Drive-By Truckers Call Out Unchecked Gun Violence in New Song, ‘Thoughts and Prayers’

“Stick it up your ass with your useless thoughts and prayers,” sings Patterson Hood, not mincing words in the Drive-By Truckers’ rebuke of the gun industry and Second Amendment-blind politicians, “Thoughts and Prayers.” The track is the latest release from the band’s upcoming 12th album, The Unraveling, due January 31st.

Written by Hood, the lyrics paint a disturbing picture of the aftermath of a mass shooting: the smell of gunpowder, the sight of blood, and the blaring of cellphone rings that won’t be answered. Drive-By Truckers released a lyric video accompanying the song that juxtaposes images of marching protesters holding signs and President Trump grinning in front of an NRA backdrop.

But “Thoughts and Prayers” is as much a railing against the disappearance of fact and truth in our society as it is about unchecked gun violence. In one verse, Hood singles out flat-Earth believers and their inevitable harsh realization that their theory is full of shit: “And he saw the Earth was round, just before he hit the ground, and gravity called out to close the deal,” Hood sings.

Recorded at Sam Phillips Recording Service in Memphis with producer David Barbe and engineer Matt Ross-Spang, The Unraveling follows up the Truckers’ 2016 creative rebirth, the electrifying LP American Band. The group will launch an extensive tour this week.

Featured via: Rollingstone