Eric Church performed his hard-hitting new single, “Stick That in Your Country Song,” at the Grand Ole Opry during the ACM Awards on Sept. 16.

Penned by Davis Naish and Jeffrey Steele—and produced by Jay Joyce—“Stick That in Your Country Song” tackles societal issues ranging from guns and drugs to veterans and school teachers. Eric croons the emphatic chorus, “Stick that in your country song / Take that one to number one / Get the whole world singing along / Stick that in your country song.”

“My favorite thing about country music is how it has never been afraid of real life,” said Eric in a release. “For as long as I can remember, it has been the musical compass of reality in the world. Our music needs more of that. Real people, real lives, real places. That’s what this song is. It’s about people from the front line to the food line. And it also happens to kick like a f***ing mule.”

“Stick That in Your Country Song” is currently No. 26 on the Billboard Country Airplay chart after 13 weeks.

Watch Eric’s performance below.