Story Behind The Song

Erinn Bates' parent's town and surrounding area in South west Tennessee was hit by a violent Toranado and she remembers watching people on TV talking about how they were just thankful they were alive. Several months later she was watching Intervention on A&E and one of the recovering addicts said, "I thank God every day for second Chances". That next morning she went to write with Larry Wayne Clark and they wrote the entire song in a couple of hours sitting on his front porch in the sun.

Song Description

A man is watching TV and sees a family being interviewed on the news because they lost their home to a Tornado. The man being interviewed says he is just thankful his family is alive and they can build again, "Thank God For Second Chances". The man watching TV thinks about his own life, how he used to drink and live a shallow life until he met his wife who gave him a second chance to live the life he always dreamed. Last verse is about how he almost lost his little baby who is sleeping down the hall and that she is the biggest miracle of all. She also got a second chance.

Lyrics

THANK GOD FOR SECOND CHANCES (Bates/Clark)

IT BROKE MY HEART TO SEE THAT POOR FAMILY ON TV
THE TWISTER MADE AN AWFUL MESS OF A HOME THAT USED TO BE
BUT THAT FARMER HUGGED HIS WIFE AND KIDS AND SAID
THANK GOD FOR SECOND CHANCES

HE SAID I KNOW TIMES ARE TOUGH BUT WE?RE HERE AND THAT?S ENOUGH
WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT IT ALL WE LOST IS ONLY STUFF
WE CAN BUILD IT ALL AGAIN AND WE WILL
THANK GOD FOR SECOND CHANCES

CHORUS
THINGS ARE BAD BUT THEY COULD BE WORSE
I BELIEVE THAT EVERY CURSE HIDES A PRAYER, BEIN? ANSWERED
WITH SOME LOVE AND A LOTTA FAITH
WE CAN LEARN TO FIND THE GRACE
IN EVERY SINGLE MOMENT AS IT PASSES
THANK GOD FOR SECOND CHANCES

I THOUGHT OF ME NOT LONG AGO WANDERIN? DOWN A DIFFERENT ROAD
PAVED WITH WHISKEY BOTTLES, HOLLOW DREAMS AND SHATTERED HOPES
?TIL THAT DAY YOU SMILED AND SAVED ME FROM MYSELF
THANK GOD FOR SECOND CHANCES

SECOND CHORUS
THINGS WERE BAD AND GETTIN? WORSE
BUT I GUESS THAT EVERY CURSE HIDES A PRAYER, BEIN? ANSWERED
WITH YOUR LOVE AND A LOTTA FAITH
YOU TAUGHT ME TO FIND THE GRACE
IN EVERY SINGLE MOMENT AS IT PASSES
THANK GOD FOR SECOND CHANCES

BRIDGE
BLESSED ARE THE ONES WHO UNDERSTAND
THAT THE LORD JUST SENDS US STUMBLIN? BLOCKS
TO TEACH US HOW TO DANCE

WE?RE TIP-TOEIN? DOWN THE HALL TO WATCH HER SLEEPIN? THERE SO SMALL
BARELY WEIGHS A THING THE BIGGEST MIRACLE OF ALL
DOCTORS SAID SHE?D NEVER MAKE IT BUT THEY WERE WRONG
THANK GOD FOR SECOND CHANCES