With more than 64 million albums sold worldwide, 18 #1 singles, with seven as co-writes, Seven Grammys, and countless other accolades---all achieved with four albums in less than eight years---some artists might feel as though they’d earned the right to rest on their laurels, but not Carrie Underwood. Fueled by a restless creative spirit, good-natured competitive streak and abundance of God-given talent, Carrie unleashes her most ambitious project yet with Blown Away.
Teaming again with producer Mark Bright, Carrie delivers a 14-song collection that covers a particularly vast expanse of emotional territory. She celebrates the understated pleasures of small town living in “Thank God for Hometowns” and explores the exquisite fragility of life in “Forever Changed.” She’s not averse to tackling abuse and betrayal then doling out a little sweet revenge with such compelling tracks as “Blown Away” and “Two Black Cadillacs.” Musically the songs range from rollicking up-tempo anthems, such as the hit first single “Good Girl” to the island-flavored escape of “One Way Ticket” and the steel guitar-laced country lament of “Wine After Whiskey.”
Such musical and lyrical diversity is the foundation of Carrie’s artistry. After all, this is a young woman who has performed with Steven Tyler on a top-rated edition of CMT’s “Crossroads,” scored a No. 1 country hit with good friend Brad Paisley on “Remind Me,” and sang with the iconic Tony Bennett on the 2012 Grammy telecast, delivering the classic “It Had to be You,” their collaboration on Bennett’s Duets II album.
The Oklahoma native is a fan of all types of music, yet she’s purposefully planted herself in the country format, even while her eclectic tastes have influenced her creative output. She’s been careful to not get pigeonholed and prides herself on not being predictable. “I feel like I’ve taken all of my albums into as many different directions as possible while still keeping them cohesive,” she says. “I love this album from start to finish and love every song on it. There’s not one single song that’s like another song I’ve ever done. I think it’s my best album. I really do think there’s something for everyone.”
Her ability to be unique yet accessible has been crucial to Carrie’s career from the beginning. She became America’s sweetheart in 2005 when she won the fourth season of American Idol, a vehicle that transformed her from a shy Oklahoma girl with a great voice to a budding superstar. Since then she’s become the popular franchise’s most successful alumni.
She’s won a vast array of awards including three female vocalist awards from both the Country Music Association (CMA) and the Academy of Country Music (ACM). In 2010, when Carrie garnered her second win as ACM Entertainer of the Year, she became the first female artist to win the award twice, and only the 7th female to take the award in the 40-year history of the ACM category, among Loretta Lynn, Dolly Parton, Barbara Mandrell, Reba McEntire, Shania Twain, and the Dixie Chicks. Carrie also received the ACM Triple Crown Award, thanks to her past wins for the categories of Entertainer of the Year, Top Female Vocalist and Top New Female Vocalist, which has been won by only one other female artist – Barbara Mandrell in 2004. In addition to the above, Carrie’s won 7 American Music Awards, 6 People’s Choice Awards, 9 CMT Music Awards, 9 American Country Awards, and 7 BMI Songwriter Awards. Carrie also received a Golden Globe nomination in 2010 for “Best Original Song” for “There’s A Place For Us” from Chronicles of Narnia: Voyage of the Dawn Treader which she both recorded and co-wrote.
Carrie’s 2005 debut Some Hearts topped Billboard’s Country Albums chart for 27 weeks, has sold over 7 million copies, and was voted #1 Country Album of the Decade by Billboard. Both her 2007 sophomore album, Carnival Ride and 2009’s Play On debuted at No. 1. Her current album, Blown Away, debuted atop the all-genre Billboard 200 chart, where it held the No. 1 spot for two consecutive weeks. Over the course of four albums, she’s saturated country radio with such hits as “Jesus, Take the Wheel,” “Before He Cheats,” “So Small,” “Last Name,” “Just A Dream,” “Cowboy Casanova,” “Temporary Home,” “All-American Girl,” “Undo It,” “Mama’s Song,” “Good Girl,” and “Blown Away.”
Carrie’s highly acclaimed concert tours have further helped to establish her into the elite status of the country music community, or in any genre of music, with her stellar performances. In 2008, after wrapping her “Carnival Ride Tour” she became the top selling country female touring artist of the year selling out many of the 137 shows before 1.2 million fans. In that year, Carrie also became the most-heard artist at country radio and was named the #1 Hot Country Songs Artist by Billboard and #1 Top Country Artist by Radio & Records. In 2010, her next headline arena tour, the “Play On Tour,” played 108 shows with one million fans attending which resulted in Carrie being named again as the top-ranked female country touring artist of the year. Carrie is currently on her critically-acclaimed international “Blown Away Tour”, which began at London’s historic Royal Albert Hall, and continued throughout Australia, before launching in North America in September of 2012.
