Their first studio album, Horse of a Different Color, was released in 2004. This album produced four straight Top 40 country hits, including the number 11 "Save a Horse (Ride a Cowboy)", plus collaborations with Cowboy Troy, Gretchen Wilson, and Martina McBride. Comin' to Your City was released in November 2005 followed by another Top 20 single the Vietnam War-inspired "8th of November", and two more Top 40 hits. Joining the duo on this album were Cowboy Troy, Wilson, and Kris Kristofferson. Between Raising Hell and Amazing Grace, released in 2007, produced their only No. 1 single, "Lost in This Moment". Both before and during the duo's hiatus, Rich has worked as a producer and songwriter for several other artists.
After this album, both members went on hiatus and released solo albums in 2009 — Big Kenny's The Quiet Times of a Rock and Roll Farm Boy and Rich's Son of a Preacher Man. These also produced the duo's first Top 40 solo entries — Big Kenny with "Long After I'm Gone" and Rich with "Shuttin' Detroit Down". In 2010, Big Kenny released his second solo country album, Big Kenny's Love Everybody Traveling Musical Medicine Show Mix Tape, Vol. 1 and in 2011, Rich released the extended plays For the Kids and Rich Rocks, the latter of which included the Top 40 country single "Country Done Come to Town". Big & Rich reunited in May 2011 to release "Fake ID", a cut from the soundtrack to the 2011 film Footloose. A year later, the duo released their fourth album, Hillbilly Jedi, which produced the Top 20 hit "That's Why I Pray. In July 2013, Rich announced that the duo had begun work on their fifth studio album, Gravity, which was released independently. Another independent album, Did it For the Party, was announced in 2017 for release in September, led by the single "California.
Holy Water
Big & Rich Lyrics
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I used to watch her wear it well,
Everything would shine,
Wherever she would go,
But looking at her now you'd never tell
Someone ran away with her innocence,
A memory she can't get out of her head,And I can only imagine,
What she's feelin' when she's prayin',
Kneelin' at the edge of her bed
And she says take me away,
Then take me farther,
Surround me now,
And hold, hold, hold me like holy water,
Holy water
She wants someone to call her angel,
Someone to put the light back in her eyes,
She's looking through the faces,
And unfamiliar places,
She needs someone to hear her when she cries
And she says take me away,
Then take me farther,
Surround me now,
And hold, hold, hold me like holy water
She just needs a little help,
To wash away the pain she's felt,
She wants to feel the healin' hands,
Of someone who understands
Then take me farther,
Surround me now,
And hold, hold, hold me
She says take me away,
Then take me farther,
Surround me now,
And hold, hold, hold me like holy water
Like holy water
Like holy water
Like holy water
The lyrics to Big & Rich's song "Holy Water" tell a story about a woman who had her innocence stolen away from her. She used to wear her halo well and had an aura that shone brightly wherever she went. However, now she is struggling and feels lost. The memory of what was taken from her is haunting her, and she prays for redemption. She longs for someone to see her as an angel, to understand her pain, and to help wash it all away. She wants to feel the healing hands of someone who cares about her and will hold her like holy water.
The song conveys a sense of pain and vulnerability but also of hope and faith. It speaks to the power of spirituality and the need for human connection. The lyrics are emotional and powerful, evoking a sense of empathy and compassion for the character. The chorus is particularly poignant and uplifting, with the repeated phrase "hold me like holy water" emphasizing the importance of being held and supported during times of hardship.
Line by Line Meaning
Somewhere there's a stolen halo,
There's a person who was once a virtuous, innocent person, but had that taken from them
I used to watch her wear it well,
I remember how pure and good she was in the past
Everything would shine,
Her goodness and purity was apparent in her every action
Wherever she would go,
She positively impacted everyone and everything around her
But looking at her now you'd never tell
Due to her traumatic experience, she has lost that sense of purity and goodness
Someone ran away with her innocence,
Someone violated her and took away her purity
A memory she can't get out of her head,
She is haunted by the trauma of her past
And I can only imagine,
I can only try to empathize with her and understand her pain
What she's feelin' when she's prayin',
I imagine that when she prays, she's pleading for help and healing
Kneelin' at the edge of her bed
She is so desperate for help that she literally falls to her knees in prayer
And she says take me away,
She wishes she could escape from the pain and trauma of her past
Then take me farther,
She wants to run so far away that she never has to face her past again
Surround me now,
She wants to feel enveloped by safety and love
And hold, hold, hold me like holy water,
She wants to be held with the same reverence and purity as holy water
She wants someone to call her angel,
She wants someone to see her as pure and good again
Someone to put the light back in her eyes,
She wants to regain the sense of hope and joy that she once had
She's looking through the faces,
She's searching desperately for someone who will help her heal
And unfamiliar places,
She's searching outside of her comfort zone to find the help she needs
She needs someone to hear her when she cries
She needs someone to listen to her and validate her pain
She just needs a little help,
She knows that she can't heal alone and needs support
To wash away the pain she's felt,
She wants to be cleansed of the trauma that has haunted her
She wants to feel the healin' hands,
She wants to be touched with kindness and compassion
Of someone who understands
She wants someone who has been through a similar trauma and can empathize with her
And she says take me away,
She is still desperate for escape from her pain
Then take me farther,
The idea of running away still sounds like the only solution
Surround me now,
She still deeply craves safety and love
And hold, hold, hold me
She wants to know that she is truly safe and cared for
She says take me away,
Despite the difficulty of healing, she is still desperate for escape
Then take me farther,
She may realize that true healing is possible, but it still seems out of reach
Surround me now,
She continues to search for the safety and love that she needs
And hold, hold, hold me like holy water
She still craves purity and safety in her search for healing
Like holy water
She knows that she needs complete and utter purity to heal from her trauma
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., RESERVOIR MEDIA MANAGEMENT INC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: KENNY ALPHIN, JEFFREY E. N COHEN, VICKY MCGEHEE, JOHN D. RICH
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind