the same things. And I
know sometimes you can look and be like, oh, his
last three posts they were just dancing in the kitchen,
but it's just not. That's just the fun part, you know.
(59:47):
And I you know, trust me, if if Laney and
I were in a fight and I was like, let
me video this and share it, she would punch me
in the face. She'd be like the But you know,
I just want everybody to know that that you know,
and I appreciate. I love that I get to share
my family, but I want everybody to know we're just
as desperate as everyone is. And it is not it's
(01:00:13):
not I can tell you having the biggest song ever
on the planet doesn't. We're no, We're no different. It's
no difference. So so if you're out there and that's
all you ever want to do was write the biggest
song in the world, hey enjoy trying, but just know
that it will not appease, satisfy, fulfill, nourish anything that
(01:00:38):
matters in your life. Um, and that we're not We're
not perfect, And I hopefully that's what you appreciate about
my family. It is that's what comes through. That's what
comes through that you're not trying to be perfect. You
just are being y'all and you're the best that you
can with God in your heart, and you're just except
(01:01:00):
doing life as this beautiful disaster that it is and
enjoying it your family as much as you can. And
it really that shines through so much. And I think
that's why personally, I think that that's why your success
happened on TikTok with your daughter, because you were meant
you were your family. And I'm not putting I'm not
trying to put all this pressure on your family, but like, yeah,
(01:01:21):
the picture is so powerful with the realness of the family.
You know, it's like you blew up with your family,
you know, it's like having to this together. It was
like it's it's something about y'all's energy and your commitment
to your higher self that's so powerful. Well that means
the world. And uh, I can't thank you enough for
(01:01:44):
just your real you know, not every not every conversation
really gets you know, down to the heart of it.
So I appreciate you being so authentic and um open
back at you. I appreciate you being so off and
it can open and these are I mean, this is
the only this is what I live for now. It's
like these kind of conversations. I just get into people's
(01:02:07):
hearts and minds and see what's going on when all
that has happened, you know, like, how are you processing it?
Because aren't we all just trying to figure it out?
Like you said, we're all just in it, so you're
walker it's a movement. I think. I think this that's
kind of aware, you know. I think humanity is naturally
(01:02:29):
going here. We've we've expended all our resources and we're like,
what's it all about? Because it can't this can't be it,
you know, and just yeah, and we're I think we're where.
We're all tired. You and I aren't the only ones.
And if they, if people say they're not, they're lying. Yeah,
I agree. I think we are in a spiritual awakening.
(01:02:51):
I think this is like I think the world blew
up and everything has been turned upside down and we're
seeing so much truth and now it's like you can't
not be aware of the way kinning that's happening. Even
if people were resisting it, it's it's happening, and I
love that. I think that that's one of the great
things that does come out of the turmoil is you
have to reevaluate and dig into something that's not on
(01:03:12):
this earth. It has to get bigger. And so maybe
we just served in the middle of the start of
it all. But Walker, yeah, well, hey, I hang in there. Video,
keep doing the soul work, you know, don't stop. You're
honestly you're a force of just light, and it's awesome.
You're affecting so many people and you are doing God's
(01:03:35):
work like every day. So thank you for all that
you do. I appreciate it. We love you. Laney says, hey,
don't tell you hey, last night, let's tell her. I said,
what's up? And thank you again for everything. I really
appreciate your honesty and vulnerability and heart. It was amazing
good times. You're good at what you do. We'll talk
against them, Okay, bye, Walker, see you
Carol, she's a queen talking. She's getting not afraid of
things episode, so just let it flow. No one can
do with cry Carol, leon is sound learn. I have
been excited about talking to you since I knew that
(00:32):
you were coming on, because we're briefly talking before this
podcast started and just saying how we had both we've
been a Nashville forever ever. I think actually you and
I like my record deals stealing angels. I feel like
we kind of did a couple of shows together when
you were just getting started, Like we did want to
Tin Ruf in Lexington or something Louisville. Oh my goodness. Yeah.
(00:56):
It was like remember that no people there. It was
me into Legen and you and somebody else. And I
just remember like thinking you were so awesome and cool.
And I remember thinking it was so cool that you
had a family because you were like doing the artist
thing back in the day day already family, which is hard.
I mean, that's a lot of work and traveling to shows,
(01:18):
and but I just feel like now the generation and
what's going on, I'm like, I don't I don't know
what's happening. I am so out of the loop. Yeah,
I'm I mean, yeah, Laney and I got here in
oh four and you know, no, but you know, when
you get here and you're you're you're you're married or
(01:41):
you know, no one was like, hey, I recommend you, guys,
while you're chasing this dream, why don't you go ahead
and start a family? You know, so our first you know,
our first kid was kind of a surprise for us.
I remember Laney was pregnant our first anniversary, so that
was five and um, you know, it didn't make sense,
(02:04):
but kids just brought They just brought so much joy,
you know, and and purpose and uh and for me,
you know, my children and how have always been um
more or less fuel. You know, I'm not a I'm
not an achiever. I'm not a goal oriented guy. And
(02:24):
but my my children and my wife make me that. Uh.
I'm just honestly, on the angiogram, I think I'm like
a four. It's called an individual. Like if if the
whole herd is like rushing this way, I'm I'm this guy,
you know, I'm I'm the type of person if you
(02:46):
tell me how great a movie is or how how
much I'm gonna get along with so and so, you know,
because we're like we're not gonna get along and I'm
never gonna go see that movie. And I don't know why,
you know, I just I'm an individual. I I cannot
do it like everyone else does it. And honestly, that's
(03:08):
that's that hasn't made my career any easier. Um, that's
in fact made it. I think that's partly why it
took so long. But it's also partly why when it
did happened, it happened on a on a large scale,
if that makes any sense. But yeah, we've we've never
made sense. And I love my family, but just just
(03:29):
having them, Lanny on his last she's like, you would
be fine with a guitar and just a bag of
Hamburgers under a bridge, you know. But they give me
something to to provide for and to and to excel
for and to succeed for and to be an example for.
And and I love that. I love that God has
(03:50):
given me, you know, little people to to try to
guide and someone to love, you know, and to to
be the best version of myself. But yeah, I do
I feel exhausted. You know this, this town will will
tire you you out, you know, you you come here
(04:10):
just you're you're the one, you know, that live that
leaves wherever you came from, and you're and you're like,
you're fret, You're like, you you bucked the system there
and you're gonna come here and you're gonna make something happen,
and um, and it wears on you. You know, your
naivety is stolen? And um, when did you realize that
(04:33):
that was stolen? Like when did it start to switch
from the big beautiful dream? Because like this happened to me.