Carrie is a proud member of the Grand Ole Opry and expanded her resume making her acting debut in the 2011 film “Soul Surfer.” She can be seen in print and TV ads as the North American face of Olay beauty products, and has a long-running deal with vitaminwater®. One of Country Music’s most respected young ambassadors, Carrie has served as co-host of the CMA Awards with Brad Paisley the past five years.
Yet for those who think they know Carrie, Blown Away is likely to catch them by surprise, particularly the cinematic title track with its swirling, atmospheric production and intense lyric about abuse and revenge. “I got chills,” she says of the first time she heard the Josh Kear/Chris Tompkins penned stunner. “I remember where I was when I heard it and called my manager and said, ‘Do not let anyone else have this song. It’s my song’ . . . It’s such a visual song. You listen to it and you can see everything that is happening. It’s so dramatic. I’m not a drama person, but when you can make a movie in song form in 3 ½ minutes, it’s surreal.”
“Blown Away” finds a daughter getting revenge on an abusive, alcoholic father and the next song, “Two Black Cadillacs,” also has a larger-than-life cinematic quality which makes both tunes feel like mini-movies set to music. “Two Black Cadillacs” relates the story of a wife and mistress who conspire to get even with the man who betrayed them both. “It’s just more drama,” says Carrie, who co-wrote the tune with Josh Kear and Hillary Lindsey. “It was so much fun creating all this drama and singing about it. That’s the great thing about being an entertainer; you’re just a big actor. When we start sitting down and writing songs, you just never know what’s going to come out.”
Carrie co-wrote eight of the 14 songs on Blown Away, including the first single, Good Girl" which reached number 1 on the country airplay charts and is certified platinum. ‘Good Girl’ was one of the last ones I wrote for the album,” she says of the tune she penned with Chris DeStefano and Ashley Gorley. “We wanted something a little more fun and up-tempo. Chris DeStefano is just a mad scientist with his Pro Tools and he can play every instrument. We walked out of that writing session with a demo. It sounded awesome. It was ready to go. We let everybody hear it and everybody was so excited.”
“Cupid’s Got a Shotgun” is another of the album’s high-energy tracks and it gets an extra kick from Paisley contributing his signature guitar licks. “Once we got into the studio, I was like Brad Paisley HAS to play on this. He’ll make the song,” Carrie says of the tune, she wrote with Kear and Tompkins. “We left so much space in the song for him to come in and play. He did his thing and sounded awesome. He added that last piece of the puzzle and it’s just so country. It’s really cool.”
In addition to being musically inventive, Carrie has long been known for delivering songs with substance, and the new album delivers its share of potent messages. “Nobody Ever Told You,” which Carrie wrote with Luke Laird and Hillary Lindsey, boasts an empowering lyric and a breezy, engaging melody. “People need to hear compliments more,” she says of the song’s life-affirming lyric. “People need to hear ‘I love you’ more. People need to hear ‘You are beautiful’ more.”
“Good in Goodbye,” co-written by Carrie, Lindsey and Ryan Tedder, is a bittersweet look at life beyond heartbreak that offers tender truth in the lines “As bad as it was/As bad as it hurt/I thank God I didn’t get what I thought I deserved.” On the other end of the emotional spectrum, “Thank God for Hometowns” is a sweet salute to small town life. “I heard that one when I was going back to my 10 year high school reunion,” the Checotah, OK native says. “I listened to the demo when I was driving in to go stay with my parents. It was just very fitting in my heart at that time.”
“Forever Changed” is a beautiful ballad that brings tears to Carrie’s eyes as she discusses it. “I had a hard time recording it and I still have a hard time listening to it,” she says of the Tom Douglas/Hillary Lindsey/James T. Slater penned ballad. “That is the most wonderfully well written song I’ve ever heard in my life. There’s this young girl meeting the love of her life, getting married and having a baby. It takes you back in time and there is something old fashioned about it. At the end, the mom’s obviously slipping a way a little bit. It is a sad song, but it’s not meant to be a sad song. It’s about love, being forever changed, forever loved.”
