Billy Ray Cyrus employs some fanciful allegorical imagery to make a very serious real-life point in his new song, "Guns, Gold and Guitars." He is sharing a very special stripped-down live performance of the song with Taste of Country readers in this exclusive.

The song addresses some of the really hot-button issues of the times, including social injustice and growing income inequality ("We're sick of trickle-down plans"), but it does it by employing an allegory about a "Chicken Man" who is using his song to help lead a chicken revolution against the established order.

"We're tired of peckin' for a penny / And no corn in the stew / We're sick of bad for the many / And bein' great for a few," Cyrus sings, setting up a bizarre chorus that offers an unusual juxtaposition of real and surreal.

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"Life in the coop is gettin' real tough / The tractor's runnin' but the wheel's stuck / We're out here lookin' for the real stuff / Yeah the chickens want guns, and gold, and guitars / Yeah the chickens want guns, and gold, and guitars," the chorus states.

The track appears on Cyrus' 16th studio album, The SnakeDoctor Circus, which he's releasing Friday (May 24). The concept album reunites him with his longtime collaborator, Don Von Tress, who wrote Cyrus' career-launching hit "Achy Breaky Heart" for his debut album, Some Gave All. Von Tress and Cyrus teamed with Kelvin Holly to write "Guns, Gold and Guitars."

The SnakeDoctor Circus is now available for streaming and purchase via a variety of digital music retailers.

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