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“I Feel Like I’ve Let God Down” — Why Carly Pearce Needed The Message Of “Church Girl” During Her Very Public Divorce
Opening up about a very personal struggle following a very public breakup.
This past Friday, Carly Pearce released an incredibly emotional and introspective new song called “Church Girl,” which finds her wrestling with the guilt, shame and condemnation that can sometimes come from the pulpit, and perhaps even more often from the folks in the pews, in the American Christian church. That’s not at all to say that the Christian faith gives you free license to sin unapologetically, or even that sin isn’t real, but to acknowledge that ALL of us are sinners, at different places in our Christian journey, and that a little grace and compassion can go along way.
Of course, everyone has their own opinions and takes on a religious song like this, and that’s great, and you can read more about the making of the song and what fans are saying here.
The lyrics paint a very clear picture of a girl who likes to wear heels, maybe sometimes shows a little too much skin with a “Jezebel dress,” and enjoys a drink every now and then, but she still has faith and tries to follow Jesus’ teaching, no matter how much she falls short:
“Hey, church girl, doing everything wrong
Walking on eggshells with your high heels on
Hey, church girl, with the Jezebel dress
Better take it off, you’re making all the boys think sex
You got your questions, but you’re too scared to ask
I’m just a sinner who’s been where you’re at
So you like to get high when you talk to Jesus
So you love who you love and you go out on the weekend
So you drink and you think for yourself
That don’t mean you’ll go to Hell when you leave this world
Just ’cause you heard it in church, girl”
The song resonated very deeply for me in many ways, especially growing up in the south where there seems to be an emphasis on “proper behavior,” but I can very much relate to the idea here and desiring grace in the areas where many of us fall short every day. But enough about me, because in an interview with People, Carly explained why the song resonated so much with her, noting that she grew up a Christian, and it’s still very much a part of her life, though she admits she has struggled with her faith at times, as many of us probably have if we’re being honest:
“I’m a girl who grew up in church, I grew up with faith being a very big part of my life, it still is a very big part of my life, but I think there are a lot of double standards with faith. There’s a lot of things that have happened in my life that maybe are not very pretty, none of us are perfect, and I’ve had to live that out in public. And have felt as a Christian woman a lot of shame and guilt and judgment and confusion.”
And Carly also got candid in saying she wished she would’ve had this song when she was going through her very public divorce from Michael Ray. They were married for only eight months, and she filed for divorce in June of 2020.
She says she felt like she had let God down because of her failed marriage, and it took a toll on her:
“I [also] needed it when I was going through a very public relationship splitting, and ‘Oh gosh, I feel like I’ve let God down of what marriage is. So many different things in my life that I’ve been like, ‘Well, does this mean I’m not a Christian? Does this mean that God hates me?’
I think what I have come to find for myself is I wish I could go back and tell her, ‘You’re okay, you’re okay, and we’re all on a journey. We’re all figuring it out, and no matter where you’re at on your journey, Jesus loves you. I know that.'”
Once again, I think that’s something we’ve all felt before, and I can’t imagine how hard it was to go through that in the spotlight the way she did.
Carly says she wanted to send a clear message to her fans, saying:
“I don’t judge you, I don’t want you to feel shame, I don’t want you to feel guilt. I want you to know that we’re all human beings and you’re welcomed here.“
The full album is expected sometime in 2026, and Carly says the songs were born out of a lot of self reflection and growth. Carly also released a song called “Dream Come True,” which takes another honest look at her career and the decisions that have led her to this point, and I think from these two singles alone it’s safe to say we’re in for a really incredible project from Pearce this year, and I’m very much looking forward to hearing all of it.
You can listen to both below.
“Church Girl”
“Dream Come True”
The post “I Feel Like I’ve Let God Down” — Why Carly Pearce Needed The Message Of “Church Girl” During Her Very Public Divorce first appeared on Whiskey Riff.
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