I still love creativity and I still respect the magic
of it all, but like I am so entrenched in
the truth of what it takes and how it eats
you up and all the sacrifices, and like the heart
that sometimes gets stolen, the individual heart that gets stolen.
(04:56):
It's like, you know, I can't unsee and I know
what know after twenty years and you can't either, And
so when did you realize that? Like when did the
shiny dream turn into oh my god, I'm like, this
is not this is so much more than like and
I feel like now it's the veils being lifted so
much more like TikTok and everyone sharing truth all the time,
(05:17):
but especially in our day like it was just I
didn't know all the stuff. Yeah, I think, man, I
mean I was, I was a late learner, but I'll
never forget. Um. When I had had a few publishing deals,
a few record deals, lost them. Um. So I had
(05:38):
seen how songs were created, how hard it was, you know,
to get other artists to cut them and stuff. And
I think Laney and I we were about to have
our sixth kid, and I was just you know, I
was working, I was stocking produce at Costco and you've
I know, you I know you felt this. It's yeah.
(06:00):
I was just kind of reflecting before I went in
the clock in and you know, there was a lyric
you know, scribbled on my hand and I just felt foolish,
you know. I was just like, what am I doing?
You know that the it's not even the odds, it's
(06:20):
just that this business is very um, it's very cultivated.
It's very manipulated. Yeah, as you know, it's not it's
not about it's not about what's in our hearts as
the creator just just trying to express ourselves. It is
a business, and it's a very lucrative and cut throat
(06:41):
and just dangerous business. And and I knew, you know,
but at that U in that many years, I had
seen front row what really happens behind the scenes, you know,
why some people make it, why some people do why,
you know, I I clearly seen, Oh my gosh, this
(07:02):
is not just like here's my diary. I want to
put it to music. You know, everybody listen, you know
it's it's It wasn't like that, but yeah, there was
still a lyric, you know, written on my hand. And
so I just felt like an idiot. I was like
I was, I was asking myself, why why I want
(07:23):
this dream, why I want this songwriting thing? Why why
why won't it just leave me alone? Because honestly, again,
like I said earlier, I'm not a gory and a guy.
I'm very I'm very Like there's only a few things
in my life that I want to do forever, and
and that's I want to I really literally, I mean,
(07:44):
I love Laney. I didn't know that I could love.
So I mean, I I'm I have to pray to
God that I don't I don't love Laney more than him.
That like that's a constant prayer of mine. And and
and that's bad. You know, If I love she her loyalty.
(08:05):
I mean, I've never had anyone stay with me this long,
you know. I mean I was I was not a
good I was a horrendous teenager, trouble troue, troublemaking teenager.
I was an alcoholic before I was old enough to drink. Uh.
I'm seven years off smokeless tobacco. So for for the
(08:26):
majority of Laney's life, there's been spit cups everywhere. You know. Uh,
I'm just the you know, I'm another kid in the house.
I mean, but I'm just saying Laney and I just
have this friendship. You know, that started when when we
were in high school, and it was different from the start.
(08:46):
But what my my point was, you know, Laney, I
want to be a dad and I want to write songs.
I mean, really, that's that's it for me. You know,
I want to love the Lord, you know most of all.
But I'm not a I don't know how much money
we have. I don't care. Um, I'm not like you know,
(09:08):
I get into other hobbies and stuff and they're they're okay,
But I'm not like that guy who's twenty hours on
the golf course trying to improve my game. I mean,
it's fun, but I really am there there. It's really simple,
like those are the things. But that's what happened to me,
you know, is I could not and I still won't.
(09:30):
You know. I was talking to somebody the other day, Caroline,
I I don't really know what's going on in my career.
I can't quite explain it. I'll take it, hey, I'll
take it because it's obviously we can go eat and
we can we have food and you know, we we
we we have a roof and the heats on and
the A C works in our cars and it's awesome.
(09:52):
But I still wake up with it with that lyric,
a new lyric on my hand and it and praise
God for that. You know, I do feel blessed in
that music. Man. Without that therapeutic outlet, you take the
whole business and you shove it aside. But without that gift,
(10:14):
that language of songwriting, I would be in jail. I
know I would. It is it is. I'm not really
good at, you know, communicating, but like I said, I
can write it on my hand and then it eventually
makes it to paper and then I've been able. I'm
able to say, you know, what's on my heart. So
(10:37):
I don't know if that makes any sense, but yeah,
the business and just life in general. You know, it's
I think I think I'm at an age. It's a
I think all ages have their you know, ups, ups
and downs, their positives and their negatives. But I just
lost my dad. You know you, I know you've talked
(10:57):
to Lanny Laney. We've lost a kid. I've got a
seventeen year old daughter. That's that's so weird and also hard,
but also beautiful. I'm at a I'm at a very
like I always you, I'm in the middle. You know,
I'm looking I'm looking at old, and I'm looking at young,
and I'm looking at me. And like you just said,
(11:20):
I'm kind of noticing like that drive, that desire, that
naivety is gone. There's a fatigue, a natural fatigue. And
I think it's beautiful too, because I do not think.
I just don't think life is the end all be all,
as beautiful as this place is. I mean, I cannot
wait to walk in in God's kingdom and and just
(11:44):
rest and just you know, all the sorrow is gone,
and and I'm with my Savior and the maker of
all things, and and and I don't have to have
a foot, and it's very like insecure, unsettling, broken place. Agreed. Okay,
(12:05):
I feel you all the way. I I love everything
you said because, like I said, you're my favorite, like
you really are. I'm about I'm gonna tell you a
few of the reasons why you're my favorite. Okay, so
let me sit back for this. I love the way
(12:29):
you have played your cards, and you've been given some
really tough cards like you Hey. I like that you
have these three things, Laney, like writing songs and your kids,
and that's it. And it's not like you don't have
all these expectations for how it's supposed to be. It's
like I just in every different chapter of your life
(12:52):
and having been able to know you for so long
and just like loosely follow your career. We've never been
like exactly like best friends are total running tase, but
I've always like known what's going on in your life
and like seeing you just continuing on and you have
hit some moments in your life, You've hit some great
moments like you started off with Laney. You have this
(13:13):
and like talking to her like yea, this beautiful, awesome
young love that y'all were able to actually like keep
and cultivate and pursue and keep alive and grow together.
