Story Behind The Song

I was thinking about how many contemporary country songs written about alcoholism have the alcoholic being saved in the end. I must have been in an especially scenical mood that day because I thought, 'an alcoholic shouldn't be saved in a country song'. So I decided that I would write one from a woman's point of view, where she couldn't save her alcoholic husband. I wondered what would keep her with him, maybe a child? I also see many people marrying husbands just like their fathers, good or bad. I wanted to touch on the character's frustration in experiencing a loved one's addiction all over again as an adult.

Song Description

After dropping off her son at school, while sitting in traffic on her way to work, she calls to make sure her husband is up. No answer.....just like yesterday. He's bound to lose this job too, due to his drug and alcohol addictions. How will they pay their rent? And he's always gone. He doesn't help her with their son. She has never felt more alone. But her lonliness is overshadowed by the amount of stress that she feels. She is worried about her husband's health, she is concerned about how they are going to pay their bills, and she feels pressure from all the responsibilities defaulting to her. Her husband doesn't share this stress or even notice her's because he is too busy thinking of himself and fighting his own demons. Now his demons have become her demons. She worries about her son growing up to be just like her husband. She's even more frustrated because her father was an alcoholic and she wonders why she allows history to repeat itself. She thinks about leaving her husband, but she's so worried about the day to day tasks of making ends meet, that she doesn't even have the time to think about how she would make that happen. Maybe she will tomorrow...

Lyrics

She pulls out of the driveway, takes her son to school
She makes it to the highway and tries to think of all she?ll do
Today at work, but it don?t work
She?s got too much on her mind

She calls him at 8 am, just like yesterday
She hears his voice again saying, ?leave your number and your name?
But she don?t cause she knows
It?s just a waste of time

Cause she knows where he is and she knows where he?s been
And she knows what he?ll do till 2 today
It?s another ?I?m sorry baby?, it?s someone else to blame
It?s another week that ends without pay

She looks at all the cars stuck in traffic and she wonders
Does anybody else feel this way

And will he ever see what he does to me
What he?s doing to our little man, what he?s doing to himself
Cause when he starts to feel, the world becomes too real
He just pops another pill to chase with whiskey and regret
Till he forgets what she can?t forget

There?s days she swears she hates him for every tear she?s cried
For every bill unpaid, for every sleepless night
She wonders why she?s by his side
When all she wants to do is run, just run

Cause she?s seen it all before sittin? on Mama?s kitchen floor
When her Daddy would walk in from a long night out
Now 7 year old fears are 27 year old tears
She looks at where she is and wonders how

Her chest starts to ache thinkin? ?bout him and she wonders
Why can?t I bear to let him fall

And will he ever see what he does to me
What he?s doing to our little man, what he?s doing to himself
Cause when he starts to feel, the world becomes too real
He just pops another pill to chase with whiskey and regret
Till he forgets what she can?t forget

And will he ever see what he does to me
What he?s doing to our little man, what he?s doing to himself
Cause when he starts to feel, the world becomes too real
He just pops another pill to chase with whiskey and regret
Till he forgets what she can?t forget

She pulls out of the driveway, takes her son to school
She makes it to the highway, starts to think of what she?ll do
To get them out, but not right now
She?s got too much on her mind