Mirandas Road to Success

            Miranda Lamberts songs all seem to have the tendency to paint mental pictures in your heads while hearing and truly understanding the words. Lambert has made it clear over the years that her songs are very meaningful and most relate to her as a person, her life, or even someone or something she cares passionately about. I choose two song by Miranda Lambert that stand out to me the most, not only because I enjoy the songs but because when listening to them you can understand what the song is about and you can relate to the songs in one way or another. The first song I chose to focus on is a song I continue to bring up in my blogs, Gunpowder and Lead. Gunpowder and Lead was a top ten hit and was nominated for CMA single of the year. The inspiration for this song came when she was growing up. Her parents took in abused women and their children, and Lambert shared her bedroom with a mother and her daughter. In an interview from Dial-Global magazine Lambert stated, "The song is actually about waiting for a husband to get out of jail so she can shoot him," Miranda told Dial-Global. "But it came from a real place in my life. When I was 14 years old, my parents took in abused women and children. I had to share my room with a mom and daughter. And my brother had to share with two brothers, and their mom lived downstairs, and it was a three-bedroom house. It really has a meaning to me."  The lyrics of the chorus say it all:

“I'm goin' home, gonna load my shotgun
Wait by the door and light a cigarette
If he wants a fight, well now he's got one
And he ain't seen me crazy yet
He slapped my face and he shook me like a rag doll
Don't that sound like a real man?
I'm gonna show him what little girls are made of
Gunpowder and lead

These lyrics are describing a lady who has been abused by her husband and has had enough of his abuse. Lambert captures the intense feelings in this song by certain words she using within her lyrics. For example, “he slapped my face and he shook me like a rag doll”, this lyric here is understood by the listeners that there is a woman in an abusive relationship and has had enough. Miranda Lambert is a huge advocate for domestic abuse, and unfortunately there are tons are women out there who are abused every single day and don’t have the strength to leave. This song topic is very much so related with domestic abuse and that is something that does not fly with Mrs. Lambert. With this song Lambert captures her audience’s attention by letting them know she knows what it is like and by performing this song she hopes that they can gain the strength they need to leave the abusive relationship. I have experienced this sense of empowerment from listening and belting out this song. Although, I have never experienced an abusive relationship I can still hear this song and relate to being a strong women and standing up for myself. This song speaks to the larger concept of country music and authenticity because, this song very well is based off some type of experience Miranda has dealt with, and being authentic within ones music is very much more understandable when one can relate or has felt the pain that someone they care for is going through. The figure of this song is essentially that domestic abuse is not okay in any shape or form and by singing this song, Miranda hopes she can reach her audience and help them overcome a time of weakness.

            The next famous Miranda Lambert song I have chose to speak on is, The House That Built Me. This song is a pitch-perfect retelling of her childhood, a song that no matter how many times Lambert and her family hear, it always brings them to tears. This song is describing a time of despair when Miranda and her family literally lost their home, “the home they built with their own hands.” About twenty years ago, the Lamberts were private investigators in Lindale, Texas. A few bad business decisions doomed the company and left the family of four, including Miranda's younger brother, with few options. Quickly the family had become bankrupt and found themselves completely homeless, they soon found themselves in a house that was for rent, but was in terrible conditions. Some of the rooms didn't have windows and everything needed fixing or replacing from floor to ceiling. The Lamberts eventually got that house, though, and moved in. They lived in one room at a time while Bev started a restoration project. She also planted a garden and tended it every day, pulling what the family needed from the ground. And Rick provided the protein. Miranda wrote this song for when the Lamberts revisit that time in their lives, their emotions vary. Shame and pride. Fear and joy. There are just as many laughs as there are tears. It was actually Blake Shelton, Lamberts husband who pursued her to write and publish the song, he said when he read the lyrics he balled his eyes out and that it was beautiful and true. These lyrics below truly stood out to me about why Lambert chose to write this song and what she was hoping for in return.

I thought if I could touch this place or feel it

this brokenness inside me might start healing.

Out here its like I'm someone else,

I thought that maybe I could find myself

if I could just come in I swear I'll leave.

Won't take nothing but a memory

from the house that built me.

This verse here explains the struggle Miranda deals/dealt with when hearing this song, Lamberts lyrics describe a time and place where she dreamed that if she could just go back in time and be in the house again she could move forward and deal with the pain she has inside. This song is very relatable to anyone who has struggled with finances and the pain of losing something they put hard work and tears in. The concept of this song within country music and authenticity shows the pain and struggle the Lamberts dealt with and that their life wasn’t always wonderful. This is yet another very relatable song Miranda audience can relate to and hopefully gain strength in moving forward and starting fresh.