Zach Bryan says ‘Bad News’ has been “misconstrued” after the White House condemn anti-ICE lyrics
Zach Bryan has issued a statement clarifying the full lyrics to his upcoming song, ‘Bad News’.
The clarification comes after he was condemned by the White House for including an anti-ICE line in a recently released snippet.
On October 3rd, Bryan shared a one-minute clip from the forthcoming track which starts off with the singer-songwriter reflectively taking a look in the mirror at himself to sing, “Didn’t wake up dead or in jail, Some out-of-town boys been giving us hell, I got some bad news, woke up missing you, My friends are all degenerates but they’re all I’ve got, Generational talent of dropping the plot, Hope the cops came, cocky motherfuckers ain’t they.”
Then, on the second verse, he laments the current state of America which contains the contentious lines that has caused backlash from the US government.
He sings, “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 Boss stopped bumping, the rock stopped rolling, The middle fingers rising and it won’t stop showing, I got some bad news, The fading of the red, white and blue.”
In response, Tricia McLaughlin, the Department of Homeland Security’s assistant secretary of public affairs, has responded to the snippet, told TMZ that Bryan should “stick to ‘Pink Skies’,” referencing his single from 2024’s chart-topping The Great American Bar Scene.
Additionally, the White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson attacked the singer for the lyrics snippet. She did also include a number of his song titles in her response to prove that she is/was a fan of his work.
Jackson told Newsweek: “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!”
Bryan has now taken to Instagram Stories to respond to the controversy in a lengthy statement. He began by writing, “I wrote this song months ago. I posted this song three months ago as a snippet. This 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.”
The US Navy veteran, who served until 2021 when he was given special dispensation due to his music career taking off, then touched upon his military background, adding, “I served this country, I love this country and the song itself is about all of us coming out of this divided space.”
Bryan then explained how he was left frightened by the reaction, sharing, “I wasn’t speaking as a politician or some greater-than-thou asshole, just a 29 year old man who is just as confused as everyone else. To see how much shit it stirred up makes me not only embarrassed but kind of scared.”
He then distanced himself from either extreme side of the political spectrum, writing, “Left wing or right wing we’re all one bird and American. To be clear I’m on neither of these radical sides.”
The ‘High Road’ singer concluded, “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. Everyone have a great day and I love each and every one of ya!!! X”
He has yet to share when ‘Bad News’ will receive a full release.
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