Eric Church delivers greatest commencement speech ever in viral address to University of North Carolina graduates
Country music star Eric Church earned praise for delivering the “greatest” commencement speech with his now-viral address to University of North Carolina graduates — after working on the piece for nearly a year.Church – armed with a Tar Heel-emblazoned guitar – invoked family and faith as he dedicated his oration by giving a lesson on the instrument, explaining what each of the “six strings” means at Kenan Memorial Stadium in Chapel Hill on May 9.“Six strings.When all six are in tune, the chords they make can stop a conversation cold, carry a broken person through the worst night of their life, or make a room full of strangers feel for three minutes like they’ve known each other forever,” Church told the crowd.
“And if even one is off, the whole chord unravels.Not gradually, not politely, the moment you strike it, you know.”The 49-year-old Grammy-nominated singer started with the “low E” string of the guitar, the thickest, lowest note on the instrument.“Your faith is the low E of your life.
The thing that sits at the very bottom of you,” he said.“The people who tend to their faith in ordinary seasons do not come undone in extraordinary ones.”“The world will try to untune this string.
Through busyness, through slow accumulation of a full schedule, a full inbox, a full life.Listen to me.
Tend to your faith.Not just when you’re broken, but when you’re whole,” he said.Church turned to the “A” string, comparing it to family and pointing the Class of 2026 to the stands and their loved ones, who “loved you longer than you’ve been easy to love.”“And the A string is where the music starts to get warm.
It gives a chord its body, its richness.It’s the string that makes you feel like you’re not alone in a room,”The North Carolina native cautioned attendees not to let their soon-to-be-busy schedules get in the way of their families.“Call your people.
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