If recorded by nearly any other artist, Blake Shelton's "She’s Got a Way With Words" would be a fairly milquetoast ballad about an ex-lover. But that it’s on If I’m Honest and not another album from 2016 makes it one of the more compelling songs of the year.

Let the conversation begin. Is "She’s Got a Way With Words" a grenade gently lobbed toward the previously well-guarded fortress that was Shelton’s marriage to Miranda Lambert? He didn’t write it, but he chose to cut it, and he’s smart enough to know what the reaction to lyrics like “She put a big F-U in my future / Yeah she's got a way, she's got a way with words” would be. Another artist actually passed on this song for that very reason.

The conversation may overshadow the song, which would be unfortunate, as Marc Beeson and company have penned a clever dig. Shelton’s understated performance (it doesn’t feel personal) allows their humor to shine, and musically it steps in sync with other recent hits from the country superstar and plenty of songs from his most recent studio album. There’s a little guitar lick to hook you, but the arrangement is mostly mood music. Shelton is, after all, one of the format’s top vocalists, so little is needed to make much that he sings pop from the speakers.

Did You Know?: Shelton has said If I'm Honest tells his story of the last year, but wrote just three songs from he album. "Savior's Shadow" is one that is undeniably personal.

Listen to Blake Shelton, "She’s Got a Way With Words"

Blake Shelton Lashes Out in "She's Got a Way With Words"

Blake Shelton's "She’s Got a Way With Words" Lyrics:

“When you put two and two together / You figure out it's got four letters / I should've known that when I met her / But she had to spell it out for me / After all that second guessin' / It's been a hard long history lesson / Hell that's a class I got an F in / But now I understand perfectly.”

Chorus:
“She put the her in hurt / She put the why in try / She put the SOB in sober / She put the hang in hangover / She put the ex in sex / She put the low in blow / She put a big F-U in my future / Yeah she's got a way, she's got a way with words / Yeah she's got a way with words.”

“Little words like I and do / Lie and cheat and you're screwed / Are words I thought I knew / They've got a brand new meaning now.”

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