'Snipe Hunt' by Tyler Childers – Lyrics & Meaning

Immediately building up hype for what was bound to be one of the most anticipated releases of 2025, Tyler Childers took to social media to post a short clip of what could only be the start of a new era for the Kentucky native.

Kicking things off with the release of ‘Nose on the Grindstone’ on June 12–a song that had only been released as a live recording before–we were starting to get a glimpse at what was to come.

Alongside the release of ‘Nose on the Grindstone’ came the album announcement, some stunning album art by Tony Moore and a release date of July 25. The release of another familiar favourite, ‘Oneida’ came on July 2, but any of the brand new music from the Childers was kept a secret until the release of Snipe Hunter.

The (almost) title track of the album throws us into the lively, rowdy deep end from the get go.

Some fierce electric guitar work and heavy percussion kicks the song off before Childers’ vocals come in hot. There’s a rockier edge to this one, similar to some of the work from the Sturgill Simpson’s ‘Sound and Fury’ era, the instrumentation is at the forefront and keeps the energy high throughout the track.

In a way that stands out from the rest of the album, the delivery and phrasing from Childers feels a little chaotic, similar to the way he throws his words out in earlier tracks like ‘Way of the Triune God’– it makes for a passionate tale, full of authentic grit and integrity.

“I flung the door open and let the heat rise
To heat up the world cause I thought it was mine
And all the while all my plants froze inside
Cause there’s only so much to go round

And I took me some tries and a whole lot of kindlin’
But when the lesson arrived it only took me a minute
To learn there was some things better off freezing
I can name you a few that I’ve found”

Despite its fierce and chaotic delivery of Childers vocals on ‘Snipe Hunt’, the sentiment is reflective and sees him looking back on the artistic journey he’s had.

First things first though, a 'Snipe Hunt' is an old joke with North American roots. Like a fool's errand, someone is sent on an imaginary quest to catch the elusive 'snipe'; they will perhaps be led into the woods and left in the dark, waiting until they realise they've been led astray. It's classic rural lore, one that Childers probably grew up with, and might have fallen for (or planned) a couple of times. As the song progresses, he uses this story to reflect on the journey he has been on.

Sometimes it can take some time to realise that you have to take care of your immediate surroundings in order to make progress into what’s in front of you. It seems that Childers has been figuring life lessons out as he goes, learning to put his time and energy into what’s most important to him.

However, that’s not to say that you shouldn’t protect your energy and remember that sometimes, people and situations really are "better off freezing."

“Hate is a thing that can poison your veins
And get in your eyes when you’re sweating on stage
Shifting around for a clock on the wall
To tell you it’s almost over

Vans they keep rollin’ and times for the birds
To chirp in your ear on the rumors they heard
Flyin’ above all the good in this world
Shittin’ on cattle and clover”

The phrase "blinded by hate" comes in pretty heavily as Childers is perhaps remembering some of the situations that have toughened him up.

Exactly who or what the Kentuckian is singing about is up to interpretation, but it seems like those birds that "chirp in your ear on the rumors they heard" could be referring to the inevitable hate and difficulties that come with being a figure in the public eye.

He seems to be taking on the self proclaimed "high and mighty" that tend to look down on people, jokes on them though because ultimately they’re missing out on the "good in this world."

Maybe we should be taking advice from Childers.

“Now when I was a young boy I thought I could track
And an old timer sat down and wretched me this sack
And he told me all the knowledge I lacked
On an ornery thing called a snipe”

As we move further into the song, Childers is now looking for advice from those that have come before him–but "an ornery thing called a snipe", what does that mean?

To snipe means to shoot at someone from a position where you cannot be seen, but it can also mean to criticise someone or something, often with anger or annoyance behind it. When put in context of the rest of the song, it’s likely a double meaning: for those that have looked down on Childers, it’s felt like he’s been targeted from the shadows with insults and criticisms coming from every direction.

In a third alternative meaning, a snipe is a bird with a long beak that lives near marshes and wetlands. We know that Childers has always been very connected to nature, and linking back to those references of birds that "chirp in your ear on the rumours they heard", it all links together.

