holy smoke Lyrics – Maren Morris

holy smoke Lyrics by Maren Morris is a new english song by Maren Morris. The song is released on Maren Morris’ official YouTube channel, written by Jack Antonoff, and produced by Jack Antonoff, Laura Veltz, and Maren Morris. Featured on the album D R E A M S I C L E (Extended), this track offers a contemplative and provocative experience, blending sharp lyricism with ethereal instrumentation to challenge conventional beliefs and explore existential themes.

At its core, holy smoke examines the fragility of belief systems, the search for truth, and the inevitability of uncertainty. Through poetic and often haunting imagery, Maren Morris confronts the ever-evolving nature of faith, mortality, and collective delusion. The lyrics question traditional narratives around salvation and righteousness, suggesting that despite our efforts to control or predict the end, everything eventually dissolves—metaphorically “going up in holy smoke.” The song’s tone shifts between introspection and defiance, weaving personal revelation with broader philosophical reflection.

holy smoke Details

holy smoke Lyrics

[Verse 1]
There’s beauty in the questions that I still can’t answer, no
But the world got less depressing when I finally left the house
Wasn’t locked out of heaven, I just had to look around
Doesn’t mean I still don’t have my doubts

[Pre-Chorus]
But something’s bubbling under
All of the damned are growing in numbers
Tell me, are you starting to wonder
Why you hold your side so dear?
Your head down stuck in the pages
Can’t see the angels in front of your faces
It’s easier for you if they’re not here
But they’re still here

[Chorus]
By lightning strike or flood below
By our own damn hands or a righteous ghost
You can pray your way up to the gates
To find out it’s a joke
But either way, it’s going up in holy smoke
Going up in holy smoke

[Verse 2]
There’s beauty in the essence, but somewhere along the way
The fundamental lessons get rewritten day to day
I know that I don’t know things I won’t know until I greet the grave
But tell me, can you say the same? Can you say the same?

[Chorus]
By lightning strike (By lightning strike) or flood below (Or flood below)
By our own damn hands (By our own damn hands) or a righteous ghost (Righteous ghost)
You can pray your way up to the gates
To find out it’s a joke
Either way, it’s going up in holy smoke

[Bridge]
When the truth gets loud (When the truth gets loud)
When the blood runs cold (When the blood runs cold)
When the sand runs out (When the sand runs out)
When the rug gets pulled (When the rug gets pulled)
I just hope I get to see it if I’m lucky to get old
But either way, it’s going up in holy smoke
Going up in holy smoke

[Post-Chorus]
Choose your teacher
Choose your trope
All goes up in holy smoke
Whether you believe it or you don’t
All goes up in holy smoke

[Outro]
By lightning strike or flood below
By our own damn hands or a righteous ghost
Yeah
(Either way, it’s going up in smoke, up in holy smoke)
(Either way, it’s going up in smoke, up in holy smoke)
(Either way, it’s going up in smoke, up in holy smoke)
(Either way, it’s going up in smoke, up in holy smoke)
(Either way, it’s going up in smoke, up in holy smoke)
(Either way, it’s going up in smoke, up in holy smoke)

holy smoke Lyrics Meaning

[Verse 1]
Maren Morris opens with a reflection on how clarity often arrives not through answers, but through experience. Leaving the house symbolizes breaking free from isolation or restrictive thinking. She contrasts the misconception of spiritual abandonment with the realization that perspective matters more than place. The verse ends with the honest admission that doubt still lingers—highlighting that growth doesn’t erase uncertainty.

[Pre-Chorus]
In this section, Morris warns of a growing unrest—both spiritual and societal. The phrase “the damned are growing in numbers” suggests disillusionment is spreading. She challenges blind devotion and questions why people cling so tightly to their chosen “side,” implying that dogma may prevent them from seeing what’s right in front of them. The angels referenced could represent grace or truth, obscured by rigid belief systems.

[Chorus]
The chorus is a powerful declaration of inevitability. Whether through natural disaster, human fault, or divine intervention, everything—faith, life, and systems—will eventually be consumed. The phrase “going up in holy smoke” symbolizes a burning away of illusion, perhaps even suggesting that sacredness and destruction are inseparably intertwined. The “joke” at the gates alludes to the possibility that what people place their hope in may not be what they expect.

[Verse 2]
Here, Morris observes how the essence of spirituality is often lost or distorted. The truth once taught gets diluted by repetition and reinterpretation. She humbly acknowledges that there are mysteries she won’t understand until death, and poses a rhetorical question to the listener—challenging others to admit the same vulnerability and humility.

[Chorus]
The repeated chorus reinforces the sense of inescapability. No matter the cause or belief, the end is the same. The mirrored structure and layered harmonies drive home the cyclical, almost ritualistic nature of human hope and destruction.

[Bridge]
This section intensifies the song’s existential tone. Morris lists moments of revelation—truth surfacing, mortality revealing itself, time running out—and wonders if she’ll be lucky enough to witness clarity before the end. The language becomes more visceral, evoking both fear and anticipation. The final line returns to the image of everything being consumed, echoing the song’s core message.

[Post-Chorus]
Morris invites listeners to reflect on the choices they make—be it in doctrine, identity, or ideology. Yet regardless of which path is chosen, she asserts that all constructs are ultimately transient. Whether grounded in belief or skepticism, everything ends the same way.

[Outro]
The outro repeats the chorus’s key message like a mantra. The continuous echo of “up in holy smoke” creates a haunting sense of closure. Morris reinforces the song’s central image—emphasizing that despite the different ways we arrive there, the end is unified by impermanence and the stripping away of illusion.

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