Some individual members of The Killers have posted content to their personal accounts in the wake of George Floyd's death, but the band as a whole has not addressed Black Lives Matters, protests, or racial inequality until this weekend.
On Sunday (June 7), The Killers' main account posted a new live version of their 2019 stand-alone single “Land Of The Free” with updated lyrics about the senseless murder of George Floyd.
The acoustic version of the song starts off as normal but singer Brandon Flowers changes the last half of the second verse.
“How many killings must one man watch in his home / Til he sees the price/ Eight measured minutes and 46 seconds / Another boy in the bag / Another stain on the flag.”
He continues: “Father in heaven hear our plea / Father in heaven help us see how to lose our hatred/ How to break these cycles and change our nature / That we may walk underneath your banner / In the land of the free.”
Fans have commented appreciating the new lyrics and are also urging the band to post donation and petition links on their huge platform of 1.1 million followers.
The Killers' touring member Robert Loud wrote on Instagram about the moment Flowers sent him the revised lyrics.
“When Brandon texted me these new lyrics I cried and felt the heart he put into them,” he wrote. “Let’s 'break the cycle' of racism and injustice by starting inside of each of us and those we are close to and also work to spread it out from there until it really is the land of the free. There are too many stains on the flag.”
“Land Of The Free” was originally released in protest of the president's proposed Mexico border wall as well as gun violence in the United States.
The release of the band's new album, Imploding the Mirage, has been delayed amid the coronavirus pandemic after originally slated for release last month.
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