Staind frontman Aaron Lewis says that Americans in their 50s carry a duty to protect and improve the country for the next generation — a belief that runs through much of his recent solo work, including his upcoming album.
Talking with One America News Network‘s “Real America With Dan Ball“, Lewis explained why he has woven his political views more deeply into his solo music, pointing to his new record, Give My Country Back, due July 17 via Big Machine Label Group.
“Because it’s my responsibility at my age to now be the steward of this country, just like everybody else my age. If you’re in your 50s, guess what? It’s now our responsibility to step up and make sure that this country is handed to our children and our grandchildren in a condition that’s better than the way that we found it. And that’s how I was raised. That’s how I was brought up. You always leave things better than you find them. And this is our responsibility as citizens of the United States of America. We have the most amazing country because the scales are tipped in our favor and not in the government’s favor. And I’ve been lucky enough to travel all over the world and see what it’s like everywhere else, and I always kiss the ground when I get home,” Lewis said (as transcribed by Blabbermouth).
Lewis went on to describe what he sees as a slow erosion of American society stretching back decades.
“I’ve been alive to see how much destruction has taken place in 30 years, just slow enough so that we don’t quite pick up on it,” he continued. “Through 30 to 40 years of slow indoctrination of our children, where we send them off to school and they come back a different person than we sent them off to. And we entrust these people to instill the same moral values and the same ethic into our children that we’re trying to instill in them ourselves.”
“It’s just so unbelievably blatant at this point. If you can’t see it, you’re not looking. And how much destruction has taken place literally in the last 30 or 40 years compared to the 250 years of this country, or the history of man in general, how close we are to destroying everything. And not just the United States — the civilization, the world,” Aaron explained.
Those same themes shape the title track of the new album. Asked about the inspiration behind Give My Country Back, Lewis pointed to what he views as a contradiction in how some people voice their opinions in America.
“I mean, just as an example of one of the lines in the song, the audacity of someone to come to this country and burn our flag in the streets while they wave their flag from the country that they left to come here. Like, what? And we, as a country, not all of us, obviously, but we tolerate it. I know. And tolerance is a man with no convictions. If you’re gonna sit there and look at something so wrong and turn a blind eye to it, then where are your convictions? Where are your beliefs? What have you built your whole life and self upon? I mean, it’s just logical.”
Lewis has never shied away from mixing politics and music. The multi-platinum singer, who has built a successful country career alongside his work in Staind, previously notched a Billboard No. 1 country hit with the politically charged “Am I The Only One”, and has regularly used his solo platform to share his right-leaning views. Give My Country Back, his sixth solo country album, spans ten tracks and continues in that direction. The record arrives as Lewis stays busy on the road with his “2026 American Tour“, with Staind reportedly sitting on a finished ninth studio album expected to follow in 2027.
Give My Country Back Album Track Listing:
- “The Door“
- “Bad Thing To Be Good At“
- “Too High For This“
- “List Of Things To Quit“
- “Give My Country Back“
- “People I’ve Known“
- “Let Go Like The Rain“
- “A Showman’s Life“
- “Keeping Up With The Jonesin’“
- “Duct Tape And Bailing Wire“
Remaining “2026 American Tour” Dates:
- 10 Jul– Paoli, IN – Castle Knoll Amphitheater
- 11 Jul– Ashland, KY – “Rock The Country”
- 16 Jul– Lancaster, PA – American Music Theatre
- 18 Jul– Hampton Beach, NH – Hampton Beach Casino
- 24 Jul– Shipshewana, IN – Blue Gate Performing Arts Center
- 25 Jul– Petros, TN – Historic Brushy Mountain State Penitentiary
- 12 Aug– Roswell, NM – Eastern New Mexico State Fairgrounds
- 13 Aug– Canyon, TX – The Lumberyard / Backyard
- 14 Aug– Fort Worth, TX – Billy Bob’s Texas
- 15 Aug– Mulvane, KS – Kansas Star Casino