Bottom line is, Childers is a very clever writer.

“Picked me up on a Friday and he dropped me and Charlie
Told me when he’d be back and he went off to party
And I sat on the hill like Jeremiah Johnson
I froze my dumb ass off all night

That’s the way that I feel when I look at our past
And the handshakes that you gave me if you’re callin’ them that
And the snickers you tried to pass off as laughs
And the way your eyes never met mine”

The story of Jeremiah Johnson is a long and complicated one–a mountain man of the American Old West, a character that is often featured in dime novels and western stories. The tales about Johnson range from ones of harmless practical jokes to complete extremes of vicious violence against Native Americans.

With so many stories and theories surrounding one person, they often lead to completely fabricated tales; it could be that Childers is feeling the same way.

Childers has been heavily involved in the support of Native American communities, including headlining fundraising concerts in benefit of the Blackfeet Tribe. Although his passion for this work runs deeply, and is something he is very committed to, there are always doubts and misinterpretations of intentions that come with activities like these.

Those handshakes and snickers might be referring to the ways in which Childers’ work has been received by the often twisted media.

“Life reminds me of a card game we played as a kid
Where you’re layin’ down the deck until you got to the end
Early on there’s a joker got lost ‘neath the fridge
Over time all the queens moved in with him

And I’d say the boy had him an absolute ball
But he ruined the card game for all us involved
And I let it take me over like kudzu in Georgia
And I hope don’t do that again”

Life is often compared to a card game, but Childers takes it in a slightly different direction–as he finds the joker that got away, he might be coming to the conclusion that having too much of a good time results in the game being ruined for all involved.

With a switch in narrative, it becomes evident that Childers is definitely reflecting on his own life throughout ‘Snipe Hunt’, those bad habits, distractions and life as the joker is something he hopes he won’t let happen again.

Comparing it to a "kudzu in Georgia," it’s likely that at times it’s been easy to let the negative things–both personal thoughts and actions, and the comments of others–completely take over. The kudzu vine is a rapid growing plant, one that aggressively takes over an environment and smothers native vegetation.

Linking back to the beginning of the song, it all comes back to the results of not placing enough focus on your immediate surroundings and how that has much wider, much longer implications.

I flung the door open and let the heat rise
To heat up the world cause I thought it was mine
And all the while all my plants froze inside
Cause there’s only so much to go round

And I took me some tries and a whole lot of kindlin’
But when the lesson arrived it only took me a minute
To learn there was some things better off freezing
I can name you a few that I’ve found

Hate is a thing that can poison your veins
And get in your eyes when you’re sweating on stage
Shifting around for a clock on the wall
To tell you it’s almost over

Vans they keep rollin’ and times for the birds
To chirp in your ear on the rumors they heard
Flyin’ above all the good in this world
Shittin’ on cattle and clover

Now when I was a young boy I thought I could track
And an old timer sat down and wretched me this sack
And he told me all the knowledge I lacked
On an ornery thing called a snipe

Picked me up on a Friday and he dropped me and Charlie
Told me when he’d be back and he went off to party
And I sat on the hill like Jeremiah Johnson
I froze my dumb ass off all night

That’s the way that I feel when I look at our past
And the handshakes that you gave me if you’re callin’ them that
And the snickers you tried to pass off as laughs
And the way your eyes never met mine

Paranoia is a thing that you’re making when sleep
Ain’t a thing you recall ain’t a habit you keep
One ol boys nightmare is another folks dream
It’s all in the way that you hold her

Hotels are lonely I reckon I know
I spent many a night in between shoes
Lookin’ at paint as it dried on the wall
On a booger you just painted over

Life reminds me of a card game we played as a kid
Where you’re layin’ down the deck until you got to the end
Early on there’s a joker got lost ‘neath the fridge
Over time all the queens moved in with him

And I’d say the boy had him an absolute ball
But he ruined the card game for all us involved
And I let it take me over like kudzu in Georgia
And I hope don’t do that again

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