Later this month, the veteran Southern-rock road dogs of the Drive-By Truckers will come back with The Unraveling, their 12th studio album and their first in three years. We’ve already heard lead single “Armageddon’s Back In Town.” Today, the band has shared another of their one songs — one that, on title alone, has probably been the most anticipated song from the new LP.

DBT have never been scared to get political, and “Thoughts And Prayers,” their latest, is a straight-up protest song. As you can probably guess from the title, the song is a condemnation of America’s plague of mass shootings and of the government inaction that lets them keep happening. Frontman Patterson Hood starts out by describing the aftermath of a schoolyard massacre, and he goes directly into rabble-rousing mode from there.

The climactic lyrics of “Thoughts and Prayers” are straight fist-in-the-air anthem shit: “Throw the bums all out, and drain that swamp for real/ Perp-walk them down the Capitol steps and show them how it feels/ Tramp the dirt down, Jesus; you can pray the rod they’ll spare/ Stick it up your ass with your useless thoughts and prayers.” Good shit! Listen to it below.

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Thoughts and Prayers When the carnage was over you could hear the cellphones ringing You could smell gun powder in the air On the bloody ground LED’s were blinking Deliver us from evil, thoughts and prayers They’re lined up on the playground, Their hands all in the air See it on our news feed and we cry out in despair They’re counting up the casualties and everyone’s choosing sides There’s always someone to blame Never anywhere to hide Thoughts and Prayers Thoughts and Prayers This white noise in my head, I think I need a filter A pressure valve to keep from blowing up When the shit comes down, I pray I can rise above it Hold me close when I’ve had enough Thoughts and Prayers Thoughts and Prayers Glory Hallelujah You are in our thoughts and prayers The Flat Earthist realized as he flew through the skies The curve of the horizon as he fell He saw the world was round, just before he hit the ground And gravity called out to close the deal When my children’s eyes look at me and they ask me to explain It hurts me that I have to look away The Powers That Be are in for shame and comeuppance When Generation Lockdown has their day Throw the bums all out and drain that swamp for real Purp walk them down the Capitol steps and show them how it feels Tramp the dirt down, Jesus. You can pray the rod they’ll spare Stick it up your ass with your useless thoughts and prayers Glory Hallelujah You are in our thoughts and prayers Glory Hallelujah You are in our thoughts and prayers… Patterson Hood – Portland Oregon, May 30-31, 2018

A post shared by @ dbtph on Jun 28, 2018 at 2:49pm PDT

The Unraveling is out 1/31 on ATO Records.