Country music singer Zach Bryan is facing growing criticism after releasing a song that appears to criticize U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Bryan previewed a new track, entitled “Bad News,” that includes lyrics that some have interpreted as an attack on federal immigration authorities. A portion of the lyrics reads as follows:
My friends are all degenerates, but they’re all I’ve got
The generational story of dropping the plot
I heard the cops came
Cocky motherf*ckers, ain’t they?
And ICE is gonna come bust down your door
Try to build a house no one builds no more
But I got a telephone
Kids are all scared and all alone
The bars stopped bumping, the rock stopped rolling
The middlе fingers rising, and it won’t stop showing
Got some bad news
Thе fading of the red, white and blue
The lyrics drew an immediate response from officials at the Department of Homeland Security, with DHS Secretary Kristi Noem saying that she will choose other artists moving forward.
“I hope Zach Bryan understands how completely disrespectful that song is, not just to law enforcement but to this country, to every single individual that has ever stood up and fought for our freedoms. He just compromised it all by putting out a product such as that attacks individuals who are just trying to make our streets safe,” Noem said.
Meanwhile, White House officials have also taken notice of the song lyrics, prompting spokesperson Abigail Jackson to release a statement featuring many of Bryan’s older song titles to condemn the new track.
“While Zach Bryan wants to Open the Gates to criminal illegal aliens and has Condemned heroic ICE officers, Something in the Orange tells me a majority of Americans disagree with him and support President Trump’s great American Revival. Godspeed, Zach!” Jackson said, per Billboard.
Bryan has clearly heard the criticism and released his own statement in an attempt to calm the backlash, claiming that the song was written months ago and the recent outrage “shows you how divisive a narrative can be when shoved down our throats through social media.”
“This song is about how much I love this country and everyone in it more than anything. When you hear the rest of the song, you will understand the full context that hits on both sides of the aisle. Everyone using this now as a weapon is only proving how devastatingly divided we all are. We need to find our way back.”
“I served this country, I love this country and the song itself is about all of us coming out of this divided space. I wasn’t speaking as a politician or some greater-than-thou a–hole, just a 29-year-old man who is just as confused as everyone else. To see how much s— it stirred up makes me not only embarrassed but kind of scared. Left wing or right wing we’re all one bird and American. To be clear I’m on neither of these radical sides. To all those disappointed in me on either side of whatever you believe in just know I’m trying my best too and we all say things that are misconstrued sometimes,” said Bryan.
At the moment, Bryan has not announced when “Bad News” will officially be released on streaming platforms, meaning there is not currently a way to clarify the comments based on the context in the song.