Murder ballads are a dime a dozen in country music, meaning an artist has to deliver something truly unique for their take on the theme to stand out. Carrie Underwood has several emotionally-driven revenge songs, but few are as palpable as “Church Bells.”
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Behind the Meaning
Jenny grew up wild, like a Blackfoot Daisy
Out in the shack with a Bluetick Hound
Broke as hell, but blessed with beauty
Given this album is featured on the album Storyteller, it’s no surprise it’s such a well-crafted narrative. Underwood opens the song by introducing a character named Jenny. What she lacks in riches, Jenny makes up for with beauty. That alone was enough to attract the attention of an oil man. She had the looks, he had the mansion / And you can figure out the rest, Underwood sings.
She could hear those church bells ringin’, ringin’
And up in the loft, that whole choir singin’, singin’
Fold your hands and close your eyes
Yeah, it’s all gonna be alright
And just listen to the church bells ringin’, ringin’
Yeah, they’re ringin’
The chorus switches in meaning each time it comes around. The first refrain describes Jenny’s wedding. She could hear those church bells ringin’, ringin’, she sings. The second sees Jenny praying for help when she suffers abuse.
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Jenny slipped somethin’ in his Tennessee whiskey
No lawman was ever gonna find
And how he died is still a mystery
But he hit a woman for the very last time
The third chorus sees Jenny trying to weather the aftermath of killing her husband. Just listen to the church bells ringin’, ringin’, she sings again, but this time it’s an effort to find peace after escaping a bad situation.
(Photo by Mike Coppola/WireImage)
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