It's not just the lyrics to Jordan Davis' "Next Thing You Know" that will leave you blubbering.

It's the way he summarizes life, love, family and death in a little over three minutes. That's how raising a family feels, so anyone with children — especially young children — can be excused for feeling a bit breathless by the time he finishes what we're going to predict will be the 2023 CMA winner for Song of the Year.

Life moves as fast as Davis does during "Next Thing You Know," a circle-of-life song he wrote with Greylan James, Chase McGill and Josh Osborne. The group defy convention and eliminate a true chorus, but in ticking off milestone after milestone, they're tearing pages from a calendar, a quarter note at a time.

In three minutes' time he's finished singing, and your 4-year-old just turned 12.

Perhaps most heartbreaking is Davis knows of what he sings, and you can hear it. The married father of two is coming into his own with this song and others from the Bluebird Days album. Don't be surprised to look up and see his name in more than just song categories at country awards shows soon.

Did You Know?: Before "Next Thing You Know" was selected as his second radio single from Bluebird Days, it'd already racked up over 30 million streams on Spotify and become the most reactive song of his live show.

Listen to Jordan Davis, "Next Thing You Know":

Jordan Davis, "Next Thing You Know" Lyrics:

You swear that you’re stayin' single / Next thing you know / You meet a girl at a bar / And next thing you know / You get her laughin' / It’s 2 AM / You're telling your buddies / 3 months in.

That she ain’t movin' in / Next thing you know / There’s a U-Haul trailer / Next thing you know / Your old apartment / Is y’all’s new place / There goes the carpet, but / The deer head stays.

Next thing you know / You’re savin' money like never before, just to / Spend it all at a jewelry store, gettin' down on one knee on her mama’s porch / Just prayin' she don’t say no / Next thing you know / Your best man gives a half-drunk speech and you’re / Sunburnt on a honeymoon beach and your / Left hand’s gettin’ used to that ring / There the next two or three years go / Next thing you know.

You weren’t really tryin' / Next thing you know / There’s a test on the counter / Next thing you know / She’s standin' there cryin' / Noddin' her head yes / You’re half excited / Half scared to death.

'Cause next thing you / You're wearing scrubs and a funny white hat and the / Doctor’s sayin', how you doin' there dad and / Nobody’s ever called you that and you / You take that drive home slow / Next thing you know

It’s first steps, first dates, first car, it’s / 11:01 wonderin’ where they are / Sayin' that USC’s too far / It’s amazing how fast 17 years go / Next thing you know / Next thing you know.

Next thing you know / You get to know your wife again and you’re / More in love than you’ve ever been with a / Lot of years of remember whens / And still some down the road / 'Cause next thing you know / You got a yard full of your kid’s kids and ya / Take 'em to church, teach 'em to fish, and ya / Tell 'em stories every chance you get / About how fast this life down here can go / Next thing you know / Next thing you know.

attachment-Jordan Davis Next thing you know cover art
MCA Nashville
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