Hear Maren Morris’ Poignant Unreleased Song ‘Dear Hate’
In the wake of the senseless, terrifying violence that killed five and wounded seven police officers in Dallas last night, July 7th, social media users from all walks of life have stood up to say “enough is enough,” including country singer-songwriter and Texas native Maren Morris.
The “My Church” singer first addressed the tragedy with a sobering realization that the shooting took place in her former backyard, taking to Twitter to write, “I know those streets. I know those lights. Dallas, I love you.” Since then, she has posted an unreleased demo of a song that, while chilling in its relevance, is ultimately an uplifting plea for unity. (Listen to the song below.)
Titled “Dear Hate,” the quiet ballad was co-written by Morris with songwriters Tom Douglas (“The House That Built Me”) and David Hodges and uploaded to Soundcloud by Douglas’ daughter Katherine. With pain in her voice, the young Morris addresses hate itself with the poignant opening line “Dear hate, I saw you on the news today.” She goes on to list some of the greatest blights on American history — the resistance to the Civil Rights movement, the assassination of President Kennedy and the events of September 11th, 2001 — but by the end of the chorus finds enough strength and resilience to stare brutality in the face. With one swift payoff line, she shatters the hopelessness that hate can inspire.
“I hate to tell you,” she sings, “but love’s gonna conquer all.”