Toby Keith, a name synonymous with the contemporary country music landscape, has crafted a discography rich in storytelling and raw emotion.
His ability to capture the essence of the American experience, often through a lens tinted with a rebellious spirit, has solidified his status as a cultural icon.
Background
Released in 1999 as part of his album How Do You Like Me Now?!, the song marks a departure from the brash, celebratory tone that often characterizes Keith’s work.
The song’s title itself is a provocative statement. It suggests a world-weary wisdom, a sense that the narrator has encountered life’s challenges with a hardened resolve.
The “wall” in question is a metaphor, a tangible representation of emotional fortification erected in the aftermath of heartbreak. This imagery is both potent and relatable, as it speaks to the human tendency to build barriers as a defense mechanism against future pain.
Video
Lyrics
🎵 Let’s sing along with the lyrics! 🎤
Blue eyes, brown hair, yeah that’s my past standing thereTurning every head in here tonightThat smile, that laugh, everyone is staring atThe one thing that stands betweenMe and the rest of my lifeI know a wall when I see oneAnd I’m looking at one right nowHeartaches written all over this oneOne I can’t get aroundWhere’s a door when you need oneI know a wall when I see oneThe hurt had stopped, at least that’s what I thoughtUp until what use to be walked inJust flesh and bone, it might as well be stone‘Cause it’s a memory I can’t get pastThat’s what I’m up againstI know a wall when I see oneAnd I’m looking at one right nowHeartaches written all over this oneOne I can’t get aroundWhere’s a door when you need oneI know a wall when I see oneAfter all my heart’s been throughLook what it’s run intoI know a wall when I see oneAnd I’m looking at one right nowHeartaches written all over this oneOne I can’t get aroundWhere’s a door when you need oneI know a wall when I see oneI know a wall
Harley