December 12, 2023 • 40 mins
The man that gifted the world "Fancy Like" a couple of years ago, that catchy little viral sensation... has wrapped up another present and we don't even have to wait until Christmas Day to enjoy it! "Fancy LIke Christmas" was released last month, with all new lyrics... and dance moves! Walker Hayes sits down with us today to talk about his festive new single, AND SO MUCH MORE!
You'll get an insiders view of this amazing singer/songwriter, loving husband, proud father of 6, kind, humble, man of faith when you join us for a special Christmas edition of Love Someone. We're fancy like that! ~ Delilah
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:04):
Well, Thanksgiving Day, Turkey Day has come and gone, and
boy did we gobble, gobble, gobble a Paul the good
Ease turkey and dressing and salad and side dishes and
my homemade cranberry raspberry sauce, and oh ah, the pumpkin pie,
the sweet potato pie. Since then, there's been an abundance
(00:26):
of little holiday get togethers and all kinds of reasons
to treat myself, and I've sort of given up the
idea of fitting into any of my skinny clothes until
after New Year's is gone. I'll get back to the
healthy eating routine. Definitely renewing my gym membership in twenty
twenty four, because we got a little work to do
to stay in shape until then. However, I'm not going
(00:49):
to worry about it. I'm not. I'm going to enjoy
every festive moment. This season brings every hug, every opportunity
to sit and sip tea and nash with family and friends.
It's a gift and I Am not going to waste
a moment of it. I love the holidays, I love
the window displays. I love my kids' school performances. My daughter,
(01:12):
Delilah Junior has a musical coming up. I love the
smell of pine and cedar and cinnamon. I love houses
that are lit upright with Christmas lights. I love the
way the trees twinkle in the corner like it's got
a secret, it's bursting to share. I am not fancy schmancy.
(01:33):
We do not set our holiday table with fine china.
We have paper plates and we are good with that.
But you know who is kind of fancy today's podcast guest, Well,
he's fancy in a special kind of way. He's fancy
like Applebee's on a date night. Yes, this singer songwriter
(01:55):
smash hit Fancy Like topped every country musicales and streaming
chart and spent more than six months at the number
one spot on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart. But
it wasn't just country lovers that fell for it. Everybody
was doing the Applebee's dance. The song the dance moves
(02:16):
went viral all over social media. All my kids, all
my grandkids know it. Even my brother can swirl some
whipped cream on his Oreo shake too. Fancy Light gave
Walker Hayes his first Grammy nomination, and it's no wonder
that Applebee's picked it up for use. That track, as
(02:37):
well as his follow up singles AA Y'all Life and
Good with Me, made Walker one of the top selling
and streaming artists of all time. He's got a new
single out, Good with Me, that marvels over how crazy
life can get and how we've just got to take
it one day at a time, part of his latest project,
(03:01):
New Money, a collection of songs that resonate with folks
in a way that only Walker Hayes seems to be
able to do. But the big news is that Walker
brought us a little Christmas joy I'm sure a whole
new choreograph routine this year with the release of Fancy
Like Christmas. It's just as catchy and relatable as his
(03:25):
original number, and there's some fun references to be discovered
in his rewritten lyrics for the holidays. We're going to
get the full scoop on Fancy Like Christmas and everything
else this fun, talented, spirit filled guy wants to dish
out today, right after a generous helping of praise for
(03:47):
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Welcome to love someone with Delila. I cannot even mention
the name of your big hit song without like wanting
(05:21):
to do the little dance that goes with it. That's awesome,
Walker Hayes, welcome to love someone with Delila. Did you
come up with a little dance or did somebody choreograph
that and it just went viral?
Speaker 2 (05:35):
No, that was that was me and my seventeen year
old daughter, Leela. She kind of invented that dance. We
did it together back back in the COVID days. We
changed it for the new version.
Speaker 1 (05:48):
Yeah, it's not just fancy like Applebee's now, it's fancy
like Christmas Christmas.
Speaker 2 (05:53):
Yeah, and so she helps me, but we have a
really special relationship. She dances in my who are and
you know, she loves to do the TikTok things. So
that's how we spend spend time together. It's hard to
spend time one on one with each kid, so I
have to have a specific activity with each of them.
Speaker 3 (06:14):
So that's a win.
Speaker 1 (06:16):
Walker Hayes. How many how many kids are we talking about?
Speaker 2 (06:20):
We have six kids so that we have we have
three girls and three boys and they're seventeen to eight.
Speaker 3 (06:26):
Everybody separated by about two years.
Speaker 1 (06:28):
And are is that its God told you you're done?
Speaker 2 (06:32):
Or truthfully, my wife and I are continually prayer FORU
for you know, maybe an adoption scenario type thing or
a fostering type thing.
Speaker 3 (06:46):
Where we're wide open to that.
Speaker 2 (06:49):
But it has been interesting how we have collected babies
to babysit and and friends who need childcare and things
like that. So we're constantly surrounded by children that are
not our own, and we love it. That's our favorite
thing is kids. So we're welcoming whatever happens.
Speaker 1 (07:13):
So while you're on tour, is mama at home holding
down the fort with the babies or are they all
on a bus with you?
Speaker 2 (07:21):
They're on the bus. Yeah, we have a we have
a family bus. We have three dogs, and the six
kids come and sometimes you know, if we're keeping somebody else,
you know, everyone is cramped on that bus and.
Speaker 3 (07:38):
We just go, i mean Wednesday night through Sunday.
Speaker 2 (07:41):
They're in touring season where it is we're all over
the country.
Speaker 1 (07:46):
And do you love it or are you like happy
to get home?
Speaker 3 (07:50):
No? I absolutely love it. And my kids they.
Speaker 2 (07:55):
I think they might love it more than me, you know,
they they love the road. Mom loves the road because
she didn't have to cook. You know, we always have
food out there and catering and so that's and I agree,
I mean that's that means no dishes.
Speaker 1 (08:12):
I love to cook, but let me tell you, I
hate the dishes.
Speaker 2 (08:16):
I know the dishes are the worst. But my family,
it's it was interesting when we asked them.
Speaker 3 (08:24):
To try this.
Speaker 2 (08:26):
I was really open minded, you know, I was prepared
that some of them might not want to lose some
of their commitments or things you know that they did
at home. And they're so sweet. I mean, they sacrifice
a lot to be together as a family, but they
love it. Leela dances with other dancers on the show,
(08:48):
so she's she's an employee now. And then my daughter
Locksley sings a couple of songs with me, and yeah,
we're becoming kind of the performing family. You know, a
little sound of music going on here.
Speaker 1 (09:01):
So do they does mom homeschool? Do you have somebody
on the bus homeschooling like I would love that, except.
Speaker 4 (09:09):
Mine have gotten you the I don't know this goal.
Speaker 1 (09:11):
And my daughter just made the basketball team at her
high school.
Speaker 2 (09:14):
Yeah you know, yeah, No, My my wife is incredible,
and she she homeschools them.
Speaker 3 (09:19):
She always has.
Speaker 1 (09:21):
So you guys have been through some ups, You've been
through some downs, You've been through recovery. Uh, tell me walker,
What what is on your heart? Like if you could
talk to the world, what would you want to impart?
Speaker 2 (09:37):
Yeah, I mean, I'm just you know, I'm an interesting
phase like you described. You know, our family has tasted
at all. You know, we've we've tasted lost. My dad
died two years ago. It was basically the minute he died,
fancylike blew up. We've been shunned, you know, we've been poor.
(10:00):
How we're going to get our next meal for and
now we're receiving basically everything in the world has to
give us. But we're finding you know that fame and
financial stability doesn't necessarily improve the state.
Speaker 3 (10:18):
Of the human heart.
