Maren Morris Releases ‘Better Than We Found It,’ a ‘Protest Song’ That Addresses BLM, Immigration

Maren Morris is making a statement with the release of her new song “Better Than We Found It.”

Out now, the song centers around the state of America in 2020 and the music video addresses the issues of immigration and police brutality.

Co-written by Morris alongside Jessie Jo Dillon, Jimmy Robbins and Laura Veltz and produced by Greg Kurstin, “Better Than We Found It” finds Morris directly acknowledging the issues our country is facing as she promises to make a change.

“If you don’t like it, then get the hell out/ That’s what they yell when I open my mouth/ A stick is a stick, a stone is a stone/ But who’s gonna care if I don’t?/Who’s gonna change if I won’t?,” she questions in the opening verse.

“I wanted to write something to address exactly how I feel right now, and this came together pretty quickly,” Morris explains. “It’s a protest song—it’s the most American thing to protest and protest songs have been so embedded in American culture: Bob Dylan, Nina Simone. I think the world right now is sort of in a perpetual mourning period and I wanted to have a song that had weight but also had hope. I still have hope for this country and for the future of it, and as a new mother I wanted to promise my son that I’m going to do everything in my power to leave this world better than the one I came into and the one I see right now.”

The music video tells the story of Gustavo Flowers, a young man whose life has been impacted by the Trump administration’s DREAM Act, as well as the story of Daniel Hambrick, who lost his wife after being gunned down by Nashville police in 2018. The Gabrielle Woodland-directed clip also features young organizers of a Black Lives Matter protest and closes with a letter Morris wrote to her infant son, Hayes.

“I think Maren says it best in her letter to Hayes when she states, ‘Our education must grow along side our empathy,’” says director Gabrielle Woodland. “In present day America, we’re constantly told what to think about certain people, their lifestyles and situations that might be ‘different’ than the average American experience. For this video, Maren wanted to break down the barriers that separate us and remind everyone that, at the end of the day, we are all the same. We are all human and we need to take a lot more time to listen and understand each other. The political climate we live in right now doesn’t give a lot of room for people to converse, and it’s so easy look at our world in black and white. Maren and I both thought it was important to highlight real stories happening to actual people.”

A portion of proceeds will be donated to the Black Women’s Health Imperative, the first nonprofit organization created by Black women to help protect and advance the health and wellness of Black women and girls.

Click above to watch.