Maren Morris Aims to Heal a Broken World in ‘Better Than We Found It’
This is a powerful message.
Hot on the heels of winning two ACM Awards, Maren Morris is advocating for a different kind of victory — one that overcomes a sharply divided nation.
In her empowering new track “Better Than We Left It,” the new mother and soul-searching songwriter is speaking her mind, and expressing the hope that stubbornly remains for our future — regardless of the day’s bad news. With the whole world battling a deadly virus and the U.S. simultaneously reckoning with racial injustice and political upheaval, it may seem like the end times are here. But Morris sees an opportunity.
With a thoughtful acoustic guitar melody and self-questioning lyrics about empathy and understanding, community and compassion — and especially, considering our place in history — Morris sings a passionate plea to make this moment a special one. The moment when things started getting better.
“I wanted to write something to address exactly how I feel right now, and this came together pretty quickly,” she shares. “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.”
A powerful video for the track works like a visual testament to Morris’ inspiration, featuring performance shots of the singer-songwriter but also Nashville residents fighting for that brighter future. They include a young musician living under threat of deportation, the family of Daniel Hambrick (who died in a police shooting in 2018), and a pair of friends who organized a massive Black Lives Matter protest. The video was directed by Gabrielle Woodland and ends with Morris reading a letter she wrote to her infant son, Hayes.
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“I think Maren says it best in her letter to Hayes when she states, ‘Our education must grow along side our empathy,’” says 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.”
“Better Than We Found It” was written by Maren Morris, Jessie Jo Dillon, Jimmy Robbins and Laura Veltz, and 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. Morris took home the trophies for ACM Female Vocalist of the Year and Musical Event of the Year in September.
