The Best Lyric From Every Song On Tyler Childers’ New Album, ‘Snipe Hunter’

It’s been a few days since Tyler Childers released his highly anticipated album Snipe Hunter. 

The Rick Rubin-produced 13-track record was released everywhere at the end of last week, taking country music by storm. The album was not your traditional Childers record, but that was expected when any artist collaborates with Rubin. The music guru has a way of pushing artists outside of their comfort zone to create unique and innovative projects.

That’s precisely what Snipe Hunter is. However, not all country fans were digging the record when it was released. There was quite a bit of feedback that they felt like parts of the album were over-produced, making it, at times, hard to hear the lyrics that Childers is singing. While that was not the listening experience I had with the album, I can respect everyone’s differing opinions.

Now that the record has had some time to sit with fans, songs are crowing on them, reflecting his one hilarious comment I can’t get out of my head, referring to the album as a “grower, not a shower.”

As the record has had some time to sit with us, it’s allowed me to digest all the lyrics and humorous verses that Childers wrote for this album. We know that Childers excels at creating images in listeners’ minds through his wordplay. My father became a Childers fan after hearing this line from “Whitehouse Road.”

“Get me higher than the grocery bill…”

Coming from a family of five, my father knows all too well how quickly a bill can get run up, and the lyric is oddly specific yet relatable to how stoned you are. It’s a perfect example of Childers’ charming, witty, and accurate metaphors he paints throughout his songs.

There are many lines and lyrics similar to this example on Snipe Hunter, so let’s take a look at what lyrics stand out from each song on the Snipe Hunter tracklist.

“Eatin’ Big Time”

“Eatin’ Big Time” is a song that some have argued are full of metaphors, as the hunting song tune turns into the feeling of making it big in the music industry. But on some level, there’s just a literal interpretation here regarding Tyler’s obvious success in the music business. The big blind, the expensive watch, the platinum records… Tyler and the boys have officially made it.

My favorite lyrics from this tune come from the first verse, as Childers points out that this deer (who is parked at the feeder) should have seen his giant, fancy deer blind a mile away:

“I had shot it from a blind, as in you’d be blind not to see
That there’s a man in the doorway of a mother****** mansion
Aiming at the feeder where you’d sat to take a feast”

“Cuttin’ Teeth”

This tune depicts Childers’ rise to fame in the music industry, starting by playing with whoever would have him, eventually finding his bearings and growing a following. As he’s gotten bigger during the third verse, he jokes that no matter what you are singing about, your loyal fans will love it no matter the subject matter- as long as it’s a catchy tune. But what a clever way to talk about selling out a venue:

“You can yell, you can croon
You can reach the fire code of any room
With a catchy song or two”

“Oneida”

The inner hopeless romantic loves this lyric because it shows how much he was trying to win over this older woman. Music is a love language, and this line would 100% work on me.

“I’ve been workin’ on learning that song you’ve been dying to sing
About weddings and rings”

“Getting To The Bottom”

We’ve heard the phrase that you’re “sweating like a w**** in church” to describe how hot something is. But the way Childers wrote how hot something is (or depicting the hellscape of the current state of the world, specifically for this tune) is something new and hilarious. The first line of these lyrics have been incorporated into my daily vocabulary since Snipe Hunter‘s release, as it’s the perfect saying while battling the Texas heat.

“I wonder if it’s hotter than the devil’s d*** on fire
In a wool sock that is soaked, I mean, completely doused
In kerosene and set ablaze the way it’s here right now”

“Bitin’ List”

This tune is one of my personal favorites off the record. The witty tune is the perfect “I don’t like you” song, using clever lyrics to detail his distaste for specific individuals plainly.

Favorite lyric:

“Foamin’ at the mouth, high in the hackles
Motherf******, I’ma come for you”

While this whole song is filled with great lines, including the repeated line throughout the tune about “if I ever got rabies,” this lyric from the end of the first verse is an easy standout to me. The “high in the hackles” reference to the hairs along a dog’s spine and neck standing up is the perfect way to describe someone getting you riled up, ready to fight. “Bitin’ List” and Carter Faith’s “Grudge” are now and forever my go-to anthems for when I’m in the mood to complain about an individual.