In a few short years, Carrie has seen the power music has to change lives---to incite dialog, to instill hope, and to simply entertain. She’s aware of the platform she’s been given. She respects it and appreciates every moment. “I’m very happy in my life and I count my blessings every day,” she says. “Seven years ago when I decided to try out for American Idol, my life changed completely in the blink of an eye. I went down a different train track and took off at about a million miles per hour. I feel like I’m still learning. In the beginning, it was like, ‘Oh, I have a No. 1. That’s awesome!’ I didn’t really understand what that meant. ‘Jesus, Take The Wheel’ and ‘Before He Cheats’ were No. 1 for several weeks, and that doesn’t happen often, but I had no idea. I realize now what hard work it actually is and I feel like I can appreciate those victories even more. Touring is more fun because I know what it’s like to headline a tour. I feel like I’m able to be more and more creative all the time. I always feel like I’m taking steps forward.”
Little Toy Guns
Carrie Underwood Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
She held on to that heart shaped locket
Staring at a family flawless
But it ain't a pretty picture tonight
Mom and daddy just won't stop it
Fightin' at the drop of the faucet
Cuts through the walls catastrophic
She's caught in the crossfire
Puts her hands over her ears
Starts talking through the tears
She's saying, she's praying.
I wish words were like little toy guns
No sting, no hurt no one, just a bang bang
Rolling off your tongue (I wish words were like little toy guns)
Yeah, no smoke, no bullets
No kick from the trigger when you pull it, no pain, no damage done
(I wish words were like little toy guns)
And just a bang bang rolling off your tongue
(I wish words were like little toy guns)
Wish there was a white flag waving
Or that they were both just faking
And it was just a game they were playing
Like shoot'em up cowboys
Leave the plastic pistols in the front yard
Throw away the score card
And just turn off all the noise.
I wish words were like little toy guns
No sting, no hurt no one, just a bang bang
Rolling off your tongue (I wish words were like little toy guns)
Yeah, no smoke, no bullets
No kick from the trigger when you pull it, no pain, no damage done
(I wish words were like little toy guns)
And just a bang bang rolling off your tongue
(I wish words were like little toy guns)
Oh I wish they didn't cut like a knife
I wish they didn't break you inside
I wish they didn't bang bang make you wanna run, yeah
Like little toy guns
No sting, no hurt no one, just a bang bang
Rolling off your tongue (I wish words were like little toy guns)
Yeah, no smoke, no bullets
No shot from the trigger when you pull it, no pain, no damage done
(I wish words were like little toy guns)
And just a bang bang rolling off your tongue
(I wish words were like little toy guns)
Oh like little toy guns
The song "Little Toy Guns" by Carrie Underwood is a heart-wrenching ballad that explores the damage caused by words and how they can hurt more than physical abuse. The lyrics take us into the life of a young girl who lives in a household where her parents are in constant conflict with each other. The girl is caught in the crossfire and is unable to do anything about it. She wishes that words were like little toy guns, harmless without any damage. Despite the seriousness of the message, the song has a lulling quality to it that is undoubtedly haunting.
The lyrics of the song describe how the young girl holds onto a heart-shaped locket as she tries to escape the reality of her parents' fighting. She wishes for an end to the constant fighting and bickering and longs for peace. As a result, she wishes that words could be like little toy guns that do not cause any pain or damage. The girl wishes for an end to the hostile environment and for her parents to stop using hurtful words against each other.
Overall, Little Toy Guns is a daring representation of the inner turmoil the young girl faces as she shudders under the weight of her parents' abusive words. The lyrics explore the deep-seated need for peace and the dangers of verbal abuse, culminating in an emotional punch that will leave listeners speechless.
Line by Line Meaning
In between the coats in the closet
The girl hides in the closet to escape the fights of her parents.
She held on to that heart shaped locket
The girl clings onto something for comfort and security.
Staring at a family flawless
The girl compares herself to other seemingly perfect families.
But it ain't a pretty picture tonight
The reality of the family's issues is harsh and painful.
Mom and daddy just won't stop it
The parents constantly argue and fight with each other.
Fightin' at the drop of the faucet
The fights are so frequent that they occur over mundane things.
Cuts through the walls catastrophic
The yelling can be heard throughout the entire house, causing emotional damage.
She's caught in the crossfire
The girl feels stuck and helpless in the middle of her parents' fights.
Puts her hands over her ears
The girl tries to block out the sounds of the fighting.
Starts talking through the tears
The girl tries to communicate through her emotional distress.
She's saying, she's praying.
The girl expresses her desires and hopes for the fighting to stop.
I wish words were like little toy guns
The girl wishes for words to have a harmless impact like a toy gun.
No sting, no hurt no one, just a bang bang
The girl wants words to have no negative impact on anyone, just like the sound of a toy gun.
Rolling off your tongue (I wish words were like little toy guns)
The girl wishes it was easy for people to speak kind words, just like a toy gun is easy to use.