And that's another thing. Your marriage, Like I you and
Laney are such just an example of why you don't
(13:33):
quit in marriage when things get hard, because there are
so many seasons of marriage that aren't easy to be in,
you know, that are hard, that will test you, that
will like you don't have anything to give, and you've
gone through several of those with Laney, Like you've gone
through some really hard ones, from like like you said,
overcoming alcohol, to losing a child together, to going through
(13:55):
all these record deals, to all instability of the music industry,
to raising all these kids is to all the responsibility,
like so much pressure. There's so much pressure, there's so
many highs, there's so many lows. It's so intense, and
there's so many reasons for both of you all to
have called it. I'm sure if you wanted to. You know,
I have a friend who just had a baby and
(14:17):
she is like with her husband and she loved her husband.
She loves her husband, but there in that first year
having a baby, their life's getting turned upside down. Like
I think I might have to get a divorce and
I'm like, no, no, she's not. Even we talked her
out of it, she's not going to but like, you know,
she's just like she's in one of those really tough
moments that make you question everything. But when you walk
(14:38):
through them with your spouse and when you walk through
them with yourself, and you choose to take the higher road,
and you choose to have hope even though you feel hopeless,
and you choose to believe in your highest and best
self and what you're capable of, and to pursue your
gifts and to pursue your passions and to pursue what's
on your heart. And you choose to keep doing that
(15:00):
when you have so many reasons and things to tell
you otherwise, and reasons to quit, reasons to call it,
reason to say this is too hard. I give up
on all of it. Like I'm done, I'm peace, Like
I'll see you all later, everybody. You know, it's like
there's a million times you could have done that, and
you maybe had moments of like being in the bottom
of the of the you know, the moment, feeling all
(15:22):
of it. But every time you and Laney and your
family you all come out together, and you'll walk out
together and you stay together and you keep moving forward,
and it makes you cry because it's so inspiring. Like
you are. I love watching and I'm I know you're tired,
and I know your family is tired, and you are
working so hard. But it's like to see your family
(15:44):
as this unit doing this dream with all the ship
that you'll have had to go through. I'm like, Jesus,
like seriously, Jesus, Like it is amazing, Like it is
coming through y'all, and you're giving all of us hope
to hang in there, to keep going, to stay a unit,
to believe in marriage, to believe in the family, to
believe in what's on your heart, and like to know
(16:05):
that like you can go through the shittiest things, like
the worst nightmare of a parent, and like overcoming alcohol
and like going through all these setbacks and you still
can come out and have hope and have dreams fulfilled.
And that is what we need to see because so
many people quit when things get hard. It's so easy
to quit, you know, people, It's like a quit society.
Everyone's canceled. Everything is quit and canceled immediately if something
(16:28):
goes wrong. You know, you just have never done that.
And I am so inspired by you. That's why you're
my favorite. And you're adorable with your family and your
great songs, and it's like you're do you just and
I and I know like you're giving all this and
so you are giving so much to people, which is
such a blessing and a gift to give like you give,
(16:49):
and to share like you share. But it is truly
you are you guys, as ripple effect is huge. It's
such an example that is like y'all are like one
of the only family example is out there to this
degree of love and commitment and togetherness that it's just inspiring. Walker,
It's amazing. Well, I sincerely appreciate your kind words. And honestly,
(17:11):
Landy and I look at each other and first you're
you're just you're just seeing the Lord. That's all you're seeing,
is not It's not Landy and Ie willpower. The last
thing Landy and I would ever do is um judge
anyone who got divorced. And I say that just because
(17:33):
we've just looked at each other and not know, not
knowing how to go forward, you know, and I what
a hopeless feeling, you know, to look at your best friend,
to look at your best friend in life and feel lonely,
there's nothing worse than that. And Laney and I have
we felt like that this year. We felt like that
(17:56):
in true tragedy, and we felt like at in worldly
success beyond our mind's imagination. And so that's really set
us free from our earthly circumstances. So praise God for
that lesson. We didn't know that in our twenties. We
didn't know that in our thirties. You know, again, walking
(18:18):
through that, I think that's the that's the thing that
you guys are doing and showing us, and I agree,
like some people it's it's in their best interest to
get divorced or whatever, Like I feel the same way,
no judgment. I just know though, for a lot of people,
if you can walk through it with a higher calling
like you guys, when you get to the other side,
when you look at each other, it's better than anything
(18:41):
you could have ever imagined. Because to go through something
so hard and feel so hopeless, but then actually get
to the other side, what is that feeling like? Uh,
it's just to to me, the my favorite thing about
getting to those seasons on the kind of like past
(19:03):
the storms is just the strength you know you feel, Um, honestly,
I really do. I mean, look, I I can't imagine
living forty three more years. I mean my life like
you described, well, I just I'm just saying I have
tasted everything. I mean, it's honestly, it's like the if
(19:28):
the world was a sponge. I feel like pretty much
my entire life, it's like God just rang it out
and and I've I've literally tasted I've I've taken a
drink of every single thing you you know, Like I said,
I mean, I've lost a kid. I don't know anything
(19:49):
that's gonna suck worse than that. Um, I've had the
biggest song on earth. I don't know. I don't know
if however, I got I would be stupid even try
to do that again. Like that's that's that's like Hayley's
comment coming around two nights in a row, like I
don't know, and and so, so there's this spectrum right there.
(20:13):
Your bandwidth is literally from the highest of highest to
the lowest of those. Like you have that big of
a bandwidth. Most people are so small, like they can't
you know, their life does stay so small and it's
like you're you have that you have touched the top
of the earth, to the bottom of the top of
the heavens, to the bottom of the It is every
(20:34):
and it's everything in between. Nothing really shops you or
nothing's really nothing can nothing can do anything for you,
really right, nothing nothing I'm I'm I mean honestly, And
that's why I'm still shocked that I do wake up, um,
and I desire to to to write something, you know,
(20:54):
And in my heart of hearts, I want to just um,
I want to find people who don't want to be
here anymore and just help them stay, you know. And
so that's that's kind of my hope on socials is
not you know, I think and you and I you
(21:14):
and I know this. I I can be. I can
be tempted, tempted to to begin to look side to side,
you know, and go, we don't have that. I didn't
have that many people in my crowd last night. I
don't have that car in my driveway. Oh that family
looks happier than me. Oh that that guy looks like
(21:37):
everybody gives him more credibility for his his craft. You know, um, Lenny,
you know that Mom's got a little more together. You know,
she's got a little more reins hold on her kids.
