Story Behind The Song
I earned a bachelor's degree in psychology from the University of Wisconsin, Madison. My plan was to study for my PhD and become a psychotherapist. In my senior year, I became more involved in volunteer work, sitting in on some group therapy sessions for kids who had survived some pretty awful abuses. It was so hard for me not to want to track down the perpetrators and kick the living crap out of them (this is ultimately why I chose a different career path). I was so angered by their histories, but at the same time inspired by the fact that these kids were making a choice to take a different path. I'd wanted to write a song for these kids, and others who I know that have been strong enough to stand up and say "NO MORE!" When I finally finished this song, it literally took me a year to bring myself to sing it out in public. I guess I was scared that I might offend abuse survivors. Thankfully, quite to the contrary, I've had many people come up to me after singing this song with expressions of gratitude.
Song Description
Two young characters in the song (Joey and Jenny) decide to break free from generations of addiction and abuse to live their lives differently
| Song Length |
3:23 |
Genre |
Country - Rock, Country - Rock |
| Tempo |
Medium Fast (131 - 150) |
Lead Vocal |
Female Vocal |
| Mood |
Outraged |
Subject |
Recovery, Courage |
| Similar Artists |
Taylor Swift, Melissa Etheridge |
Language |
English |
| Era |
2000 and later |
| |
Lyrics
Daddy had a heavy hand
Like his father & his father's old man
It was all Joey knew
But he knew it was wrong
Joey turned 17, one day daddy raised his fist
Joey blocked his arm, said "Let me tell you this
I know that's all you know to do
But I'm not like you
This is the end of the line
I may be one of yours but I'm not one of your kind
I won't make the same mistakes w/any child of mine
This is the end of the line"
Momma had that whiskey slur
Like every generation before her
Jenny saw it every night
But she made herself a vow
She said, "It's killing me the way that bottle rules your life
And I have prayed a thousand times that you would see the light
I can't take no more
But you can rest assured
This is the end of the line
I may be one of yours but I'm not one of your kind
I won't make the same mistakes w/any child of mine
This is the end of the line"
Joey hit the road
Beatin' on his drums in the band
Jenny's eyes were opened wide,
Drinkin' down the sunsets in foreign lands
This is the end of the line
I may be one of yours but I'm not one of your kind
I won't make the same mistakes w/any child of mine
This is the end of the line