Speaker 2 (10:19):
You know, we've we've learned that over the past two
years that we're very grateful for these earthly blessings. But
it didn't fix my marriage, it didn't make me a
better dad, it didn't heal me. And honestly, a lot
of the fame and the fortune for me has only
(10:42):
pointed to my need for a savior because of how
much of a letdown it has truly been. And for
that I don't it's not a gloomy feeling that falls
on me. It's it's a great it's a gratitude that
I am rescued from myself, you know, I am rescued
(11:05):
from that that void that there is here, you know,
down here on this planet, on Earth. And again with
all that we've seen, my family recognizes this futility, you know,
on this side of heaven.
Speaker 1 (11:21):
This chasing the wind. It's all chasing the wind.
Speaker 2 (11:26):
Right and you know, it's led us to this place
where we go. What down here on Earth isn't a
coping mechanism, and I honestly I regret to inform the listeners.
Speaker 3 (11:39):
That I can't find one thing.
Speaker 2 (11:42):
You know, I can turn my family into an idol,
I can turn my career into an idol.
Speaker 3 (11:49):
I can turn some really.
Speaker 2 (11:51):
Great things into something that will ultimately let me down.
And honestly, that's kind of where my heart is now,
you know, as we go into this season, and then
my heart also, I think Laney and I we've begun
to look around and not so at ourselves, and look around.
(12:13):
You know that there's a lot of people hurting every day.
You know, we lost we lost a child, and I
remember sitting at a red light leaving the hospital by myself,
going to tell our other kids. You know, that their
their sister passed. And I remember sitting at that red light,
(12:37):
and I did a lot of grieving, and I did
a lot of selfish grieving. But at that moment, I
looked around at that red light at you know, maybe
hundreds of people, and I thought, this could be anybody
at this red light, every single human around me. Their
life could have just stopped today. Someone could have died.
(12:59):
They may become plating suicide. They may have family in
this country. You know that that can't get here. You know,
at this season in my life, more than ever, I
have no idea why. I'm just reminded that it's a
very broken world and we need each other. And so
I'm overwhelmed with gratitude and just thankful for the actual
(13:24):
blessings in my life, not necessarily success, you know, being
one of them. Worldly success is not something that I
typically and focusing on right now.
Speaker 3 (13:36):
I am.
Speaker 1 (13:36):
But your new song is New Money?
Speaker 3 (13:39):
Oh yeah, that song? You know? You have you listened
to that song? I have not.
Speaker 1 (13:46):
I've been too busy dancing fancy like Christmas, very Christmas.
Oh my gosh. My kids are addicted to you. They are,
they are They need a twelve step program for fancy
like Christmas, Like.
Speaker 4 (14:12):
So why tell me about New Money?
Speaker 1 (14:14):
And especially about good with Me, because that kind of
the lyrics of that kind of saying song everything we've
been talking about.
Speaker 3 (14:23):
Yeah, good good with Me? It was my favorite. It's
my favorite.
Speaker 2 (14:28):
Song on the new project New Money. And honestly, New
Money is just a praise God for a label that
just encourages just me being honest and vulnerable and sharing
with the people like what what is actually what does life.
Speaker 3 (14:44):
Look like for me?
Speaker 2 (14:45):
And what what am I thinking about on a daily basis?
And that's really typically what I write.
Speaker 3 (14:50):
But good with Me?
Speaker 2 (14:52):
Uh, look, I think everybody knows it and wouldn't disagree
with me. The world is at a I don't know
if unique is the right word, but it's we're at
a very volatile place right now, and emotions are are volatile.
They're up and down, and they're they're loud, and we're
(15:13):
just at a very divided place, even with your neighbors,
you know. And and I was leaving the gym one
day and a very very dear friend. One of my
favorite things about the gym is the people I meet
there and they're they're they're.
Speaker 3 (15:30):
All walks of life.
Speaker 2 (15:32):
And I was leaving the gym and a very very
dear friend began to share with me his opinion on
a political matter. I am the dumbest person in every
room I walk in. I am not tuned in with news.
I don't usually chime in with arguments like this. But
(15:53):
this guy, he kept on getting louder and louder as
he described you know, where he's on a particular issue,
and I remember losing focus and I began to focus
on the vein in his forehead.
Speaker 3 (16:08):
It was like it was really getting heated, and you.
Speaker 2 (16:12):
Know, finally I just said, hey, man, I dude, you
obviously feel strong about this, and you know that's good
and well, but I'm just I don't really know anything about.
Speaker 3 (16:25):
This to even chime in, you know. And so I
went home and in my mind.
Speaker 2 (16:31):
I thought about people I love and know very well,
and I took inventory of how divided and you know,
what someone thinks about this, and what's you know, the
beginning of the song is about it's my in laws,
and I say, Pam thinks Jesus is on his way.
Doug thinks she's a hoot, and she's a believer. He's not,
(16:53):
and so I went one side of an argument to
the opposite side of an argument, and I just took
an inventory of the vastly different amount of opinions that
I hear in a day.
Speaker 3 (17:06):
And then I brought it all home.
Speaker 2 (17:08):
With just sitting on the dock with my wife and saying, hey,
you know, look, I don't know what to think about
all this stuff, but you go good with me, and
that's what That's one thing I know, you know. And
so it's a very lighthearted, playful song that doesn't really
have an opinion, but at the same time mentions many
(17:30):
many popular opinions in this little.
Speaker 3 (17:33):
Town that we live in. And I made a lot
of my friend's day. They can hear.
Speaker 2 (17:37):
Their names in the song and they're excited about it.
But it was it was a fun song, and again
I'm grateful that my label would allow me to do
this song. The New Money song is about exactly you
know what we're talking about. You know, I do have
(17:58):
new money. I didn't have old money, you know. And
it's funny. I look at my kids and sometimes I wonder,
am I raising them to get on this hamster wheel?
Speaker 3 (18:10):
You know, Like do I applaud when they begin.
Speaker 2 (18:14):
To look like the world wants us to look, you know,
like chasing dreams and becoming successful. And you know that's
what new money is about. And honestly, a lot of
money has money is a funny thing. Lenny and I
never discussed money. We didn't have enough to discuss, you know.
It was like I got a paycheck, Well, we need food.
Speaker 3 (18:37):
You know.
Speaker 1 (18:39):
My sister and I were talking last night about this interview,
and she said, you know, the more she dug into
your past, she said, this guy is a phenomenal songwriter
and he's been doing it for years. And she said,
he's one of those people that folks say, well, what
does it feel to be an overnight sensation? And then
you say, well, I've been working at it for thirty years?
(19:00):
But thank you for asking.
Speaker 2 (19:02):
Yeah, I mean, you're exactly right. I mean I think
I think if you just found me on socials today,
you're not even scratching the surface, right.
Speaker 1 (19:12):
How many years have you been writing and just paying
your dues?
Speaker 2 (19:19):
Well, I mean we started writing. I started writing songs
in two thousand and four. So Lanny and I we
got married and moved here. We drove a U haul
from our honeymoon and started writing songs and so yeah,
I mean eighteen years of my twenty year career was nothing,
you know, absolutely nothing but just grind.
Speaker 3 (19:43):
But I love. I mean, we were happy and we
had children.
Speaker 1 (19:46):
And what did you do to augment the writing because
I know you weren't paying the bills just with writing
great songs.
Speaker 2 (19:53):
No, no costco was my last job, and I stocked
produce at night.
Speaker 3 (20:01):
I know a lot about produce.
Speaker 4 (20:03):
Yeah, botch totally.
Speaker 3 (20:06):
I'm the guy, you know.
Speaker 2 (20:07):
I can tell you what a what a ripe, really
fresh tomato feels like.
