"Sticks and Stones" is a song written by

Elbert West Elbert Lee West (July 22, 1967 – May 18, 2015) was an American country music artist. Initially a session songwriter in Nashville, Tennessee, West saw his first chart success in the 1990s as a co-writer on singles for country singer Tracy Lawre ...

and Roger Dillon, and recorded by American

country music Country (also called country and western) is a genre of popular music that originated in the Southern and Southwestern United States in the early 1920s. It primarily derives from blues, church music such as Southern gospel and spirituals, ...

artist

Tracy Lawrence Tracy Lee Lawrence (born January 27, 1968) is an American country music singer, songwriter, and record producer. Born in Atlanta, Texas, and raised in Foreman, Arkansas, Lawrence began performing at age 15 and moved to Nashville, Tennessee, in 1 ...

. It was released in November 1991 as the title track and first single from Lawrence's debut album '' Sticks and Stones''. In January 1992, it became his first Number One and Top 10 hit on the ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

'' country singles charts and on the Canadian ''RPM'' Country Tracks chart.

Content

"Sticks and Stones" is a moderate up-tempo with

electric guitar An electric guitar is a guitar that requires external amplification in order to be heard at typical performance volumes, unlike a standard acoustic guitar (however combinations of the two - a semi-acoustic guitar and an electric acoustic gui ...

and

fiddle A fiddle is a bowed string musical instrument, most often a violin. It is a colloquial term for the violin, used by players in all genres, including classical music. Although in many cases violins and fiddles are essentially synonymous, th ...

backing. In it, the male narrator addresses a lover who has just broken up with him. He tells her that she can take all the possessions that she wants, even though he is so heartbroken. According to

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

, the song's success was due in part to publicity that Lawrence had received after being shot in the knee and pelvis while trying to protect his girlfriend.

Music video

The music video was directed by Richard Jernigan and premiered in late 1991.

Chart positions

Year-end charts

References

{{Tracy Lawrence 1991 debut singles 1991 songs Tracy Lawrence songs Song recordings produced by James Stroud Songs written by Elbert West Atlantic Records singles