The inspiration behind Walker Hayes' new single "Don't Let Her" is -- well, it's a downer. But sometimes, sad ideas create sweet love songs.

At Live in the Vineyard Goes Country 2019 in Napa, Calif., on Tuesday (May 14), Hayes explained to fans that "Don't Let Her" is all about his wife Lainey's likes, dislikes and personality quirks -- the things that make him love her so much, and the things that her hypothetical next husband should know. Hayes isn't planning on leaving this world anytime soon, to be clear; rather, the idea for the song was inspired by the idea of loved ones moving on after we're gone.

"She don't give two cents about money / Likes a little coffee in her honey / Let sleep late as she wants / Home is her favorite restaurant / Don't you dare come home if you're hammered / Better watch your mouth and your grammar / She loves babies, hates glitter / You better shave before you kiss her," Hayes sings in the chorus of "Don't Let Her" -- yes, those traits are all true of Lainey -- before delivering the kicker: "And if she ever misses me / Please don't let her."

Taste of Country reports that Hayes co-wrote "Don't Let Her" with Shane McAnally and Andrew DeRoberts while trying to cope with the June 2018 death of his and Lainey's seventh child, Oakleigh Klover. At Live in the Vineyard Goes Country, Hayes shared that he was out on the road with Old Dominion, and missing his family, when the song came to him.

Despite its somber subject matter, "Don't Let Her" is upbeat and light, sonically speaking. Its accompanying lyric video, which readers can watch above, features dozens of photos of the Hayeses.

"Don't Let Her" comes from a forthcoming new album from Hayes. The details of that project have yet to be announced.

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