Her kids behave better, her kids dressed better. They care
about the things I want. You know, I can. I
can definitely be one of those people. But I desire
(22:01):
now just as as an artist. It's just to show
people the mess and to not you know, and obviously
also one of my one of my biggest jobs I
see is to not react two the wrong response. I mean,
not a lot of people. A lot of people don't
love me, Caroline. You know, a lot of people aren't
(22:23):
fans of my music. A lot of people don't like
my family. A lot of people don't like my A
lot of people don't like my faith. A lot of
people if I post something in my house, they find, uh,
something I'm doing this dangerous or my kid doesn't have
a life jacket on or you know, yeah, you know,
(22:45):
and so you know, you can never you can never
share anything, you know where everybody is pleased. But it
is just my hope that like you like you saw
Lanny and I literally wake up and and every single
place we go, if if we're driving to a high
school basketball game, if we're if we're driving to a
(23:05):
show that's work related. If we're driving to a a
family event, we just beg the Lord just to shine
through us, and and and and it takes the pressure
off us, you know, to to pretend to act, to
try to please um, to perform um. I'm a natural performer.
Landis a natural pleaser. And those, you know, I don't
(23:28):
think that any of gram stuff is stuff like to
to see about ourselves an applaud like, yeah, I'm a pleaser,
and I think it's it's those those are actually our
flaw Those are actually our sins, you know, like I
and and so I. We we just we asked God,
you know, to to shine through us somehow. And our
messy family and you know, my kids are bad, they're
(23:50):
not perfect, and our house is messy and we're not
even gonna try to, you know, clean it up. And
we're just we're just trying to do the best we
can and life and we would love to allow people
to watch us and hopefully just relax um and and
just go. You know, life on earth isn't isn't isn't
(24:13):
about you know, more and more and more because like
I said, we've tasted at all. And I'm telling you
if if I could give one lesson to all the
kids you know who want to be me, is that
success is the the biggest letdown of my life. It is. Um.
(24:35):
It did it didn't fix anything that matters at all. Um.
As a matter of fact, I don't know how to
properly describe, And honestly, I'm still kind of processing what's
happened to us over the years. But the other night,
Landy and I were driving home from Chuck E Cheese
and I'm sure we had every disease in the world,
(24:56):
you know, we we we went hard. We shut the
place down. There was one family there, it was it
was so late, and one family was there and they
didn't know who I was. And when we left the
a rock had hit our windshield and it was cracked ore. Um.
(25:17):
Some things in our band weren't working right. We were freezing,
and we all have pizza on our hands, and the
kids had, you know, their their toys, you know that
they have bought with their tickets or whatever. And I, honestly,
I looked over at Laney and I said, we feel this.
We I feel poor again, like financially poor, and and
(25:38):
I don't know why, but it feels so good, and
yeah it did it felt great? And why did you
like that feeling? What did it? What did it make
you reminisce about? It made me reminisce about um kind
of being unrecognizable, you know, as a family. Uh, and
just the simplicity of of life, you know, success and
(26:03):
you know everywhere I go, God blessed. I freaking love people.
But it's you know, you'd uh, you can't. I can't.
I can't stay hidden anymore. People want to talk to you,
Like when you go out in public, people like, well
you're like, they're like Walker, Walker, take her picture with me?
Is it like that? Yeah, yeah, it's that, And I
(26:24):
love I wouldn't. I mean, I wouldn't switch total totally.
I mean, but I think the I think what the
I think for me just as an individual, Why I
I suck at handling? It is that it was so
It wasn't It wasn't a it wasn't like a hey,
let's this comes gradually. It was literally like overnight, you know,
(26:48):
I went from just some dad you probably passed in
our neighborhood to the next moment I went into Chick
fil A. It was like there's a line, you know, people.
What happened exactly? You did a TikTok video with your daughter. Yeah,
(27:08):
it was fancy like, it was fancy like yeah, and
it was and and it was I mean literally I went.
I mean it just it exploded, I mean over it
literally overnight. So y'all made the dance up, put it up,
and then everyone just got it. Yeah. I mean it's
as simple as that. No, no, no, um, I mean
(27:30):
we didn't even know if my fans would like the song,
you know, and you you know, um Caroline, you know
how you you have a song, you have an album
coming up, and you're like you share it with gatekeepers
and stuff. Nobody, not one person was like, hey, I'd
love to support that song. Um, So we didn't have
(27:52):
We just didn't know what was coming. I mean we
were clueless and uh so it came like a freight train.
What happened when you woke up and the world now
all of a sudden knew your name. That's kind of terrifying. Actually,
that kind of makes me have hives a little bit.
Well what, yeah, it was And I think from the
outside you were like, well, isn't you know you could
be like, well, isn't this what you are in this
(28:12):
what you wanted, you know, but I just you know,
I guess I just was my neve to like what
what all that in compet like, you know, and it's
not just me, you know, it's my it's my family,
you know, it's my wife, it's one of my kids. Right,
It's like people are me included, are obsessed with watching
(28:33):
your family because it's so it makes you feel y'all.
Make whatever you're describing about your life, your truth, your honesty,
your real life with your family that you're sharing. It's
so comforting to see this, like it's so I share
my family and I you you have to understand this,
you know, from from like a social influential place. You know,
(28:57):
when you're making a video, you're not thinking of I
don't count how many people watch this thing. It's not
like I scroll, I'm like how many viewer? You know
what I mean? I just I just pop stuff off.
But when you go out in public, it is it's overwhelming.
How many people. How many people are like I watch
(29:17):
your ticket, you know, like we'll walk through Walmart here
in Winchester and everybody, you know, everybody that that we passed,
is like, I love your stuff, what we watch your videos.
I know your daughter, you know, are you Lilly? You know?
And and it's and I love that. I'm like, this
is our family, but you know, it can be a lot.
