The House That Built Me

Author's Note: This is a text analysis on the song The House That Built Me by Miranda Lambert.

This is the house that you colored on the walls when you were three years old and got a time out. The house where you fell off your bed and got a black eye. Where you took your prom pictures. The house were the love of your life called you and asked you on a date. This is the house that built you. Miranda Lambert was thinking of memories of that sort while writing the song, The House That Built Me.

“But these hand prints on the front steps are mine.” This is something that I believe many people can relate to. Not specifically having your handprints on your door step. Things like an indent on the front door is where your dad ran into because he thought the door was open and you and your sibling laughed for days. I can really relate to this verse because it instantly reminds me of when I was younger and just learned how to spell my name, so I carved it into the wood on the windowsill. Memories of these are the ones that build you.

As you get older, we all are really like projects being built by our past. We are built by our dings, cuts, and indents. “I bet you didn’t know under that live oak
my favorite dog is buried in the yard,” a memory like this that Miranda including in her song is just a little example of the things that we carry with us forever and make us who we are.

Miranda Lambert’s lyrics remind me a lot of Dierks Bentley. He writes a lot about personal experience and memories from his past that I think really attracts people to his music. Both of their music, if it’s personal or not, are popular because what they sing about is so real and they don’t sugar coat anything. They talk about how life can sometimes not be fun and listeners really like that.

Once you reach the end of the song Miranda writes about how we will get lost and get hurt, but we will always find our way back home. “I thought if I could touch this place or feel this brokenness inside me might start healing.” That verse is a great example of being lost and finding yourself and remember what is really important; family.

I can really easily connect with a song like this because I have so many memories with my family and the house I’ve grown up in. Miranda did a wonderful job writing lyrics that will make the listeners remember memories like hers that she writes about. By the time I’m older I know I will get stuck in a rut every once in a while, but I always will remember the memories I have in the house that built me.

Letters To Elizabeth

Dear Elizabeth,

We had the absolute best Grandpa in the world. Sounds cliché, doesn’t it? But I really mean it. Every second of the day he’d do anything he could to either entertain or make someone laugh. He was a great husband, father, son, and friend. You, grandpa, and I had a movie-perfect granddaughter and grandfather relationship. When I say movie-perfect I mean relationships you’d see in the movies. Always laughing, going places together, playing games. He was like our best friend. Grandma and grandpa had just moved right across the street from us and it was the ultimate child’s dream.

When you’re a kid you always couldn’t wait until the day that you get to spend at grandma and grandpa’s house. Well, we had them just across the street and could walk right over whenever our heart desired.  The three of us had a special game we’d always love to play, no one else could play with us. Every time we played it, it ended with us laughing from the gut and barley being able to breathe. The point of the game is for him to find the two of us around the house. He’d take of his glasses and pretend he was completely blind and go around the house “blindly” walking around, acting as if he couldn’t see a thing! Once he found us after a good 20 minutes of searching, he’d scoop us into his arms and tickle us until we couldn’t take it anymore.

I embraced every one of those tickles, but it never occurred to me that one day those tickles and laughs with grandpa would have to go. Go to some place better. He passed away when I was five and you were 8. We were too young to lose such a close friend . It took me until after his funeral to really get upset about his death because, there were so many people trying to talk to me and hug me that I didn’t even have the time to think of what had happened in the past week. The feeling kept me numb on both the inside and out. It went by so quickly once we brought in all of the flowers, cards, and gifts from the car it was time to release the feelings I’ve been holding in for what feels like forever.

When I say forever, I mean it. The accident helped me get through losing grandpa, but grief is forever. The pain never leaves and the memories are engraved into my mind like our little hand prints in the cement on the sidewalk. Seeing those hand prints make me cringe, thinking of us swinging and laughing. When I look at the hand print I see you in a car being tossed like a rag doll. I see shards of glass from the wind shield being thrown around you. Then I see you in a hospital bed with wires on your chest, oxygen tubes in your nose and scars on your right side were the car hit you. I still grieve for grandpa and that part of you that I lost, but proceed to carry on. Ever since his passing I feel like death is an ugly dog following me at my feet, waiting to attack. Waiting to swallow me whole, eating away at me until I collapse. Until I snap back into focus and think about how you wouldn’t want me in this misery and I go on with my life. Carrying on and helping you fight through your injuries. That was one of grandpa’s expertise. He would give the best lectures and speeches. I really hope someday you will remember him again and the love he shared with us.

 I don’t really know what pushed me to write to you about grandpa but I thought that since we found that your memory is gone you would like to re-learn the special things about your family. Having to remind you of my name or feed you hurts. It makes me feel like I should be the one in the wheel chair. The day of the accident was a stupid mistake that I blame myself for. I was screaming and laughing and bugging mom, it’s not her fault she lost control of the wheel. Even though you are like a different person now, I know that somewhere Liz is there smiling.

                                                                                     With all of my love,

                                                                                                                                    Rebecca