Speaker 1 (20:12):
And how to pick a good watermelon.
Speaker 3 (20:15):
Yeah, yeah, thump it. Yeah, you listening to the acoustic.
Speaker 2 (20:19):
Yeah, But you know, I'm grateful for those times. There
are times I'm reminded of that. I'm glad I'm not
going back there anytime soon.
Speaker 1 (20:30):
Worst job you ever had to put food on the table.
Speaker 3 (20:34):
Oh shoot. This was a sweet lady and she was.
Speaker 2 (20:37):
Very helpful, honestly, And her name was Suzanne, and she
hired me about twice a week to go clean up
dead birds that her cat would bring it to her house.
Speaker 3 (20:51):
And she was alone in her house, and.
Speaker 2 (20:55):
So she would give me ten bucks a bird and
so and so whatever job I was doing, then I
would just go to.
Speaker 1 (21:03):
Susanna got a bird patrol. I did do you really
think she needed you to come and pick up birds?
Or do you think she knew that you were struggling
and working hard and she wanted to bless you with dignity?
Speaker 3 (21:15):
I think that was it.
Speaker 2 (21:17):
I think she just saw it as an opportunity to
overpay me to do something I.
Speaker 3 (21:22):
Would have done for free, you know, for.
Speaker 1 (21:24):
For someone I loved, bless you with dignity.
Speaker 2 (21:26):
But that cat brought in a lot of birds, so
I was grateful for that cat.
Speaker 1 (21:35):
I don't know how I didn't get to talk to
you before this, because I just love you, and I
love your message. I love your honesty, I love your integrity.
I love that you're you're not afraid to admit that
you are human. Some of us are more human than others.
Speaker 2 (21:56):
Well, I'm just a huge fan of you, I honestly
found and it's surreal that you and I are talking.
I've listened to your voice for many, many, many years,
So thank you for doing what you do well.
Speaker 1 (22:07):
Your kids are seventeen to seven, is seventeen to eight
minor forty five to seven.
Speaker 3 (22:14):
Let's go here were you're a bigger gap than.
Speaker 1 (22:18):
Me there Well, there's fifteen of them, so they're you know,
oh my lord, there's like three different groups, three different families,
you know, And I'm amazing parented very differently forty five
years ago or forty years ago, because my oldest biological
son will be forty next year. I parented very differently
(22:41):
with each child or group of children because he was
an only child for ten years, and then I decided
to adopt. And I decided to adopt one and found
out he had siblings, so got three and decided to
do that because I was told by two doctors I
couldn't carry more children, couldn't have more children. And at
(23:03):
almost forty I found out I was pregnant, so oh
my goodness.
Speaker 3 (23:08):
Yeah, that's amazing.
Speaker 1 (23:10):
But like you and Laney, I will never say no.
I will never ever ever say no. If God brings
a child to me and says this, this child needs love,
needs mommy, needs a temporary place or a permanent place
in this world, I will never never say, you know,
there's no room at the end.
Speaker 2 (23:32):
I'm one hundred percent I can't you know, well, I
mean honestly, where you know, where we live is not
a not a wealthy place. It's very rural, you know,
super small town. We live in Franklin, you know, Nashville
for many many years, and that's like super well, you know,
(23:54):
a different type of depravity over there. But I mean,
one thing I've noticed, and again I'm not I'm not
old wise one, but just the word orphan. I mean
my neighbors ah, you know, but he's an adult, you know.
But that's the thing, you know, I was telling you
about sitting at that red light. That's kind of how
(24:14):
I feel in life now and how I look at
or try to look at relationships is it's that cliche.
You know, every single person you pass is dealing with
something you don't know about. You know, there's plenty of
people to walk outside and nurture, you know, with just
(24:37):
a friendship.
Speaker 3 (24:38):
You know.
Speaker 2 (24:38):
I don't know if you've heard my song Craig, but
my best friend Craig, I mean.
Speaker 3 (24:44):
That's what he did. That's what he and his wife did.
Speaker 2 (24:47):
To me and Laney is they adopted us, you know,
into their life. And not only did they welcome us
into their their home, but they joined.
Speaker 3 (24:56):
Us in the mess of our life. You know.
Speaker 2 (24:59):
They literally just showed up at our home and got
their hands dirty and they hugged us and they didn't care.
They adopted us, And so yeah, that's I mean.
Speaker 1 (25:13):
And here's the cool thing. I have read the lyrics
of your song and did the my sister did the
research on your relationship. Yeah, Craig, h you would not
I don't think, because you seem like you have an
extremely strong personality. You wouldn't have listened to any of
the wisdom he had to share. If love didn't come first,
(25:35):
true love, real.
Speaker 2 (25:36):
Love, not at all, honestly delight. This may sound weird,
but I don't enjoy people typically like Craig, or didn't
at that time of my life. I would have hypocritically
called him a hypocrite. And then here comes this amazing
love through that guy that I can't push away, you know,
(25:59):
and it it was quite remarkable. And even when I
wrote that song, I still didn't.
Speaker 3 (26:09):
Believe the same things as Craig.
Speaker 2 (26:13):
But I just that that song is the confession of
a guy coming home and going I don't know why
this guy loves me and my family so much. I
don't know why it doesn't make sense? And what of
holy smokes man, what if what if every single person
you met right, what if your goal and just your
(26:38):
heart just just what if what oohed from you?
Speaker 3 (26:41):
Even the kids you adopt, you.
Speaker 2 (26:42):
Know, what if they walked out of the house, or
my children that are my biological kids, what if they
walked out of the house every day and no matter
what they thought of me in their brain, they.
Speaker 3 (26:55):
Went, doesn't make sense? Why does he love me? You know?
Speaker 2 (27:00):
That was the thing about Craig is that he's not
he's not perfect himself. But that love, you know again,
that love that came from him was so obviously supernatural.
Speaker 1 (27:24):
So tell my listeners about the be A Craig Fund,
because oh, it's amazing you and your wife, based on
this love this man shared with you, are now paying
it forward.
Speaker 2 (27:35):
So Craig was so brave. And what I mean by
that is, you know, it's it's I think it's hard
sometimes to be bold and help someone because sometimes when
you I think, honestly, if you're not scared by the
assistance you're giving someone, then you might not actually be
helping them. You might just be looking to feel good.
(27:56):
You know, it's not scary to throw a twenty dollars
bill to a homeless guy. You look like the hero.
You don't have to invest anything. What's twenty bucks to
a person who you know whatever? Crag gave us a van,
and I didn't want the help. As a matter of fact,
(28:16):
when he gave us this gift, I was embarrassed because basically,
Craig was saying to me publicly in front of people,
that I wasn't really able to take care of my family.
But that's what someone who loves you says, is they say,
you need to accept this help. You need to hear
(28:37):
things that maybe you don't want to hear, but I'm
saying them to you because I truly love you and
I'm not in this for me. And so I was
blown away by that burden relieved. And you can hear
it in the song Craig mego and I don't want
to accept this help, but this guy helped me. And look,
(28:57):
I don't know what he's got, but I want it.
I want that, you know, whatever, Where did that generosity
come from? Where did that unconditional love come from? So
to relieve that burden for specific people that loved ones
and people out there can submit people that they know
who are in need of vehicles, and so what we
(29:20):
do with that correct fund mainly is we take those
funds and we research and find people who are nominated
by their peers and we deliver them clean, working cars,
you know, and a lot most most of the people
we provided cars for have large families. You know, they're
(29:41):
struggling getting to and from work while also taking taking
So if.
Speaker 1 (29:46):
Somebody's got a van like an eight passenger or twelve
passenger van, they're not using, your organization could definitely use that,
is what you're saying.
Speaker 3 (29:56):
Yes, absolutely, we do that.