And again it was the whip lash and what I honestly,
what I love now is that it is taught Laney
(29:43):
and my kids how meaningless I mean, I know the
stuff we share again, I hope that people can see
the Lord and us just on our knees saying God
help us through this life, like what does it look?
How do we do today? But it's also just sensitized
(30:03):
us too. The we don't curate stuff we pust like,
we just do, like Leela doesn't care if she hadn't
have makeup on. You know, it's and it's And we've
also found out how fast the world forgets like something
if it's positive or negative. Last Thursday, No, no one
remembers next Thursday. I mean it's it's already over and
(30:25):
it's cycled and it's but yeah, I mean I I,
Lanny and I have really done our best again, we
have had there there was what happened honestly when when
we blew up, I left and you know, as you
know as a as a tour musician. I was gone
and I had a conversation with my manager and I said,
(30:48):
this is not you know, I said, I was grateful
because I said, my team, you guys are definitely gonna
be compensated wonderfully for this song. So I didn't feel
bad for this. But I said, I'm done. You know,
I just finally got it, like it finally hit on
the biggest level ever and you're like, yeah, well, actually
(31:12):
not gonna do this. Well I left. I mean, I
didn't see my kids for about six and I thought
yeah and and and uh and not gonna lie. I mean,
there's there's been moments where Laney and I've been driving
to the bus and I have said I have literally
just this is this was that, this is that one
(31:33):
of those moments that I'll definitely get emotional if I
sit and dwell on it too long, So I'm gonna hurry.
But We're sitting in the car and it's just all
too much, and we're we're just kind of praying together
but also fighting but also crying, and and we're yeah,
and we're and I'm just like, do we just need
(31:54):
to lead? Like, do we just need to stop. Do
we just need to turn it off? Um? Because I
read a quote the other day and and it really
gosh it it hit me right in the stomach, and
but in it if it felt good as I read,
somebody say, you know, God is the only individual created
(32:20):
who can handle worship humans. We just can't. None of
us can do really good. It's will it will always
be a fight if you are worshiped. And honestly, that's
to any level. That's if you're if you're a middle
school basketball player and you had a great game and
all of a sudden you're a guide on that court.
(32:40):
You're not created to handle that. And if you're just
a dad you know who writes songs and you really
really you know, I'm just handing pictures to people wanting
to put on there, want me to want them to
put on their fridge, and then all of a sudden,
I write fancy like and it's like now everybody everybody
thinks we I know something, they don't, you know they
And I'm like, bro, my odds are terrible. I've written
(33:02):
two thousand songs and I had one that did did
did amazing, you know, and thank god I had a
couple after that, and and and we're we're on a
we're having a moment, and that's that's great and all.
But yeah, it's just success has really been um tragic.
I mean it's been it's been humbling. It's been to struggle.
(33:24):
It's it's it's impacted my marriage and negative ways. It's
impacted me as a father. Um. There's mornings where I
wake up and I feel gross and I think, I think,
am I just using my family to glorify me? That's gross,
that's nasty, that's gross. I don't want to do that
to y'all. You're not an object, You're not a product.
(33:46):
We're just a family who happens to share, you know.
And I have to reverse and go why are we serving?
How am I serving? What? What am I serving? Am
I am I looking for more affirmation for from from
people out there from Nashville or from radio? What? Who
am I trying to gain? What is your answer? Because
(34:10):
now I'd be so interested to know your answer to
part what is who are you serving? But why? Now
that you have had the full bandwidth of top to bottom? What? Why?
How do you want to do anything anymore? I just
want to serve the Lord and this are the tools
that he gave you. Yeah, I mean I think, I think,
(34:32):
I think all those things I just described in those
battles are by by His mercy and his grace and
the Holy Spirit. Those are that's awareness that He's given me.
You know. I think every single day God uncovers more
of my sins, which leads me back to the cross,
back to Jesus, because I need you know, I'm never
(34:55):
gonna go to bed here and go bound. I kicked
all those sins, but you know, like I am, all
my motives today were completely pure, uh and I certain
you know that's not ever going to happen this side
of heaven. And each day again, like I said, I
just have an awareness of what I'm really what I
(35:17):
was really trying to accomplish every day, and it was
kind of gross most that mostly it was to make
me look good, exalt me, get me more followers, sell
more records. But by God's grace, like you said, sometimes
people turn on my Instagram. Sometimes people turn on my
song and they don't they don't hear me singing. They
(35:39):
get a hug from from the Lord, you know, and
that's not that is not because of me. That is
not because Landy is a good mom. That's not because
my kids are all star kids. That's not because our
family is like the freaking Brady Bunch. You know. It
is just God shining through a really really messed up
(35:59):
house old that is just trying to fall on our
knees daily and and give everything we've got to him
because a of all, he gave it to us in
the first place. You know, he gave me music, he
gave me Laney, he gave us each other, um, he
gave us our beautiful kids. He gave us Oakley, the
(36:21):
kid we lost, who literally has impacted lives around the world.
That that that's that's unbelievable to me. How God has
used that, um, you know, as a part of his plan.
And I still selfishly would look back and go, I
don't care God, I just want to I just want
to see my kid, you know. And you know, and
(36:44):
so I don't know, man, life life is just it's
crazy to to Laney and I and we we really
do you know, if people want to know, we we
sit a lot together and just look at each other
and go, I don't know, like, what what are we doing?
(37:07):
Like I mean we I mean like I said to
you today, I'm sitting at a we live on the
water now at Thamesford Lake. I I truly every day
wake up and I'm like, six years ago, I couldn't
change a tire on my car, And now I go
to a Wendy's and people want me to sign their
(37:31):
baby's forehead and I have a boat, and I'm just
like what in the crap? Like what is this? You know,
like what you know? And I don't know. It's just
a weird life is so I think the veil is
just lifted, you know, it is completely I feel that
(37:55):
way in my own personal journey. I just I have
been saying this like lately, like I literally have zero goals,
Like I don't have one goal, and I like, I'm
not like an unmotivated person, but I just there is
nothing out there that is so like unattainable or so
(38:15):
spectacular or so out of this world. I'm like, no,
it all is just you're you're you're you're like quoting
Ecclesiasts is what you're doing? What is the quote? Well, No,
I'm just saying mean that that book is written you
know by a Keen who did it all? I mean
he learned everything. Yeah, every woman, you know, he he
(38:39):
did it all. He did literally the whole thing. He partied,
he learned, he fasted, he did, he did it. He
did it all. And it's basically like it's kind of meaningless,
you know, And honestly, to me, there is a it
walks a line, you know, when you when that veil
is lifted, you can easily get sad. You can easily
(39:02):
be like, ah, that's like the matrix is like reverse reverse.
