Country musician Tyler Childers has reflected on his 2020 protest song "Long Violent History" in a rare interview for Newport Folk's Sea to Shining Sea series, recorded at his barn in Kentucky. The song, released during the Black Lives Matter protests following George Floyd's murder, has divided listeners, but Childers said the trust he has built with his audience gave him room to address difficult topics honestly.

Childers noted it took him nearly five years to perform the song live, finally doing so at the Hollywood Bowl in June 2025 amid protests over ICE immigration raids in Los Angeles. In the interview, he also stressed the value of community and understanding across political divides, using a pothole-in-the-road analogy, and cited New Orleans pianist James Booker's song "Make a Better World" as music that captures this message of unity.