Speaker 2 (29:58):
We buy them through other nonprofits and stuff, and we
you know, we gift them and it's an awesome, awesome organization.
And then it's also I'm a huge fan of Hope International.
Craig and I go to Rwanda each year. We give
money to that and then any any Honestly, just like
(30:21):
if our hurricane hit somewhere and devastates, you know, a community,
we we give you know, anything we've got we give
you know, Me and the team kind of deliberate and
decide this is where this goes, Like this is just
on our heart, this is where this needs to go.
Speaker 3 (30:36):
So that's that's the be a Craig Fund.
Speaker 1 (30:39):
Walker Hayes has been hanging out with us today. We've
got a little time left with him, but I'm going
to pause our conversation right now for just a minute
so I can catch up with our latest generous podcast sponsor.
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(32:10):
That's Laura Geller dot com, the place to go to
look and feel your best. I got a share real
quick years ago. I was living in Boston and I
had two children at the time, and I got fired
from my radio station. What a shock. That happened a
(32:33):
lot back then. And this listener named Steve Byron, he
was a police officer, kindest man in the world, called
me up and said, hey, you're going to be home.
I got something for you. He knew I was in
a bad situation and my then husband had just wrecked
our only car and hid black ice in the morning
(32:55):
and the car flipped and wrecked the car and it
was totaled. And Steve said, you're going to be home.
I got a surprise for you. And he came to
my house. He picked me up. I'm like, where are
we going? He said, don't ask questions. He drove me
to his house and he said I needed to bring
you here because I couldn't bring it because then I
wouldn't have a way home, and he gave me a van.
Speaker 3 (33:20):
Oh my gosh, Yeah.
Speaker 1 (33:21):
He gave me a van.
Speaker 4 (33:23):
It gets better.
Speaker 3 (33:23):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (33:25):
Before he gave it to me, he had the tires replaced,
he had the oil change, he did all that. And
I drove that van for two years, and you know,
it had a lot of miles on it, and it
started breaking down and I called him just to ask
what mechanic to take it to and blah blah blah,
(33:45):
and he said, well, you're home now, right, showed up,
took me back to his house and gave me a
second van because his boys had left. The same man
gifted me with two vehicles free of charge, just to
bless me, just to keep me rolling, just to keep
(34:06):
me moving. And I will never forget that love and
that generosity and what it meant to my life.
Speaker 3 (34:14):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (34:16):
And I went through some really tough times, really tough
times in the next year. And my boss at the time,
I walked in his office one day and I was
in tears. I said, I need to borrow fifty bucks.
I got to buy diapers, and he gave me five hundred.
Speaker 2 (34:31):
Oh man, yeah, we Laney and I. His life is
sprinkled with situations like that and those types of burdens
lifted and at those moments, those people, I mean, that's
that was the thing about Craig that I didn't know.
(34:52):
The night Craig gave us that van, I mean, I
really did. The song is one hundred percent true. But
I will never forget driving home and just how many
emotions I was flooded with. And look, I'm a I'm
a dude, I don't the whole feelings thing. They creep
(35:12):
up on me, and they did this night. You know,
I looked in the rear view and what happened was
I noticed that all of my kids had a seatbelt on.
And you know, we had been driving around and not
everybody had been in a safe you.
Speaker 3 (35:29):
Know, buckled up.
Speaker 2 (35:30):
And and when when I when I looked back, and
all my children were smiling in that van and they
they were you know, they were looking around as the
greatest van they'd ever seen, you know, and and it
was it was a huge van, but to my kids,
it was like the Ritz Carlton on wheels exactly.
Speaker 3 (35:50):
Yeah, And they were all so little.
Speaker 2 (35:51):
But I looked back and they were all but you know,
I just saw their seatbelts and I lost it. I mean,
I absolutely just I'm sure one of my kids is like,
okay that, and I wasn't okay, you know, I was
just you know, when you get saved or helped by
someone like that, the real gratitude floods. When you just
(36:15):
feel the relief. You know, you're like, wow, I really
needed this van. I didn't know how bad I needed
this van. You know, you you're you're too busy trying
to just buy diapers and and go and then you
and then you have fifty diapers in your hand and
you go, man, it's so good to just you know,
(36:37):
my kid use the bathroom and I can just change
the diaper and it's clean, and and my kid is
is comfortable, and and just that that emotion to give
that to someone, it's life changing.
Speaker 3 (36:53):
I mean it. The loneliness is gone.
Speaker 2 (36:55):
You know when you when you're riding around the vand
and your kids out buckled, You're like, I'm not alone.
Speaker 1 (37:01):
Yep, and I can take on anything.
Speaker 2 (37:04):
Yeah, And it's it's more than the gift. It's more
than the van. It's it's it's just it's awesome.
Speaker 3 (37:11):
And uh yeah.
Speaker 2 (37:12):
But those stories, those those stories you shared, they're I
mean it takes me back, and don't you want to
do that? I mean, don't you want to do that
for anybody you can?
Speaker 4 (37:22):
That's all I want to do. I have had.
Speaker 1 (37:25):
I have family members, not on my family, but like
my husband's family and people that are really smart and
their financial investors and their planners, and they're they're like,
you know you need to do this, you need you're
getting older, you need to think about this, you need
to do this. And I'm like, Nope. If God's going
to give it to me and I'm not using it,
I am giving it away.
Speaker 3 (37:46):
Go.
Speaker 1 (37:47):
I am giving it away because whatever his plan for
me is, he's going to take care of me.
Speaker 4 (37:51):
I'm not.
Speaker 1 (37:52):
I don't need to worry about that. But the joy
that I get seeing somebody's face east feel like I
felt when Steve gave me that van.
Speaker 3 (38:04):
I know, I know, it's it's just you're giving me.
Here's what I'm landing. And I always laugh too.
Speaker 2 (38:12):
We always say, you know, if we're homeless one day
and somebody's like, why are you homeless, and you're like, well.
Speaker 3 (38:21):
I gave it all away.
Speaker 2 (38:22):
I'm like that's pretty that's pretty cool answer, you know,
Like that's.
Speaker 1 (38:27):
Here's the thing. There's nothing wrong with that. But but Walker,
you cannot outgive God. You cannot outgive God.
Speaker 3 (38:34):
No, it's impossible. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (38:37):
Well, thank you for being with us, thank you for
sharing your heart. And have a blessed, blessed year.
Speaker 3 (38:44):
Hey, it's so good talking to you, So.
Speaker 1 (38:46):
Good talking to you, Lord, blessing my friend.
Speaker 2 (38:49):
Thank you, thank you such a great encouraging conversation.
Speaker 3 (38:54):
I appreciate it.
Speaker 1 (38:55):
God bless you. Han Walker is one of those quote
overnight sensations, after working years and years to make his
dreams come true. These stories I love to share. His
music is generally fun, catchy, oh soo, stink and relatable.
You have no choice but to love it, and you
find yourself not only singing along, but thinking you might
(39:18):
be able to bust out the dance moves. My family
has been enjoying Fancy Like Christmas, even though it's only
been out for a couple of weeks yours probably has
been two, and none of us are mad about it.
