Behind the Meaning of Carrie Underwood’s Revenge Anthem, “Two Black Cadillacs”

Carrie Underwood is no stranger to a revenge anthem. She has her fair share of songs that see her throw a few punches, swing a bat, or fire up some other method of vengeful destruction. Among that pack is “Two Black Cadillacs.” In the case of this song, she has help in her revenge plot. Learn the meaning behind this track, below.

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Behind the Meaning

Two black Cadillacs driving in a slow parade
Headlights shining bright in the middle of the day
One is for his wife
The other for the woman who loved him at night
Two black Cadillacs meeting for the first time

As with any good murder ballad, the opening lines of “Two Black Cadillacs” set the scene. The musicality of this song is aptly haunting–given the unfortunate end for the titular two-timing man in this song.

Present at the funeral of the man, there are two women wearing black veils. In the second verse of the song, Underwood goes into further detail about why revenge was sought in the first place.

Two months ago, his wife called the number on his phone
Turns out he’d been lyin’ to both of them for oh so long
They decided then, he’d never get away with doing this to them
Two black Cadillacs waiting for the right time, the right time

As Underwood alludes to in the song, the two women eventually get their revenge. That plot eventually leads them to meet at the funeral: Yeah, they took turns laying a rose down / Threw a handful of dirt into the deep ground / He’s not the only one who had a secret to hide / Bye bye, bye bye, bye bye.

“It’s just drama,” Underwood once explained. “It’s drama, and it’s dark, but it’s also, you have to listen to the whole thing. You’re sucked in, from the beginning, from the music, and it’s just, you know something is gonna happen.”

Revisit this song, below.

(Photo by Catherine Powell/Getty Images for CMT)

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