Songfacts®:

• "Past Yesterday" is a cinematic, mid-tempo ballad that tells the harrowing story of a young girl whose innocence is shattered by a neighbor's betrayal. The song zeroes in on how the girl's parents, busy with the daily grind of work, unwittingly put their daughter in harm's way by letting the neighbor drive her home from school.
• Jelly Roll has always had a knack for diving headfirst into the messy realities of life, whether it's his own struggles with addiction or the complexities of mental health. Songs like "Save Me," "Son Of A Sinner" and "Need A Favor" are practically autobiographical. But "Past Yesterday" is different - it's not his story. This time, he's telling the story of his wife, Bunnie XO.
  
  "My wife, she never has talked about it publicly and she is now a little bit because of the song, but I knew that that was my wife's story, and I've heard so many girls in my meet and greet lines that have the same story," he explained in an interview with Kelleigh Bannen for Today's Country Radio for Apple Music.
  
  Jelly Roll went on to explain that "Past Yesterday" goes deeper than addiction. It touches on something more pervasive - something that affects women who might not have struggled with drugs but have carried the scars of abuse throughout their lives. "This song gives them a moment to deal with that pain," Jelly Roll said. "It's for the women who never touched a drug but felt the same pain."
• The song features Skylar Grey, who lends her haunting vocals to the track, singing from the first-person perspective of the young girl while Jelly Roll serves as the song's narrator. Grey felt an immense responsibility when Jelly Roll asked her to collaborate on the song. "It's not a story that's often talked about in music," she said, "so it was a new challenge that I was honored to take on."
• Skylar Grey is best known for her collaborations with Eminem. They both feature on Dr. Dre's "I Need a Doctor," and Eminem jumped on Grey's "C'mon Let Me Ride," "Kill For You" and "Last One Standing." Grey also penned the hook for Eminem's smash hit with Rihanna, "Love The Way You Lie."
• Together with co-writers Blake Pendergrass, Jessie Jo Dillon and Jesse Frasure, Jelly Roll and Grey crafted this song, which resonates deeply with survivors of trauma. Released as part of the deluxe version of Jelly Roll's Beautifully Broken album on October 11, 2024, the track had already gained traction thanks to a teaser shared by Bunnie XO on TikTok.
  
  "The song makes me cry every time I hear it," Bunnie wrote in the caption. "If you're a survivor-IT WAS WRITTEN FOR YOU."