His latest project, New Money, in the single good with Me,
is available now. It is a great album you love
(39:39):
listening to when the last Christmas ornament has been carefully
packed and shoved away until next year and you need
some good tunes to take you through the rest of
the winter and back into the sunshine. Keep up with
Walker at his website Walkerhayes dot com ha y e
s Walkerhayes dot com, where you'll find his music, his
(40:01):
concert and tour info and merchandise, and his link to
be a Craig Fund. Keep singing, keep dancing, keep eating
and loving your way through the holidays. My friends, this
glorious time of friendship and feasting doesn't last very long
and truly can't do any damage to your waistline that
(40:21):
a few weeks of diligence and walking getting your steps
in once January rolls around won't solve. I'm so happy
that you join me here on Love Someone. I hope
you join me every night on the radio for my
radio show. Let's keep lighting the way for each other
and do me a favor. In between your dance steps,
(40:43):
slow down and love someone to
Well, Thanksgiving Day, Turkey Day has come and gone, and
boy did we gobble, gobble, gobble a Paul the good
Ease turkey and dressing and salad and side dishes and
my homemade cranberry raspberry sauce, and oh ah, the pumpkin pie,
the sweet potato pie. Since then, there's been an abundance
(00:26):
of little holiday get togethers and all kinds of reasons
to treat myself, and I've sort of given up the
idea of fitting into any of my skinny clothes until
after New Year's is gone. I'll get back to the
healthy eating routine. Definitely renewing my gym membership in twenty
twenty four, because we got a little work to do
to stay in shape until then. However, I'm not going
(00:49):
to worry about it. I'm not. I'm going to enjoy
every festive moment. This season brings every hug, every opportunity
to sit and sip tea and nash with family and friends.
It's a gift and I Am not going to waste
a moment of it. I love the holidays, I love
the window displays. I love my kids' school performances. My daughter,
(01:12):
Delilah Junior has a musical coming up. I love the
smell of pine and cedar and cinnamon. I love houses
that are lit upright with Christmas lights. I love the
way the trees twinkle in the corner like it's got
a secret, it's bursting to share. I am not fancy schmancy.
(01:33):
We do not set our holiday table with fine china.
We have paper plates and we are good with that.
But you know who is kind of fancy today's podcast guest, Well,
he's fancy in a special kind of way. He's fancy
like Applebee's on a date night. Yes, this singer songwriter
(01:55):
smash hit Fancy Like topped every country musicales and streaming
chart and spent more than six months at the number
one spot on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart. But
it wasn't just country lovers that fell for it. Everybody
was doing the Applebee's dance. The song the dance moves
(02:16):
went viral all over social media. All my kids, all
my grandkids know it. Even my brother can swirl some
whipped cream on his Oreo shake too. Fancy Light gave
Walker Hayes his first Grammy nomination, and it's no wonder
that Applebee's picked it up for use. That track, as
(02:37):
well as his follow up singles AA Y'all Life and
Good with Me, made Walker one of the top selling
and streaming artists of all time. He's got a new
single out, Good with Me, that marvels over how crazy
life can get and how we've just got to take
it one day at a time, part of his latest project,
(03:01):
New Money, a collection of songs that resonate with folks
in a way that only Walker Hayes seems to be
able to do. But the big news is that Walker
brought us a little Christmas joy I'm sure a whole
new choreograph routine this year with the release of Fancy
Like Christmas. It's just as catchy and relatable as his
(03:25):
original number, and there's some fun references to be discovered
in his rewritten lyrics for the holidays. We're going to
get the full scoop on Fancy Like Christmas and everything
else this fun, talented, spirit filled guy wants to dish
out today, right after a generous helping of praise for
(03:47):
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Welcome to love someone with Delila. I cannot even mention
the name of your big hit song without like wanting
(05:21):
to do the little dance that goes with it. That's awesome,
Walker Hayes, welcome to love someone with Delila. Did you
come up with a little dance or did somebody choreograph
that and it just went viral?
Speaker 2 (05:35):
No, that was that was me and my seventeen year
old daughter, Leela. She kind of invented that dance. We
did it together back back in the COVID days. We
changed it for the new version.
Speaker 1 (05:48):
Yeah, it's not just fancy like Applebee's now, it's fancy
like Christmas Christmas.
Speaker 2 (05:53):
Yeah, and so she helps me, but we have a
really special relationship. She dances in my who are and
you know, she loves to do the TikTok things. So
that's how we spend spend time together. It's hard to
spend time one on one with each kid, so I
have to have a specific activity with each of them.
Speaker 3 (06:14):
So that's a win.
Speaker 1 (06:16):
Walker Hayes. How many how many kids are we talking about?
Speaker 2 (06:20):
We have six kids so that we have we have
three girls and three boys and they're seventeen to eight.
Speaker 3 (06:26):
Everybody separated by about two years.
Speaker 1 (06:28):
And are is that its God told you you're done?
Speaker 2 (06:32):
Or truthfully, my wife and I are continually prayer FORU
for you know, maybe an adoption scenario type thing or
a fostering type thing.
Speaker 3 (06:46):
Where we're wide open to that.
Speaker 2 (06:49):
But it has been interesting how we have collected babies
to babysit and and friends who need childcare and things
like that. So we're constantly surrounded by children that are
not our own, and we love it. That's our favorite
thing is kids. So we're welcoming whatever happens.
Speaker 1 (07:13):
So while you're on tour, is mama at home holding
down the fort with the babies or are they all
on a bus with you?
Speaker 2 (07:21):
They're on the bus. Yeah, we have a we have
a family bus. We have three dogs, and the six
kids come and sometimes you know, if we're keeping somebody else,
you know, everyone is cramped on that bus and.
Speaker 3 (07:38):
We just go, i mean Wednesday night through Sunday.
Speaker 2 (07:41):
They're in touring season where it is we're all over
the country.
Speaker 1 (07:46):
And do you love it or are you like happy
to get home?
Speaker 3 (07:50):
No? I absolutely love it. And my kids they.
Speaker 2 (07:55):
I think they might love it more than me, you know,
they they love the road. Mom loves the road because
she didn't have to cook. You know, we always have
food out there and catering and so that's and I agree,
I mean that's that means no dishes.
Speaker 1 (08:12):
I love to cook, but let me tell you, I
hate the dishes.
Speaker 2 (08:16):
I know the dishes are the worst. But my family,
it's it was interesting when we asked them.
Speaker 3 (08:24):
To try this.
Speaker 2 (08:26):
I was really open minded, you know, I was prepared
that some of them might not want to lose some
of their commitments or things you know that they did
at home. And they're so sweet. I mean, they sacrifice
a lot to be together as a family, but they
love it. Leela dances with other dancers on the show,
(08:48):
so she's she's an employee now. And then my daughter
Locksley sings a couple of songs with me, and yeah,
we're becoming kind of the performing family. You know, a
little sound of music going on here.
Speaker 1 (09:01):
So do they does mom homeschool? Do you have somebody
on the bus homeschooling like I would love that, except.
Speaker 4 (09:09):
Mine have gotten you the I don't know this goal.
Speaker 1 (09:11):
And my daughter just made the basketball team at her
high school.
Speaker 2 (09:14):
Yeah you know, yeah, No, My my wife is incredible,
and she she homeschools them.
Speaker 3 (09:19):
She always has.
Speaker 1 (09:21):
So you guys have been through some ups, You've been
through some downs, You've been through recovery. Uh, tell me walker,
What what is on your heart? Like if you could
talk to the world, what would you want to impart?
Speaker 2 (09:37):
Yeah, I mean, I'm just you know, I'm an interesting
phase like you described. You know, our family has tasted
at all. You know, we've we've tasted lost. My dad
died two years ago. It was basically the minute he died,
fancylike blew up. We've been shunned, you know, we've been poor.
(10:00):
How we're going to get our next meal for and
now we're receiving basically everything in the world has to
give us. But we're finding you know that fame and
financial stability doesn't necessarily improve the state.
Speaker 3 (10:18):
Of the human heart.
