It’s a brutal truth about the music industry. Two weeks ago, Megan Moroney released her highly-anticipated third studio album Cloud 9, which is off to a hot start as it debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200 albums chart, which is her first #1 debut on that chart, earlier this week. From songs like her two duets “I Only Miss You” with Ed Sheeran, “Bells & Whistles” with Kacey Musgraves, and honky tonk heaters like “Medicine,” there are some great songs on the tracklist, and one in particular called “Liars & Tigers & Bears” is an incredibly introspective look at her feelings on fame and being a young woman in the very cutthroat beast that is the music industry. Megan wrote it with Luke Laird and Jessie Jo Dillon, and it opens with Megan pointing out just how contradictory and hypocritical the industry is… you should speak your mind, but don’t be too loud about it so you don’t upset people who might disagree, make yourself pretty but don’t be “too much,” be sweet and soft, but be tough while also not being a total b***… it’s endless, and every word it truth I think pretty much anyone can relate to when it comes to measuring up to standards that society places on all of us: “Speak your mind, but not too loud Be sure of yourself, but never too proud Paint yourself pretty, but don’t do too much Be soft and not bitchy, but you better be tough Smile real big, be happy to lose Don’t have a bad day, there’s cameras on you Champagne problems, I know, I know Just a wide-eyed girl learning the ropes Ooh, look alive You better watch your back for knives There’s snakes in the grass and thieves in the night Liars, and tigers, and bears, oh my Ooh, don’t cry They’re gonna take your place in line So, work ’til it kills you, but don’t actually die Liars, and tigers, and bears, oh my” The concept and the lyrics of this song reminds me so much of Kacey Musgraves’ song “Follow Your Arrow,” and Megan has said many times, including in the interview below, how much her writing is inspired by Kacey’s, so I don’t think that’s a coincidence. In the next verse, she talks about how the country industry wants everyone to look like they’re all friends, even the ones that they’re “pitted against,” and that’s one of my favorite lines, in addition to how she points out that selling your soul “will help you break records”: “Stay in your lane, but evolve and get better If you sell your soul, we’ll help you break records Love everybody, aren’t you all friends? Even the ones that we’ve pit you against” It’s no secret that people who “make it” at the level Megan’s at have typically done a lot things they’re probably not proud of to get there, once again that’s the nature of the beast, though in an interview on the Country Heat Weekly podcast, Megan explained that she actually explained that she’s been so “crazy from the start” that she told people, if they tried to make her do something she didn’t want to do, she would “have my vocal cords removed and I will place them on your desk.” She pointed out that she doesn’t need this life bad enough to sacrifice her own desires and morals to get it or keep it, saying that she always thought she would just marry a football played and be housewife, and in many ways, that still appeals to her. So if the music stops being fun, she’s out, and I think that’s absolutely the correct attitude to have with this type of career, though it’s certainly rare: “You know, I actually have been crazy from the start when it comes to being in this industry. I’ve told people that if you make me do something I don’t want to do, I will have my vocal cords removed and I will place them on your desk. Because I always thought I would just grow up and marry a football plater or something, and I’m like, ‘I can still do that. So don’t try me.’ But I just know that it happens. It hasn’t personally happened with me, because I’ve always been like, ‘Don’t. Don’t.’ And it’s just like, I do music because I love doing music, and I want it to stay that way. It’s fun for me, and the second that the fun goes away, I don’t know if I could subject myself to what I subject myself to as far as just how hard it it so always be away from home, just the bad sides. I don’t want to focus on those, because there’s not that many, but I do it because I love it and it’s fun.” Her backup plan is to go live by a pool or beach with a husband and a dog, and honestly, it sounds like she’s got it all figured out… “And the second that it’s not fun, and I don’t love it, I don’t know… I’ll just go marry someone and live by the pool with a little dog. I’ll go fishing, I’ll have a beach house, I’ll be a housewife.” And let’s not pretend she couldn’t pull that off in half a second… In a quote from a press release before the album came out, Megan said of “Liars & Tigers & Bears” that she’s clearly had a “wonderful” experience in the industry with her career, but she knows she needs to keep her guard up because there are certainly snakes in the grass, so to speak: “For the most part the music industry’s been wonderful to me, but I’ve also learned that sometimes I need to keep my guard up. It’s funny because I played this song for my best friend who’s a teacher and she told me how much she related to it — which was great to hear, but also sad that so many people have to deal with all these unfair expectations.” Like she points out, the heart of this song is about unfair standards and expectations almost anyone faces no matter what career you’re in or what your daily life is like, and that the relatability and lyrical complexity are what make this one an easy standout. Check it out if you haven’t yet, because it really does spotlight the best of who Megan is as an artist: “Liars & Tigers & Bears” Cloud 9 Tour Dates: 29 | Columbus, OH – Schottenstein Center 30 | Indianapolis, IN – Gainbridge Fieldhouse 2 | Chicago, IL – United Center 5 | Baltimore, MD – CFG Bank Arena 6 | Greensboro, NC – First Horizon Coliseum 8 | Atlanta, GA – State Farm Arena 12 | Louisville, KY – KFC Yum! Center 13 | St. Louis, MO – Enterprise Center 16 | Pittsburgh, PA – PPG Paints Arena 18 | Milwaukee, WI – Summerfest 19 | Grand Rapids, MI – Van Andel Arena 20 | Toronto, ON – Scotiabank Arena 7 | Boston, MA – TD Garden 9 | Brooklyn, NY – Barclays Center 10 | Newark, NJ – Prudential Center 11 | Philadelphia, PA – Xfinity Mobile Arena 14 | Charlotte, NC – Spectrum Center 16 | Orlando, FL – Kia Center 17 | Tampa, FL – Benchmark International Arena 18 | Sunrise, FL – Amerant Bank Arena 24 | Monticello, IA – Great Jones County Fair 25 | Minneapolis, MN – Target Center 26 | Lincoln, NE – Pinnacle Bank Arena 28 | Denver, CO – Ball Arena 1 | Portland, OR – Moda Center 2 | Seattle, WA – Climate Pledge Arena 5 | Sacramento, CA – Golden 1 Center 7 | Los Angeles, CA – Crypto.com Arena 11 | Glendale, AZ – Desert Diamond Arena 14 | Dallas, TX – American Airlines Center 15 | Tulsa, OK – BOK Center 16 | Kansas City, MO – T-Mobile Center 18 | Detroit, MI – Little Caesars Arena 21 | Nashville, TN – Bridgestone Arena 13 | Oslo, NO – Sentrum Scene 15 | Stockholm, SE – Annexet 18 | Cologne, DE – Carlswerk Victoria 19 | Tilburg, NL – 013 Poppodium 21 | Paris, FR – Le Trianon 23 | London, UK – Eventim Apollo 26 | Manchester, UK – O2 Apollo 27 | Glasgow, UK – O2 Academy 1 | Belfast, UK – SSE ArenaThe post “I’ll Have My Vocal Cords Removed & Place Them On Your Desk”: Megan Moroney Will Never Sacrifice Her Values To Have Success In Country Music first appeared on Whiskey Riff.