Kill A Word
Silencing Pain: Eric Church's Battle to Eradicate Hurtful Words
Lyrics
If I could kill a word and watch it die
If the speaker could eliminate a word and witness its demise.
I'd poison never, shoot goodbye
Expresses the desire to eradicate the word "never" and bid farewell to the concept of saying goodbye.
Beat regret when I felt I had the nerve
Conveys a determination to overcome regret when the speaker feels brave enough.
Yeah, I'd pound fear to a pile of sand
The speaker wishes to destroy fear, reducing it to a mere pile of sand.
Choke lonely out with my bare hands
Describes the intention to eliminate loneliness with bare hands.
I'd hang hate so that it can't be heard
Expresses the desire to silence hate so that it cannot be heard.
If I could only kill a word
If the speaker could only eliminate a word, emphasizing the power of language.
I'd take brokenness out back
Describes taking brokenness away and mocking heartbreak.
And break heartbreak, stand there and laugh
The speaker would confront heartbreak boldly and derisively.
Right in its face while shootin' it the bird
Expresses a defiant attitude towards upset by facing it head-on.
I'd put upset down in its place
Describes replacing upset with something else or putting it in its place.
I'd squeeze the life out of disgrace
Conveys the determination to eliminate disgrace by squeezing the life out of it.
Lay over under six cold feet of dirt
Describes burying disgrace six feet under the ground.
If I could only kill a word
If the speaker could only eliminate a word, reinforcing the theme.
Give me sticks, give stones
Expresses a willingness to endure physical pain to change or eradicate words.
Bend my body, break my bones
Describes a willingness to endure physical suffering for a cause.
Use staff and rod to turn me black and blue
Refers to using instruments of punishment to symbolize the speaker's dedication.
'Cause you can't unhear, you can't unsay
Highlights the irreversible nature of hearing and speaking.
But if were up to me to change
If the speaker had the power, they would transform lies and hate into love and truth.
I'd turn lies and hate to love and truth
Expresses a desire to reshape negative concepts into positive ones.
If I could only kill a word
If the speaker could only eliminate a word, emphasizing the transformative potential.
I'd knock out temptation's teeth
Describes incapacitating temptation to prevent wrongdoing.
I'd sever evil, let it bleed
The speaker would cut off evil and let it bleed, symbolizing its defeat.
Then light up wicked, stand and watch it burn
Expresses a desire to witness the destruction of wickedness through fire.
I'd take vice and I'd take vile
The speaker would take vice and vile things and hang them high for birds to consume.
And tie 'em up there with hostile
Describes tying hostile elements with vice and vile, rendering them powerless.
Hang 'em high and leave 'em for the birds
Symbolizes the speaker's intention to leave negativity for nature to dispose of.
If I could only kill a word
If the speaker could only eliminate a word, reinforcing the recurring theme.
So give me sticks, give stones
Reiterates the willingness to endure physical suffering for the cause of change.
Bend my body, break my bones
Describes the speaker's acceptance of physical pain as a means of transformation.
Use staff and rod to turn me black and blue
Reiterates the use of punishment instruments as a symbol of dedication.
'Cause you can't unhear, you can't unsay
Emphasizes the irreversible nature of hearing and speaking negative words.
But if were up to me to change
If the speaker had the power, they would change lies and hate into love and truth.
I'd turn lies and hate to love and truth
Expresses a desire to transform negativity into positivity once again.
If I could only kill a word
If the speaker could only eliminate a word, concluding the song with the central theme.
If I could only kill a word
No specific meaning; serves as the final line of the song, repeating the central theme.
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