Speaker 2 (10:19):
You know, we've we've learned that over the past two
years that we're very grateful for these earthly blessings. But
it didn't fix my marriage, it didn't make me a
better dad, it didn't heal me. And honestly, a lot
of the fame and the fortune for me has only
(10:42):
pointed to my need for a savior because of how
much of a letdown it has truly been. And for
that I don't it's not a gloomy feeling that falls
on me. It's it's a great it's a gratitude that
I am rescued from myself, you know, I am rescued
(11:05):
from that that void that there is here, you know,
down here on this planet, on Earth. And again with
all that we've seen, my family recognizes this futility, you know,
on this side of heaven.
Speaker 1 (11:21):
This chasing the wind. It's all chasing the wind.
Speaker 2 (11:26):
Right and you know, it's led us to this place
where we go. What down here on Earth isn't a
coping mechanism, and I honestly I regret to inform the listeners.
Speaker 3 (11:39):
That I can't find one thing.
Speaker 2 (11:42):
You know, I can turn my family into an idol,
I can turn my career into an idol.
Speaker 3 (11:49):
I can turn some really.
Speaker 2 (11:51):
Great things into something that will ultimately let me down.
And honestly, that's kind of where my heart is now,
you know, as we go into this season, and then
my heart also, I think Laney and I we've begun
to look around and not so at ourselves, and look around.
(12:13):
You know that there's a lot of people hurting every day.
You know, we lost we lost a child, and I
remember sitting at a red light leaving the hospital by myself,
going to tell our other kids. You know, that their
their sister passed. And I remember sitting at that red light,
(12:37):
and I did a lot of grieving, and I did
a lot of selfish grieving. But at that moment, I
looked around at that red light at you know, maybe
hundreds of people, and I thought, this could be anybody
at this red light, every single human around me. Their
life could have just stopped today. Someone could have died.
(12:59):
They may become plating suicide. They may have family in
this country. You know that that can't get here. You know,
at this season in my life, more than ever, I
have no idea why. I'm just reminded that it's a
very broken world and we need each other. And so
I'm overwhelmed with gratitude and just thankful for the actual
(13:24):
blessings in my life, not necessarily success, you know, being
one of them. Worldly success is not something that I
typically and focusing on right now.
Speaker 3 (13:36):
I am.
Speaker 1 (13:36):
But your new song is New Money?
Speaker 3 (13:39):
Oh yeah, that song? You know? You have you listened
to that song? I have not.
Speaker 1 (13:46):
I've been too busy dancing fancy like Christmas, very Christmas.
Oh my gosh. My kids are addicted to you. They are,
they are They need a twelve step program for fancy
like Christmas, Like.
Speaker 4 (14:12):
So why tell me about New Money?
Speaker 1 (14:14):
And especially about good with Me, because that kind of
the lyrics of that kind of saying song everything we've
been talking about.
Speaker 3 (14:23):
Yeah, good good with Me? It was my favorite. It's
my favorite.
Speaker 2 (14:28):
Song on the new project New Money. And honestly, New
Money is just a praise God for a label that
just encourages just me being honest and vulnerable and sharing
with the people like what what is actually what does life.
Speaker 3 (14:44):
Look like for me?
Speaker 2 (14:45):
And what what am I thinking about on a daily basis?
And that's really typically what I write.
Speaker 3 (14:50):
But good with Me?
Speaker 2 (14:52):
Uh, look, I think everybody knows it and wouldn't disagree
with me. The world is at a I don't know
if unique is the right word, but it's we're at
a very volatile place right now, and emotions are are volatile.
They're up and down, and they're they're loud, and we're
(15:13):
just at a very divided place, even with your neighbors,
you know. And and I was leaving the gym one
day and a very very dear friend. One of my
favorite things about the gym is the people I meet
there and they're they're they're.
Speaker 3 (15:30):
All walks of life.
Speaker 2 (15:32):
And I was leaving the gym and a very very
dear friend began to share with me his opinion on
a political matter. I am the dumbest person in every
room I walk in. I am not tuned in with news.
I don't usually chime in with arguments like this. But
(15:53):
this guy, he kept on getting louder and louder as
he described you know, where he's on a particular issue,
and I remember losing focus and I began to focus
on the vein in his forehead.
Speaker 3 (16:08):
It was like it was really getting heated, and you.
Speaker 2 (16:12):
Know, finally I just said, hey, man, I dude, you
obviously feel strong about this, and you know that's good
and well, but I'm just I don't really know anything about.
Speaker 3 (16:25):
This to even chime in, you know. And so I
went home and in my mind.
Speaker 2 (16:31):
I thought about people I love and know very well,
and I took inventory of how divided and you know,
what someone thinks about this, and what's you know, the
beginning of the song is about it's my in laws,
and I say, Pam thinks Jesus is on his way.
Doug thinks she's a hoot, and she's a believer. He's not,
(16:53):
and so I went one side of an argument to
the opposite side of an argument, and I just took
an inventory of the vastly different amount of opinions that
I hear in a day.
Speaker 3 (17:06):
And then I brought it all home.
Speaker 2 (17:08):
With just sitting on the dock with my wife and saying, hey,
you know, look, I don't know what to think about
all this stuff, but you go good with me, and
that's what That's one thing I know, you know. And
so it's a very lighthearted, playful song that doesn't really
have an opinion, but at the same time mentions many
(17:30):
many popular opinions in this little.
Speaker 3 (17:33):
Town that we live in. And I made a lot
of my friend's day. They can hear.
Speaker 2 (17:37):
Their names in the song and they're excited about it.
But it was it was a fun song, and again
I'm grateful that my label would allow me to do
this song. The New Money song is about exactly you
know what we're talking about. You know, I do have
(17:58):
new money. I didn't have old money, you know. And
it's funny. I look at my kids and sometimes I wonder,
am I raising them to get on this hamster wheel?
Speaker 3 (18:10):
You know, Like do I applaud when they begin.
Speaker 2 (18:14):
To look like the world wants us to look, you know,
like chasing dreams and becoming successful. And you know that's
what new money is about. And honestly, a lot of
money has money is a funny thing. Lenny and I
never discussed money. We didn't have enough to discuss, you know.
It was like I got a paycheck, Well, we need food.
Speaker 3 (18:37):
You know.
Speaker 1 (18:39):
My sister and I were talking last night about this interview,
and she said, you know, the more she dug into
your past, she said, this guy is a phenomenal songwriter
and he's been doing it for years. And she said,
he's one of those people that folks say, well, what
does it feel to be an overnight sensation? And then
you say, well, I've been working at it for thirty years?
(19:00):
But thank you for asking.
Speaker 2 (19:02):
Yeah, I mean, you're exactly right. I mean I think
I think if you just found me on socials today,
you're not even scratching the surface, right.
Speaker 1 (19:12):
How many years have you been writing and just paying
your dues?
Speaker 2 (19:19):
Well, I mean we started writing. I started writing songs
in two thousand and four. So Lanny and I we
got married and moved here. We drove a U haul
from our honeymoon and started writing songs and so yeah,
I mean eighteen years of my twenty year career was nothing,
you know, absolutely nothing but just grind.
Speaker 3 (19:43):
But I love. I mean, we were happy and we
had children.
Speaker 1 (19:46):
And what did you do to augment the writing because
I know you weren't paying the bills just with writing
great songs.
Speaker 2 (19:53):
No, no costco was my last job, and I stocked
produce at night.
Speaker 3 (20:01):
I know a lot about produce.
Speaker 4 (20:03):
Yeah, botch totally.
Speaker 3 (20:06):
I'm the guy, you know.
Speaker 2 (20:07):
I can tell you what a what a ripe, really
fresh tomato feels like.
Speaker 1 (20:12):
And how to pick a good watermelon.
Speaker 3 (20:15):
Yeah, yeah, thump it. Yeah, you listening to the acoustic.
Speaker 2 (20:19):
Yeah, But you know, I'm grateful for those times. There
are times I'm reminded of that. I'm glad I'm not
going back there anytime soon.