I want to take the other pills, right, yeah, yeah,
you're right, and I want I want that, like I
want that just enthusiasm to do things, to do things.
And then but then there's also the freedom um which
allows you to literally like wake up and walk a
(39:26):
circle around the house with the dogs and watch each
of them poop and be like man, God made dogs,
like it's crazy, you know, and then come inside and
like my kids wake up that staggered and they come
out and I'm like, you know, I could chase another
hit right now, or I could just sit here and
(39:49):
just yawn together with Lilly, you know, and you know,
to heal to brush your teeth because her breath is bad.
But we can laugh about it. And then you know,
it's like I think, I think, honestly, I think that's
a gift for the veil to be removed and allow
you to be present on this earth for what it's worth.
Next time old lady down the street gets out of
(40:12):
her car, and you know she talks too much, just
be like, I'm gonna sit here. So she literally runs
out of things to say because you know what, it
doesn't matter. Well, it's gonna. Honestly, what always happens to
me is I'm like, I'm gonna, yeah, I'm gonna like,
I'm like, I'm gonna do this old lady in favor,
and then I leave with all this the stories and
(40:34):
this this wisdom, and I'm just like, I'm like, man,
why didn't I talk to that lady before? You know?
And I'm too busy. We got too many same things
to do. You gotta stay on wheel, you got me,
come on emails, you got stuff with me. It's but
it's like, who Here's nothing matters, And so I feel
(40:55):
the same way as you do. It's like my whole
thing now is like I heard life Coach. Last year,
I literally was so like lost in my own matrix
of this world in this swirld, but I was like,
I need to get on to track. I need to
like figure out some major blocks that I have, and
I need to clear my brain. And I have just
really come to realize that the only thing I can do,
(41:17):
like now, for me to have a fulfilling life is
to literally be so in tune with my connection to
the higher calling, like it guides me, like I had,
and like that's the only way I can live my life.
Because I'm like, God, you know, I'm here at your service,
like I literally because I'm the same with you. I like,
I'm like, oh, I'm I believe me. I don't want
(41:41):
to die at all, especially now that I have a daughter.
I want to stay on earth. But I'm like, man,
I'm like like, if I'm lucky, I'm halfway through, which
is wonderful, and I want to stay and do it all.
But I'm like, I'm tired too. I'm worn out by
all of the complexity of like the extremes, the suffering
and the pleasure and all that like that win I got.
I just yo yo with it all so much. And
(42:02):
I'm just like and I so I feel the same way.
I'm like, Okay, the only thing I can do is
literally be so clear in an alignment with my higher
calling that I am guided and I will know what
to do, and the doors will open and all the
opportunities that are for me will come, and the things
that won't won't, or whatever happens, I can live with
because that was yeah, and you're you're what you just said.
(42:24):
I mean, shoot, that's that's um. You know plenty and
little is exactly what you said. Where you're where you're.
You know, let's let's all be removed from our circumstances.
You know. I try to help my kids, like sometimes
their circumstances yank their emotions and then their emotions just
(42:47):
take them on a ride, you know, door slam. Kids
get silent, they're mad, and I'm like, hey, you know,
you're allowing your situation and to be the end all
be all, Like all you care about is this. The
outcome of this situation in life is gonna be miserable
(43:09):
if you do like you and I do yo yo
with the you know, I can't honestly, I can't stand.
I can't stand my my overwhelming joy as much as
my overwhelming depression. You know, when I when I write
a song and I turn it in and everybody gets
excited and they say, it's gonna be my next hit.
(43:29):
It's you four it. I come home and I'm a
better dad. I'm like, can I cook you guys dinner?
You know? Or like I'm like, no, let's go out,
let's just blow a ton of money, and like you know,
and it's funny. I'm yeah, Well, well, what I'm doing
is letting my circumstance just fulfill me. It's it's just
(43:50):
like it's like this nasty meal of like doritos that's
not nutritious, but it just tastes so good right now.
But why they're the thing though, don't you think since
you have this bigger awareness, that it's okay to let
yourself ride the wave of joy or grief all the
way because that is the human experience. You know that
it's not the end all be all, but like it
(44:12):
is the human experience to be able to have those
moments with feelings extremities, you know, because you want to
be able to feel it something like a remorse, a
joyful hangover, like what happens? Well, it's it's just like
you said, it's it's all those the sad and the
joy are fleeting if they're not in Our Maker, you
(44:37):
know what I mean, Like our Maker fills us up.
You know, the song the affirmation, it goes away and
it's almost like it is a drug. You know, life
is a drug in that sense where um, the more
you get, dude, I gotta tell you, Caroline, like I
(44:58):
am worried that I affirmation, like if it was one
of those punching bags that you punched and it goes
up on a number. I sometimes feel that this year
it broke that. I mean, there were nights on stage
where I would I would go sit in the green
(45:18):
room and just kind of stare and and have to
come down from that applause and and it's it's almost
like it ruined. It will never be as loud, you know.
It's it's like if it doesn't get above that next
I won't feel that. And so now I'm I'm chasing it.
(45:41):
You know, I'm like, what because it can't if it's
the same as it was last night, it just didn't
hit the it doesn't hit the same, you know. And
so and I think the again, I think these are
all things. They're they're they're created, we're created to enjoy
these things. It's when it's when they become our idols
(46:05):
that that we begin they begin to have consequences. You know.
If if I rely on this industry two make me happy,
you know, and and to fulfill me, to fill my heart,
it's just not it's gonna let me down. And I'm
gonna wear myself out trying to squeeze everything I can
(46:28):
out of it. I'm gonna ruin my marriage, I'm ruined
my family. I'm gonna ruin my kids. I'm gonna teach
my kids to do that same thing, you know, to
go out there and succeed, succeed, succeed, because that's the
only way you're ever gonna matter. And then they're not
gonna matter, you know, to themselves. And it's just gonna
be this comp this hamster wheel, you know that that
I'm gonna send them on. Um. But look, I don't
(46:52):
have anything figured out. I think that's kind of the
point I'm trying to make to the world. Is failing,
isn't It's not that scary. Success isn't that great? Um,
Even if you do have a crowd of a hundred
and they all applaud, it's good it feels good for
a night, you know, but you wake up the next
(47:13):
day and you go, what do they think today? And
then if two days go by, you're like, they still
like me, you know, um, And so don't chase that,
you know, like you said, look up, you know, uh,
look at the Father, look at the maker of all things.
