Jason Aldean’s “Try That in a Small Town” Lyrics Are Accused of Being ‘Pro-Lynching’
After being pulled by CMT, many country fans are wondering what’s Jason Aldean’s “Try That In A Small Town” lyrics?
The music video (directed by Shaun Silva) of the song took place in the Maury County Courthouse in Columbia, Tennessee, which was the setting where a white lynch mob dragged a young man named Henry Choate through the streets and hanged him in 1927, per Variety. The video then depicts footage of a flag burning, protesters screaming and attacking police in various scenarios, and a robbing a convenience store. Aldean has been vocal about pro-Trump politics, and anti-Biden rhetoric. In 2022, Alden and his wife Brittany Aldean were involved in a controversy where she posted transphobic remarks on social media and retaliated the backlash with more controversial shirts.
Aldean posted the video to his song for his 4.1 million followers, “When u grow up in a small town, it’s that unspoken rule of ‘we all have each other’s backs and we look out for each other.’ It feels like somewhere along the way, that sense of community and respect has gotten lost. Deep down we are all ready to get back to that. I hope my new music video helps y’all know that u are not alone in feeling that way. Go check it out!”
What is the meaning of Jason Aldean’s “Try That In A Small Town” lyrics?
What is the meaning of Jason Aldean‘s “Try That In A Small Town?” lyircs? Aldean posted on his Instagram stories, “In the past 24 hours I have been accused of releasing a pro-lynching song (a song that has been out since May) and was subject to the comparison that I (direct quote) was not too pleased with the nationwide BLM protests. These references are not only meritless, but dangerous. There is not a single lyric in the song that references race or points to it – and there isn’t a single clip that isn’t real news footage – and while I can try and respect others to have their own interpretation of a song with music – this one goes too far,” wrote Aldean, going on to reference the 2017 Las Vegas festival mass shooting.
“As so many pointed out,” he continued, “I was present at Route 91 – where so many lost their lives – and our community recently suffered another heartbreaking tragedy. NO ONE, including me, wants to continue to see senseless headlines or families ripped apart.”
He continued, “Try That In A Small Town, for me, refers to the feeling of a community that I had growing up, where we took care of our neighbors, regardless of differences of background or belief. Because they were our neighbors, and that was above any differences. My political views have never been something I’ve hidden from, and I know that a lot of us in this country don’t agree on how we get back to a sense of normalcy where we go at least one day without a headline that keeps us up at night. But the desire for it to – that’s what this song is about.”
Seemingly in response to the controversy, the accompanying music video is six seconds shorter than when it was originally uploaded on July 14, The Washington Post reported. News footage depicting Black Lives Matter demonstrations and protests in 2020 has also seemingly been removed from the initial video. As for the older man discussing small-town life or footage of a man in a baseball cap, both of which appeared in the final 30 seconds, they’ve been removed too.
While Aldean maintained that “there isn’t a single clip that isn’t real news footage,” one TikTok user found proved him wrong. She found that some of the footage used in the original music video was stock footage, the other, clip used shows a flipping off police at a Labor Day event in Germany. Another was a commercial stock clip of a Molotov cocktail.
“I just think that people have a right to know,” TikToker Destinee Stark told NBC. “Things like this, they inform politics and it informs how we vote, how we see the world and who we interact with. And I just think that if we’re consuming content that’s not even accurate, that it’s just propaganda. And it’s just fueling people, you know, to commit more violence.”
“Try That In A Small Town” by Jason Aldean lyrics
Here is “Try That In A Small Town” by Jason Aldean lyrics via Genius.
[Verse 1]
Sucker punch somebody on a sidewalk
Carjack an old lady at a red light
Pull a gun on the owner of a liquor store
Ya think it’s cool, well, act a fool if ya like
Cuss out a cop, spit in his face
Stomp on the flag and light it up
Yeah, ya think you’re tough
[Chorus]
Well, try that in a small town
See how far ya make it down the road
‘Round here, we take care of our own
You cross that line, it won’t take long
For you to find out, I recommend you don’t
Try that in a small town
[Verse 2]
Got a gun that my granddad gave me
They say one day they’re gonna round up
Well, that shit might fly in the city, good luck
[Chorus]
Try that in a small town
See how far ya make it down the road
‘Round here, we take care of our own
You cross that line, it won’t take long
For you to find out, I recommend you don’t
Try that in a small town
[Bridge]
Full of good ol’ boys, raised up right
If you’re looking for a fight
Try that in a small town
Try that in a small town
[Chorus]
Try that in a small town
(See how far ya make it down the road)
‘Round here, we take care of our own
You cross that line, it won’t take long
For you to find out, I recommend you don’t
Try that in a small town
Try that in a small town, mm-mm
[Outro]
Try that in a small town
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