Speaker 1 (20:30):
Worst job you ever had to put food on the table.
Speaker 3 (20:34):
Oh shoot. This was a sweet lady and she was.
Speaker 2 (20:37):
Very helpful, honestly, And her name was Suzanne, and she
hired me about twice a week to go clean up
dead birds that her cat would bring it to her house.
Speaker 3 (20:51):
And she was alone in her house, and.
Speaker 2 (20:55):
So she would give me ten bucks a bird and
so and so whatever job I was doing, then I
would just go to.
Speaker 1 (21:03):
Susanna got a bird patrol. I did do you really
think she needed you to come and pick up birds?
Or do you think she knew that you were struggling
and working hard and she wanted to bless you with dignity?
Speaker 3 (21:15):
I think that was it.
Speaker 2 (21:17):
I think she just saw it as an opportunity to
overpay me to do something I.
Speaker 3 (21:22):
Would have done for free, you know, for.
Speaker 1 (21:24):
For someone I loved, bless you with dignity.
Speaker 2 (21:26):
But that cat brought in a lot of birds, so
I was grateful for that cat.
Speaker 1 (21:35):
I don't know how I didn't get to talk to
you before this, because I just love you, and I
love your message. I love your honesty, I love your integrity.
I love that you're you're not afraid to admit that
you are human. Some of us are more human than others.
Speaker 2 (21:56):
Well, I'm just a huge fan of you, I honestly
found and it's surreal that you and I are talking.
I've listened to your voice for many, many, many years,
So thank you for doing what you do well.
Speaker 1 (22:07):
Your kids are seventeen to seven, is seventeen to eight
minor forty five to seven.
Speaker 3 (22:14):
Let's go here were you're a bigger gap than.
Speaker 1 (22:18):
Me there Well, there's fifteen of them, so they're you know,
oh my lord, there's like three different groups, three different families,
you know, And I'm amazing parented very differently forty five
years ago or forty years ago, because my oldest biological
son will be forty next year. I parented very differently
(22:41):
with each child or group of children because he was
an only child for ten years, and then I decided
to adopt. And I decided to adopt one and found
out he had siblings, so got three and decided to
do that because I was told by two doctors I
couldn't carry more children, couldn't have more children. And at
(23:03):
almost forty I found out I was pregnant, so oh
my goodness.
Speaker 3 (23:08):
Yeah, that's amazing.
Speaker 1 (23:10):
But like you and Laney, I will never say no.
I will never ever ever say no. If God brings
a child to me and says this, this child needs love,
needs mommy, needs a temporary place or a permanent place
in this world, I will never never say, you know,
there's no room at the end.
Speaker 2 (23:32):
I'm one hundred percent I can't you know, well, I
mean honestly, where you know, where we live is not
a not a wealthy place. It's very rural, you know,
super small town. We live in Franklin, you know, Nashville
for many many years, and that's like super well, you know,
(23:54):
a different type of depravity over there. But I mean,
one thing I've noticed, and again I'm not I'm not
old wise one, but just the word orphan. I mean
my neighbors ah, you know, but he's an adult, you know.
But that's the thing, you know, I was telling you
about sitting at that red light. That's kind of how
(24:14):
I feel in life now and how I look at
or try to look at relationships is it's that cliche.
You know, every single person you pass is dealing with
something you don't know about. You know, there's plenty of
people to walk outside and nurture, you know, with just
(24:37):
a friendship.
Speaker 3 (24:38):
You know.
Speaker 2 (24:38):
I don't know if you've heard my song Craig, but
my best friend Craig, I mean.
Speaker 3 (24:44):
That's what he did. That's what he and his wife did.
Speaker 2 (24:47):
To me and Laney is they adopted us, you know,
into their life. And not only did they welcome us
into their their home, but they joined.
Speaker 3 (24:56):
Us in the mess of our life. You know.
Speaker 2 (24:59):
They literally just showed up at our home and got
their hands dirty and they hugged us and they didn't care.
They adopted us, And so yeah, that's I mean.
Speaker 1 (25:13):
And here's the cool thing. I have read the lyrics
of your song and did the my sister did the
research on your relationship. Yeah, Craig, h you would not
I don't think, because you seem like you have an
extremely strong personality. You wouldn't have listened to any of
the wisdom he had to share. If love didn't come first,
(25:35):
true love, real.
Speaker 2 (25:36):
Love, not at all, honestly delight. This may sound weird,
but I don't enjoy people typically like Craig, or didn't
at that time of my life. I would have hypocritically
called him a hypocrite. And then here comes this amazing
love through that guy that I can't push away, you know,
(25:59):
and it it was quite remarkable. And even when I
wrote that song, I still didn't.
Speaker 3 (26:09):
Believe the same things as Craig.
Speaker 2 (26:13):
But I just that that song is the confession of
a guy coming home and going I don't know why
this guy loves me and my family so much. I
don't know why it doesn't make sense? And what of
holy smokes man, what if what if every single person
you met right, what if your goal and just your
(26:38):
heart just just what if what oohed from you?
Speaker 3 (26:41):
Even the kids you adopt, you.
Speaker 2 (26:42):
Know, what if they walked out of the house, or
my children that are my biological kids, what if they
walked out of the house every day and no matter
what they thought of me in their brain, they.
Speaker 3 (26:55):
Went, doesn't make sense? Why does he love me? You know?
Speaker 2 (27:00):
That was the thing about Craig is that he's not
he's not perfect himself. But that love, you know again,
that love that came from him was so obviously supernatural.
Speaker 1 (27:24):
So tell my listeners about the be A Craig Fund,
because oh, it's amazing you and your wife, based on
this love this man shared with you, are now paying
it forward.
Speaker 2 (27:35):
So Craig was so brave. And what I mean by
that is, you know, it's it's I think it's hard
sometimes to be bold and help someone because sometimes when
you I think, honestly, if you're not scared by the
assistance you're giving someone, then you might not actually be
helping them. You might just be looking to feel good.
(27:56):
You know, it's not scary to throw a twenty dollars
bill to a homeless guy. You look like the hero.
You don't have to invest anything. What's twenty bucks to
a person who you know whatever? Crag gave us a van,
and I didn't want the help. As a matter of fact,
(28:16):
when he gave us this gift, I was embarrassed because basically,
Craig was saying to me publicly in front of people,
that I wasn't really able to take care of my family.
But that's what someone who loves you says, is they say,
you need to accept this help. You need to hear
(28:37):
things that maybe you don't want to hear, but I'm
saying them to you because I truly love you and
I'm not in this for me. And so I was
blown away by that burden relieved. And you can hear
it in the song Craig mego and I don't want
to accept this help, but this guy helped me. And look,
(28:57):
I don't know what he's got, but I want it.
I want that, you know, whatever, Where did that generosity
come from? Where did that unconditional love come from? So
to relieve that burden for specific people that loved ones
and people out there can submit people that they know
who are in need of vehicles, and so what we
(29:20):
do with that correct fund mainly is we take those
funds and we research and find people who are nominated
by their peers and we deliver them clean, working cars,
you know, and a lot most most of the people
we provided cars for have large families. You know, they're
(29:41):
struggling getting to and from work while also taking taking
So if.
Speaker 1 (29:46):
Somebody's got a van like an eight passenger or twelve
passenger van, they're not using, your organization could definitely use that,
is what you're saying.
Speaker 3 (29:56):
Yes, absolutely, we do that.
Speaker 2 (29:58):
We buy them through other nonprofits and stuff, and we
you know, we gift them and it's an awesome, awesome organization.
And then it's also I'm a huge fan of Hope International.