He he doesn't want us um running around ironing what
(47:38):
he just offers you already, you know, Walker, I'm telling
you you are. You are on this platform because what
you have to say is so important here and if
it wasn't someone who would live the life that you
have lived with the platform that you now have, Like
the message you're speaking, it's just so it's so thoughtful,
(48:01):
and it's so heart centered and soul centered, but it's
just so real and you're just speaking how everyone is living.
But you just are like, so you've lived so much
that you don't even care to try to be anything
other than what you are. And that's what's so refreshing,
Like you're just like, this is it, all of it,
And that's what's so amazing that you're that you are,
(48:22):
that that you are able to speak with this. Your
message comes out and it's so received because of your honesty.
I appreciate it. And I, like I said, I don't
I don't have I don't have any any real answers
except Jesus and uh, but I will. You know, I
can tell you're you're here too, is um Craig my
(48:45):
my neighbor, that basically the guy who introduced me to Jesus.
He just helped. He helped my family so much. He
told told me one day that our greatest like the
greatest gift, Um, you know, we can give each other.
It's just our attention. And um, I believe that, you know.
(49:08):
That's you know, that's that's what Laney gives me. You know,
it's just it's just time. And that's what Craig, you know,
gave me. And that's that's hard, you know, that's hard
to find in this world. Is just somebody who will
be a tenant, you know, because because most you most
(49:29):
all of us are, we're on our way somewhere for ourselves,
you know essentially, And that's okay, you know that, that's
all right. That's that's always gonna be a battle, you know,
to to put down whatever you got on your agenda
and just pay attention to people. But that's kind of something. Um,
(49:49):
you know, dwelling on you know as this year past,
it's been nice. Lanny and I've had we have off
till April, so we we don't tour till April. And um,
it's uh, it was at first it was that curtain
was ripped under, you know, I didn't have a show,
and I was like, who am I? And uh, three
(50:12):
days later I was like, no, really, who am I?
You know, I gotta do I gotta accomplish something. And
then um, but then about seven or eight days and
I was like, I'm feeling I feeling pretty good, being lazy,
uh and just hanging so man, human human kind is
interesting life the whole thing in bananas. It is. It
(50:37):
is and and um, you know it's been good for us.
I mean I thank God every morning for for this
little town we're in right now. It is it is
it just I love, you know, getting out of Nashville
for a second. No, nothing against Nashville. I just not true.
(51:01):
Sometimes you know, not go for it. It's like no,
I'm with you. Yeah, yeah, you're not sure what Oh.
I was just saying, it's it's not Nashville. It's it's
it's more my um knowing myself. It's just really hard
(51:23):
to to prioritize, you know. It's it's hard to prioritize,
it's hard to rest uh and it's and it's um.
You know, I think, like I said, we know, I look,
I don't go in a liquor store, um, you know.
And so honestly, sometimes I'm like I might need to
(51:44):
get on not get on social media today. You know,
I just need to live alone. You know that that's
a there's just awareness is you know. I think God
gives us about ourselves, and it's okay not to shun,
you know, shun certain people are showing plate. It's not
the place, not the people that are at it's us
that are bad in those environments. And it's okay to
(52:04):
wake up and go I don't do the right things there,
you know, I don't. I don't quite have the self
control to go into the music row today. You know,
I'm gonna I'm gonna try too hard for the wrong reason.
You know, I don't know that. I love that. And
(52:24):
just like I think removing things from your life is like,
honestly more important than put adding things in. It's like
you gotta get get a clear cleansit purget like that simple,
simplify what actually matters, and prioritize and get the distractions gone,
because the attractions are what we'll think the ship You're right, like,
it really will with all those little things, right. Yeah,
(52:46):
I could feel I could feel Laney if she if
she was here, she would not and say, amen, you
know I think you know she is. She's an incredible mom.
But there there with within that you know, realm of her,
you know, life and stuff. There there arises a lot
(53:06):
of things that don't matter as there does you know
in mind, and we're constantly looking at each other going
is that you know it kind of like we would
to our kids, you know, back to the emotional thing.
I'll be like, is that you know in the whole
scheme of eternity really you know, um, my daughter is
(53:29):
kind of in a c t land and I'm like,
I'm telling you, Leila, I don't know what I made.
You know. She's like I'm dying. She's dying to know
what I made. And I'm like you, I don't remember,
you know, I don't even remember what it was out of.
And that's how you know, that's how little of importance
(53:50):
and honestly, if you're that age, that's the biggest thing
you have in life basically, I mean, that's what our
community tells you, is it all comes down to this number.
This is your this is make or break, you know,
and you and I you and I felt like that
in this centerce this showcase tonight. It will dictate which, Yeah,
(54:13):
will you go home and open the failing car business
with your brother or will you succeed into the realm
of fame and matter forever. And it's just like, that's
not you know, that's not that's not how it's going
to go. Good. Oh, I love it. Your take on
(54:34):
life is so refreshing. I love it, Walker, I mean
it's not, I'm it's refreshing in the fact that you've
just lived it all. Like it's just you are just
you just know you know what life is about because
you just know, you just know it, and it's nice
to hear and you're so grounded and something something bigger
than yourself, which is telling you, I mean you know this,
but you are you are truly a light in this world.
(54:57):
And I know that's probably a heavy load to are
sometimes and you are human as well, but like what
you're doing is really phenomenal. So I appreciate you having
this conversation with me. Honestly, I I am not excited
by a lot of people in the world today because
I'm so like, I'm so jaded by it all. I'm like,
(55:18):
we've talked about this conversation. I feel this, but like
with you and like your whole journey, I just it is.
