Lambert explained the creation of this song (source Maintain The Pain Songf… Read Full Bio ↴Lambert explained the creation of this song (source Maintain The Pain Songfacts): "I had that title for a long time in my head, and I couldn't figure out what I was going to do with it. It started out a little more mellow. But the more intense the lyrics got, the more I thought, okay, this needs to be a rocker. I wrote it at my farm in Oklahoma. I went over to Blake 's and asked him to play on the demo, just on my Garage Band with me. And he added that guitar lick, which is so signature to the song now. I told him he still doesn't get a co-write! But he added that cool sound to it, and he's the one screaming in the background."

Maintain The Pain
Miranda Lambert Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

I put a bullet in my radio
Something just hit me funny I don't know
Just pulled the trigger going down the road

You slammed the door and knocked me off the wire
Been walking lines and you've been burning tires
Slow and uneasy ain't that what you like

It's insane
It's in vain
You stay to maintain the pain

I hear your name and man it burns a hole
I swear I hate you but I can't let go
The kind of damage that you can't console

It's all in vain
It's all insane
I swear you'll stay
I swear you'll stay to maintain the pain

It's all in vain (I hear your name and man it burns a hole)
It's all insane (I swear I hate you but I can't let go)
I swear you'll stay (The kind of damage that you can't console)

I swear you'll stay to maintain the pain
Maintain the pain

Overall Meaning

The opening line of the song "I put a bullet in my radio, something just hit me funny I don't know, just pulled the trigger going down the road" indicates that the singer is struggling with intense emotions that are getting in the way of their life. The act of shooting the radio is a symbol of their frustration and desire to control their surroundings. They feel trapped in their situation and believe that they cannot escape the pain that their former lover has caused them. The singer is haunted by their former lover's memory and cannot seem to let them go. They admit to the pain that their former lover has caused them, but despite their misery, they cannot imagine being without them.

Throughout the song, it is revealed that the singer's former lover has moved on and left them behind. The singer feels betrayed and is unable to move past the hurt that was caused. They are left with unbearable memories that continuously torment them. The lyrics "it's all in vain, it's all insane, I swear you'll stay, I swear you'll stay to maintain the pain" emphasizes that the singer knows that remaining in this state is illogical and self-destructive but feels there is some security in the familiarity of the pain the relationship caused. Maintaining the pain is the only way the singer knows how to cope with the loss.

Overall, the song explores the dynamic between pain and comfort, and how sometimes the familiarity of pain provides the only sufficient sense of security, even when it is causing one to suffer.

Line by Line Meaning

I put a bullet in my radio
I was feeling strange and shot my radio

Something just hit me funny I don't know
I can't explain why I felt that way

Just pulled the trigger going down the road
I shot my radio while driving

You slammed the door and knocked me off the wire
You left with anger and messed me up

Been walking lines and you've been burning tires
I'm lost and you're leaving quickly

Slow and uneasy ain't that what you like
You enjoy my discomfort and suffering

It's insane
My situation is crazy

It's in vain
My efforts are pointless

You stay to maintain the pain
You're staying to keep me hurting

I hear your name and man it burns a hole
Your name reminds me of the pain you caused

I swear I hate you but I can't let go
I hate you, but I can't move on