Yeah, no smoke, no bullets
The girl wants words to have no impact like smoke or bullets from a gun.
No kick from the trigger when you pull it, no pain, no damage done
The girl wants words to have no painful impact like a gun's trigger, and to not cause any emotional damage.
Wish there was a white flag waving
The girl wishes for the fights to come to an end.
Or that they were both just faking
The girl wishes that her parents' arguments were not real, but rather just for show.
And it was just a game they were playing
The girl imagines her parents' fights as a game, where no one really gets hurt.
Like shoot'em up cowboys
The girl compares her parents' fights to a Western movie shootout.
Leave the plastic pistols in the front yard
The girl suggests to leave behind fake weapons like toy guns as a metaphor for ending the fights.
Throw away the score card
The girl wishes for a change and an end to tallying up who is right or wrong.
And just turn off all the noise.
The girl wants peace and quiet without any chaos or arguments.
Oh I wish they didn't cut like a knife
The girl feels deeply hurt by her parents' arguments and wishes for them to not leave a painful wound.
I wish they didn't break you inside
The girl's emotions are damaged by the fights, and she wishes for this to not happen to anyone else.
I wish they didn't bang bang make you wanna run, yeah
The girl wants to escape from the pain and chaos of the fights caused by hurtful words.
Like little toy guns
The girl wishes for a change where no real hurt is caused and everyone is safe from the impact of words.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., ENDURANCE MUSIC GROUP, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: CHRIS DESTEFANO, HILLARY LINDSEY, CARRIE UNDERWOOD
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Rebecca Edmunson
In between the coats in the closet
She held on to that heart shaped locket
Staring at a family flawless
But it ain't a pretty picture tonight
Mom and daddy just won't stop it
Fightin' at the drop of a faucet
Cuts through the walls catastrophic
She's caught in the crossfire
Puts her hands over her ears
Starts talking through the tears
She's saying, she's praying.
I wish words were like little toy guns
No sting, no hurt no one, just a bang bang
Rolling off your tongue (I wish words were like little toy guns)
Yeah, no smoke, no bullets
No kick from the trigger when you pull it, no pain, no damage done
(I wish words were like little toy guns)
And just a bang bang rolling off your tongue
(I wish words were like little toy guns)
Wish there was a white flag waving
Or that they were both just faking
And it was just a game they were playing
Like shoot'em up cowboys
Leave the plastic pistols in the front yard
Throw away the score card
And just turn off all the noise.
I wish words were like little toy guns
No sting, no hurt no one, just a bang bang
Rolling off your tongue (I wish words were like little toy guns)
Yeah, no smoke, no bullets
No kick from the trigger when you pull it, no pain, no damage done
(I wish words were like little toy guns)
And just a bang bang rolling off your tongue
(I wish words were like little toy guns)
Oh I wish they didn't cut like a knife
I wish they didn't break you inside
I wish they didn't bang bang make you wanna run, yeah
Like little toy guns
No sting, no hurt no one, just a bang bang
Rolling off your tongue (I wish words were like little toy guns)
Yeah, no smoke, no bullets
No shot from the trigger when you pull it, no pain, no damage done
(I wish words were like little toy guns)
And just a bang bang rolling off your tongue
(I wish words were like little toy guns)
Oh like little toy guns
Maddie Cunningham
5 years ago I cried watching and listening to this song.
5 years later I smile as I sing it.
I made it y’all.
I made it through the storm.
I was saved. 🥺😭💓
John Landers
God is always good to his faithful.
Angel Blaze
Hats off to you Maddie, you go girl!
Melina Watson
Yay amen
Maddie Cunningham
@Rhiannon Swift It saved me going on six years ago. Still to this day I owe it to that. I hope it saved someone.
just achocolatebar
God bless you
Emily Mull
does anyone else just wanna run sometimes.....run away from it all. Just run and never look back, grades, parents, bullies, fighting, just run from it.
John Landers
Just did it and it is very freeing!!!
Galaxy Gacha
Me
John Landers
What would be the pros and cons before you quit anything no matter how simple someone else might think something is what are all your feeling before you make designs…. I am in love with my queen….I am just waiting for her to make her move… I got a son and a x that was hurt bad as a child…. She needs different love not sex love…. That is all she knows how sad makes me cry…. No one is less important…. I will take my son and go everywhere…… with the real queen of my hurt…. She is my auger Moma…..bitch is loaded more than I could give away….. how much fun will that be…. Are you ready Bonnie????🤪🥰💨🫥🐔🐥🥲😂😘🧐🤣🙏🏻🥸🧐😁💩😇🤨😢😅🙂🐶