It is so warming to my heart to see your
life because you are someone who I truly like respect
your journey, and I respect your choices, and I respect
your mindset, and I respect your family and the way
that you have chosen to navigate this and all the
(55:39):
things I told you earlier, Like I just like have
such admiration for the people that you and your wife
and family are because you didn't you don't have to
be this way, and you're shining such a light on
how to find how to really find happiness because that's
what we all are looking for. But you're not going
to find it on earth, and you are here to
let everybody know that just by being yourself. And I
(56:00):
appreciate you so much for coming on here. I always
wrap up with leader, like last question, first thing, You've
said so many inspiring things, but what do you want
people to know? Uh ah, that's a that's an opening.
And you know obviously, um, I just wanted to know
(56:21):
crisis the answer again, that's it. That's that's my main
my main goal. And and another thing just that included
with this answer. But the last thing I ever want
to be is some family you know that people look
(56:44):
at and say, I want to be like that family,
because I know how that feels. Um. Lanny and I
had a fight one time about maybe seven or eight
years ago. I mean, we were struggling, but Leela was
doing gymnastics and some mom some moms shared with Laney
(57:10):
some like magical tradition they have where they play like
Monopoly every Wednesday night or something, and you know, Laney,
she just dwelled on that like that really it competed
with what our family looked like, you know. And and
(57:31):
you know at that time, I was, you know, I
was getting up at like four, and we didn't have
any money, and you know, I was playing shows and
that hurt my feelings and it it made her sad.
You know, she was like, we don't do Monopoly night.
This sounds stupid, killing but I was like, I was like,
(57:56):
you know, and I got defensive. I was like, Monopoly
Nights stupid, you know, and I was like board games
are stupid, you know what, and it it kind of
started a fight because the the way Landy was lying
to herself based on what that lady said, you know,
she was basically looking at Monopoly Night going that family
(58:18):
is freaking perfect. I want that, which we all know.
That family is just as stupid, is just as screwed
up as ours is. They just had a golden moment
and and I was, I was looking at it, going
and Dad's such a better dad, and he wears khakis
and like they have and he probably has savings and
(58:41):
like he can pay for you know. And I was
like bloodshot eyed and like I was probably you know,
kind of buzzing. I don't know, but what I want
people to know is we're just like you. Like we fight.
Our kids are like mom, Dad's don't fight right now.
I need you to help me with math, you know.
(59:03):
And then and then I'll pick up the guitar and
be like I got an idea, and my son's like, no,
don't sing right now, lay play basketball with me, you know,
And then Laney and I are like, man, we haven't
had a date and you know, three weeks. So I
just want everybody to know you don't want to be us,
(59:23):
you already are us. You. I swear on my life
like you and I and your wife and all of
us were all struggling with the same things. And I
know sometimes you can look and be like, oh, his
last three posts they were just dancing in the kitchen,
but it's just not. That's just the fun part, you know.
(59:47):
And I you know, trust me, if if Laney and
I were in a fight and I was like, let
me video this and share it, she would punch me
in the face. She'd be like the But you know,
I just want everybody to know that that you know,
and I appreciate. I love that I get to share
my family, but I want everybody to know we're just
as desperate as everyone is. And it is not it's
(01:00:13):
not I can tell you having the biggest song ever
on the planet doesn't. We're no, We're no different. It's
no difference. So so if you're out there and that's
all you ever want to do was write the biggest
song in the world, hey enjoy trying, but just know
that it will not appease, satisfy, fulfill, nourish anything that
(01:00:38):
matters in your life. Um, and that we're not We're
not perfect, And I hopefully that's what you appreciate about
my family. It is that's what comes through. That's what
comes through that you're not trying to be perfect. You
just are being y'all and you're the best that you
can with God in your heart, and you're just except
(01:01:00):
doing life as this beautiful disaster that it is and
enjoying it your family as much as you can. And
it really that shines through so much. And I think
that's why personally, I think that that's why your success
happened on TikTok with your daughter, because you were meant
you were your family. And I'm not putting I'm not
trying to put all this pressure on your family, but like, yeah,
(01:01:21):
the picture is so powerful with the realness of the family.
You know, it's like you blew up with your family,
you know, it's like having to this together. It was
like it's it's something about y'all's energy and your commitment
to your higher self that's so powerful. Well that means
the world. And uh, I can't thank you enough for
(01:01:44):
just your real you know, not every not every conversation
really gets you know, down to the heart of it.
So I appreciate you being so authentic and um open
back at you. I appreciate you being so off and
it can open and these are I mean, this is
the only this is what I live for now. It's
like these kind of conversations. I just get into people's
(01:02:07):
hearts and minds and see what's going on when all
that has happened, you know, like, how are you processing it?
Because aren't we all just trying to figure it out?
Like you said, we're all just in it, so you're
walker it's a movement. I think. I think this that's
kind of aware, you know. I think humanity is naturally
(01:02:29):
going here. We've we've expended all our resources and we're like,
what's it all about? Because it can't this can't be it,
you know, and just yeah, and we're I think we're where.
We're all tired. You and I aren't the only ones.
And if they, if people say they're not, they're lying. Yeah,
I agree. I think we are in a spiritual awakening.
(01:02:51):
I think this is like I think the world blew
up and everything has been turned upside down and we're
seeing so much truth and now it's like you can't
not be aware of the way kinning that's happening. Even
if people were resisting it, it's it's happening, and I
love that. I think that that's one of the great
things that does come out of the turmoil is you
have to reevaluate and dig into something that's not on
(01:03:12):
this earth. It has to get bigger. And so maybe
we just served in the middle of the start of
it all. But Walker, yeah, well, hey, I hang in there. Video,
keep doing the soul work, you know, don't stop. You're
honestly you're a force of just light, and it's awesome.
You're affecting so many people and you are doing God's
(01:03:35):
work like every day. So thank you for all that
you do. I appreciate it. We love you. Laney says, hey,
don't tell you hey, last night, let's tell her. I said,
what's up? And thank you again for everything. I really
appreciate your honesty and vulnerability and heart. It was amazing
good times. You're good at what you do. We'll talk
against them, Okay, bye, Walker, see you
Host
Caroline Hobby
Popular Podcasts
24/7 News: The Latest
The latest news in 4 minutes updated every hour, every day.
Therapy Gecko
An unlicensed lizard psychologist travels the universe talking to strangers about absolutely nothing. TO CALL THE GECKO: follow me on https://www.twitch.tv/lyleforever to get a notification for when I am taking calls. I am usually live Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays but lately a lot of other times too. I am a gecko.
The Joe Rogan Experience
The official podcast of comedian Joe Rogan.