Eric Church Releases, Then Removes Cryptic Teaser Video

Eric Church has never been a run-of-the-mill country artist, and his latest teaser video is the biggest proof of how he thinks outside the box.

Church released a clip titled 'One Will Rise and One Will Fall,' teasing what fans can expect from him in 2014. It's one of the strangest clips fans have seen from him or any other country artist. Adding to the intrigue of the release, the video was made private after only being released for a few hours. As of Wednesday (Dec. 4), it's unavailable for viewing.

The video begins with Church's performance at the 2013 Country Music Awards, as shown through a backstage screen. The camera then proceeds to follow a figure down a dark stairway, and a gloved hand comes onto the screen and taps at a copy of Church's album 'The Good Fight.'

After tapping the album, the hand begins to slowly turn a dial and Taylor Swift's voice enters the recording with her speech at the CMA Awards, accepting the Pinnacle Award.

Swift mentioned Church during her speech, saying, “I remember when I was 16 and I got the call from Scott Borchetta from my label. He said, ‘Can you be on the road in two days and open for Rascal Flatts?’ I said, ‘It’s a miracle,’ and he said, ‘No, Eric Church got fired for playing too long.’”

The video then cuts to Swift and keeps repeating the last line, "Eric Church got fired for playing too long," while the gloved hand writes out the phrase, "ONE WILL RISE, ONE WILL FALL."

The video's description offers a pre-order link for Church's upcoming album,'The Outsiders,' but it also adds a little more confusion with the blurb, “‘The Outsiders’ fought the good fight, now it’s time to shed a light on everything the masses need.” The description ends with a tease to "Give it till the New Year," which lands before the release of Church's album in February.

According to Taste of Country, "Sources tell us that all will become crystal clear around the turn of the new year, and that Church will soon be releasing another video that fills in gaps, but that this is not intended to be a jab against Swift herself."

There's no information as to why the video has been made private.

UPDATE: Church has now posted a new video that explains the last one, albeit somewhat cryptically.

Titled 'Stay on Course,' the new clip clarifies that Church did not intend a slam at Swift.

“Don’t be fooled and head down the wrong trail, focus on the background throughout these videos,” the video's description reads. “A reveal on Jan. 3rd will shed a light on everything.”

In the new video, the now-familiar gloved hand writes out the following message:

“Mysteries may seem strange. But that’s what makes them fun. Eric adores Taylor. For who she is and what she has done. You’re headed down the wrong trail / So we must stop this / One will rise one will fall / Has nothing to do with Swift / Focus on the background / And shed light on the clues / On January 3rd / All will be revealed to you.“

Check out the new clip below.