Band: Mudvayne
Song: “Sticks and Stones”
Album: Sticks and Stones – single
Release Date: September 11th, 2025
Label: Alchemy Recordings
Purchase/Stream:
Frontman Chad Gray says of the track:
“I was always told ‘sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.’ Well, it’s a great nursery rhyme, but I couldn’t disagree more. I’ve carried a lot of words throughout my life as if they were just spoken to me. The reality is — they do hurt. I’ve tried my best to shed them, but when they come from dear friends, family — people that are supposed to love you — the words have teeth and they won’t let go. Blood doesn’t wash out; it stains. I think I’m just trying to remind people to love their children. Don’t use them as a bullet to fire into your ex or whomever you’re with now. They’re innocent and they are impressionable. And trust me, as a child, that was used as a weapon, your words will hurt them…long after you say them.”