Craig and I go to Rwanda each year. We give
money to that and then any any Honestly, just like
(30:21):
if our hurricane hit somewhere and devastates, you know, a community,
we we give you know, anything we've got we give
you know, Me and the team kind of deliberate and
decide this is where this goes, Like this is just
on our heart, this is where this needs to go.
Speaker 3 (30:36):
So that's that's the be a Craig Fund.
Speaker 1 (30:39):
Walker Hayes has been hanging out with us today. We've
got a little time left with him, but I'm going
to pause our conversation right now for just a minute
so I can catch up with our latest generous podcast sponsor.
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(32:10):
That's Laura Geller dot com, the place to go to
look and feel your best. I got a share real
quick years ago. I was living in Boston and I
had two children at the time, and I got fired
from my radio station. What a shock. That happened a
(32:33):
lot back then. And this listener named Steve Byron, he
was a police officer, kindest man in the world, called
me up and said, hey, you're going to be home.
I got something for you. He knew I was in
a bad situation and my then husband had just wrecked
our only car and hid black ice in the morning
(32:55):
and the car flipped and wrecked the car and it
was totaled. And Steve said, you're going to be home.
I got a surprise for you. And he came to
my house. He picked me up. I'm like, where are
we going? He said, don't ask questions. He drove me
to his house and he said I needed to bring
you here because I couldn't bring it because then I
wouldn't have a way home, and he gave me a van.
Speaker 3 (33:20):
Oh my gosh, Yeah.
Speaker 1 (33:21):
He gave me a van.
Speaker 4 (33:23):
It gets better.
Speaker 3 (33:23):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (33:25):
Before he gave it to me, he had the tires replaced,
he had the oil change, he did all that. And
I drove that van for two years, and you know,
it had a lot of miles on it, and it
started breaking down and I called him just to ask
what mechanic to take it to and blah blah blah,
(33:45):
and he said, well, you're home now, right, showed up,
took me back to his house and gave me a
second van because his boys had left. The same man
gifted me with two vehicles free of charge, just to
bless me, just to keep me rolling, just to keep
(34:06):
me moving. And I will never forget that love and
that generosity and what it meant to my life.
Speaker 3 (34:14):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (34:16):
And I went through some really tough times, really tough
times in the next year. And my boss at the time,
I walked in his office one day and I was
in tears. I said, I need to borrow fifty bucks.
I got to buy diapers, and he gave me five hundred.
Speaker 2 (34:31):
Oh man, yeah, we Laney and I. His life is
sprinkled with situations like that and those types of burdens
lifted and at those moments, those people, I mean, that's
that was the thing about Craig that I didn't know.
(34:52):
The night Craig gave us that van, I mean, I
really did. The song is one hundred percent true. But
I will never forget driving home and just how many
emotions I was flooded with. And look, I'm a I'm
a dude, I don't the whole feelings thing. They creep
(35:12):
up on me, and they did this night. You know,
I looked in the rear view and what happened was
I noticed that all of my kids had a seatbelt on.
And you know, we had been driving around and not
everybody had been in a safe you.
Speaker 3 (35:29):
Know, buckled up.
Speaker 2 (35:30):
And and when when I when I looked back, and
all my children were smiling in that van and they
they were you know, they were looking around as the
greatest van they'd ever seen, you know, and and it
was it was a huge van, but to my kids,
it was like the Ritz Carlton on wheels exactly.
Speaker 3 (35:50):
Yeah, And they were all so little.
Speaker 2 (35:51):
But I looked back and they were all but you know,
I just saw their seatbelts and I lost it. I mean,
I absolutely just I'm sure one of my kids is like,
okay that, and I wasn't okay, you know, I was
just you know, when you get saved or helped by
someone like that, the real gratitude floods. When you just
(36:15):
feel the relief. You know, you're like, wow, I really
needed this van. I didn't know how bad I needed
this van. You know, you you're you're too busy trying
to just buy diapers and and go and then you
and then you have fifty diapers in your hand and
you go, man, it's so good to just you know,
(36:37):
my kid use the bathroom and I can just change
the diaper and it's clean, and and my kid is
is comfortable, and and just that that emotion to give
that to someone, it's life changing.
Speaker 3 (36:53):
I mean it. The loneliness is gone.
Speaker 2 (36:55):
You know when you when you're riding around the vand
and your kids out buckled, You're like, I'm not alone.
Speaker 1 (37:01):
Yep, and I can take on anything.
Speaker 2 (37:04):
Yeah, And it's it's more than the gift. It's more
than the van. It's it's it's just it's awesome.
Speaker 3 (37:11):
And uh yeah.
Speaker 2 (37:12):
But those stories, those those stories you shared, they're I
mean it takes me back, and don't you want to
do that? I mean, don't you want to do that
for anybody you can?
Speaker 4 (37:22):
That's all I want to do. I have had.
Speaker 1 (37:25):
I have family members, not on my family, but like
my husband's family and people that are really smart and
their financial investors and their planners, and they're they're like,
you know you need to do this, you need you're
getting older, you need to think about this, you need
to do this. And I'm like, Nope. If God's going
to give it to me and I'm not using it,
I am giving it away.
Speaker 3 (37:46):
Go.
Speaker 1 (37:47):
I am giving it away because whatever his plan for
me is, he's going to take care of me.
Speaker 4 (37:51):
I'm not.
Speaker 1 (37:52):
I don't need to worry about that. But the joy
that I get seeing somebody's face east feel like I
felt when Steve gave me that van.
Speaker 3 (38:04):
I know, I know, it's it's just you're giving me.
Here's what I'm landing. And I always laugh too.
Speaker 2 (38:12):
We always say, you know, if we're homeless one day
and somebody's like, why are you homeless, and you're like, well.
Speaker 3 (38:21):
I gave it all away.
Speaker 2 (38:22):
I'm like that's pretty that's pretty cool answer, you know,
Like that's.
Speaker 1 (38:27):
Here's the thing. There's nothing wrong with that. But but Walker,
you cannot outgive God. You cannot outgive God.
Speaker 3 (38:34):
No, it's impossible. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (38:37):
Well, thank you for being with us, thank you for
sharing your heart. And have a blessed, blessed year.
Speaker 3 (38:44):
Hey, it's so good talking to you, So.
Speaker 1 (38:46):
Good talking to you, Lord, blessing my friend.
Speaker 2 (38:49):
Thank you, thank you such a great encouraging conversation.
Speaker 3 (38:54):
I appreciate it.
Speaker 1 (38:55):
God bless you. Han Walker is one of those quote
overnight sensations, after working years and years to make his
dreams come true. These stories I love to share. His
music is generally fun, catchy, oh soo, stink and relatable.
You have no choice but to love it, and you
find yourself not only singing along, but thinking you might
(39:18):
be able to bust out the dance moves. My family
has been enjoying Fancy Like Christmas, even though it's only
been out for a couple of weeks yours probably has
been two, and none of us are mad about it.
His latest project, New Money, in the single good with Me,
is available now. It is a great album you love
(39:39):
listening to when the last Christmas ornament has been carefully
packed and shoved away until next year and you need
some good tunes to take you through the rest of
the winter and back into the sunshine. Keep up with
Walker at his website Walkerhayes dot com ha y e
s Walkerhayes dot com, where you'll find his music, his
(40:01):
concert and tour info and merchandise, and his link to
be a Craig Fund. Keep singing, keep dancing, keep eating
and loving your way through the holidays. My friends, this
glorious time of friendship and feasting doesn't last very long
and truly can't do any damage to your waistline that
(40:21):
a few weeks of diligence and walking getting your steps
in once January rolls around won't solve. I'm so happy
that you join me here on Love Someone. I hope
you join me every night on the radio for my
radio show. Let's keep lighting the way for each other
and do me a favor. In between your dance steps,
(40:43):
slow down and love someone to
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