“Nose On The Grindstone”

This song is not new for Childers fans, although the studio rendition of the tune is. However, given that we have sat with the lyrics of “Grindstone” for quite some time, it’s a no-brainer for me to identify my favorite lyric. I’ve always loved this line, as I feel it’s a verse that applies to how you should treat others and how to heal yourself.

“It takes twice as long to build bridges you’ve burnt
And there’s hurt you can cause, time alone cannot heal”

“Watch Out”

The groovy, folk-rock tune reads like a father taking his young son into the woods to forage, and sharing some of wisdom he’s learned over the years. It’s another one where there may be some metaphorical interpretations, but I think it’s much more literal… don’t stick your hands in dark places when you’re looking for mushrooms or you could be bitten by a copperhead. Also, make a little noise in bear country… nothing worse than catching a protective mama bear by surprise.

“And watch out where you sneak
In the woods without a little whistlin’
You don’t wanna creep
And spook you up a momma bear”

“Down Under”

Where do we even begin with this tune about a koala with STDs? “Down Under” contains observations from Tyler’s time in Australia, including how long it takes to get there (“forever and a day”) and the dangerous wildlife, and the tune touches on what we imagine is the first song written about the diseases carried by koalas. The whole song is wild, but here are my favorite lines:

“Most of ’em carry syphilis
Or chlamydia what’s the difference
All I know is I don’t want no koala cuddlin’ up to me”

I mean, honestly, I feel the same way about people I don’t fancy… no matter what diseases they carry.

“Poachers”

This line from “Poachers” takes home the prize because I love the reference to banker Andy Dufresne from The Shawshank Redemption.

“And I’d stand there like Dufresne, far enough from the searchlight
And flip off you bastards in the sewage and rain”

“Snipe Hunt”

Another song from the vault that Childers blessed us with. While the song title comes from the old folk game of hunting snipe, an imaginary creature, where you trick your friends to go looking for them in the woods, this tune overall is more about “people who get under your skin,” as Childers once described it. I love this one line from the ditty about how letting folks bother you that much is often toxic and can harm you.

“Hate is a thing that can poison your veins
And  get in your eyes when you’re sweating on stage”

“Tirtha Yatra”

This tune follows Childers’ study of and relationship with Eastern religion, Hinduism, and specifically the pilgrimage to India. The tune takes you on a journey as he tries to connect with the spirits and traditions of the religion, but as a man from Kentucky, there were times on this spiritual journey when he felt like a backwoods bumpkin. He pokes a little fun at himself trying to pronounce certain words, and I love the self-deprecating humor.

“You know, I couldn’t even tell you if I am or not pronouncin’ it right
But comin’ from a cousin lovin’ clubfoot somethin’ somethin’
Backwood searcher, I would hope that you’d admire the try”

“Tomcat And A Dandy”

A farewell to his younger self. The opening lines of “Tomcat And A Dandy” are words that everyone can relate to. Back when you were younger, you had all the time in the world, and as you grow older, you wonder where the hours of the day go.

“Back when I was young and gay, in the fledglin’ of my prime
Back then, when I blew through all my time”

“Dirty Ought Trill”

The closing track of Snipe Hunter continues the hunting theme of the record, telling the story of a hunter named Trill, but more specifically, it centers on a hunting dog, a Belgian Malnois. Mals are more of a police dog breed, not your typical hunting dog, but Trill is actually real person, a dog trainer out of Nashville who Tyler became friends with.

The opening line features a nod to the breed’s ferocious nature, as well a common dog training command “Gib Laut,” which is essentially German for “speak.”

See them malligator on the passenger side
Uzi is a bad dog, Uzi gonna bite
If ya ever get the vibe ya wanna fu*** around and find
Gib laut

Tyler Childers is a songwriting mastermind, and these are just a few of the incredible lines found throughout Sniper Hunter.The post The Best Lyric From Every Song On Tyler Childers’ New Album, ‘Snipe Hunter’ first appeared on Whiskey Riff.