If you’re a regular reader of my blog, you’ve probably guessed that I like country music. Well, I heard a song yesterday as I was driving and I think it’s pretty good.
There was a thread on Special Needs Adoption forum of Adoption.com asking what song you felt described our kids. There were all kinds of answers, but I think this new song by Reba McEntire and Kelly Clarkson pretty much sums it up.
It’s called “Because of You” and here is the chorus:
Because of you
I never stray too far from the sidewalk
Because of youadvertisementI learned to play on the safe side so I don’t get hurt
Because of you
I try my hardest just to forget everything
Because of you
I don’t know how to let anyone else in
Because of you
I’m ashamed of my life because it’s empty
Because of you
I am afraid
You can read the full lyrics here.
From what I can find, this song was written by Kelly Clarkson when she was 16 years old. I highly doubt she wrote it about a child with attachment issues, or a child who has been abused, but it sure does seem to fit.
By the information available on the internet, Ms. Clarkson did not have an easy childhood, nor a particularly bad one. Her parents divorced when she was six and they moved a few times for her mother to find work to support the children.
She grew up in Burleson, Texas, which is a nice suburb in the Dallas Forth Worth metroplex. Since she remained in one town, we can surmise that moves weren’t too often or too far away.
At one point before she appeared on, and won, American Idol her song writer became ill, her car got towed and her apartment went up in flames. However, she was able to return to her family and get her feet on the ground again. Far more than most of our kids have.
The lyrics of this song really make me wonder what she was going through in her life when she wrote it, and if she had any idea how many kids this song would apply to on a much deeper level.
The video suggests a romantic relationship and domestic violence, so maybe there is more to this song than we will ever know.