Eric Church wrote "Why Not Me" in response to the Las Vegas mass shooting at a country music festival in 2017 featuring Church, Jason Aldean, Jake Owen, and others.
Videos by Wide Open Country
Church talked specifically about why he showed up to his Grand Ole Opry performance following the tragedy. As the headliner on one night of the Route 91 Harvest Festival, he said that crowd -- the shooting victims -- were "my people." A friend sent him a video of a woman who lost her husband in the shooting. They went to the festival specifically to see Eric Church.
And they also had tickets to see him at the Grand Ole Opry that very night. "Over here, section three, row F," Church said. "There's some empty seats, and that's their seats," he said in reference to the victims of the Las Vegas mass shooting. So he knew he had an obligation to play that night.
"The only way I've ever fixed anything that's been broken in me is with music," he told the crowd. Now, you can read the lyrics to the poignant tune. Using the very same audio from the Opry performance, Eric Church released a simple black and white lyric video. Watch it above.
"Why Not Me" Lyrics
Why you with your long brown hair flowing
And you with your fresh tattooed skin
And you from the Western Virginia
That you never get to see again
As darkness descended the desert
And a bad actor starred in his play
Why you from Tennessee did life capture?
And me, from Tennessee, get away?
And when the morning sun hit the mountain
And a glorious still calmed the breeze
I asked the God of all-knowing wisdom
Why you, and why not me?
Yeah the Lord is my refuge and my fortress
My God with whom I trust
But I'll never know why the wicked
Gets to prey on the best of us
Why you full of life and promise
At the top of your lungs so loud
My songs that you sing so sweetly
Will ring forever in my ears now
And when the morning sun hit the mountain
And a glorious still calmed the breeze
I asked the God of all-knowing wisdom
Why you, and why not me?
And every morning when the sun hits the mountain
And a glorious still calms the breeze
I'll ask the God of my salvation
Why you, and why not me?
Related:
- Eric Church Gives Emotional Speech at Opry, Dedicates New Song to Victims
- Luke Bryan Shares Moment of Silence with "Farm Tour" Crowd for Las Vegas Victims
- Chris Young Honors Las Vegas Shooting Victims with "Go Rest High On That Mountain"
- Brittany Aldean Shares Her Harrowing Account of the Las Vegas Shooting
- Miranda Lambert Performs Emotional First Concert Since Las Vegas Shooting
