“I’m A Survivor” has a rousing effect on any woman roughing the trials of everyday life. Reba McEntire delivered something truly timeless with this track, becoming the voice of survivors everywhere. Revisit the meaning behind this country hit, below.
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[RELATED: 5 Things to Know About Country Legend and Super Bowl National Anthem Singer Reba McEntire]
Behind the Meaning
I was born three months too early
The doctor gave me thirty days
But I must have had my mama’s will
And God’s amazing grace
Each verse of this song sees McEntire surmount a different obstacle–though it has been confirmed to not be an autobiographical song. In the opening verse, McEntire tells the listener she was born three months too early, which didn’t leave the doctors too hopeful about her outcome. Nevertheless, her mother’s determination and the intervention of God helped her to push through.
“We said, ‘Do you ever wonder if somebody that was born prematurely, is their whole life out of sync because they came too early,” Songwriter Shelby Kennedy told The Tennessean. “Then Phillip [White] being Phillip, (came up with) ‘I was born three months too early. The doctor gave me 30 days.'”
So I guess I’ll keep on livin’
Even if this loves to die for
‘Cause your bags are packed and I ain’t cryin’
You’re walking out and I’m not trying
To change your mind ’cause I was born to be
In the pre-chorus, McEntire shifts her focus to a breakup. She cites her past struggles as evidence that she will overcome this one too. You’re walking out and I’m not trying / To change your mind, she sings.
The baby girl without a chance
A victim of circumstance
The one who ought to give up
But she’s just too hard-headed
A single mom who works two jobs
Who loves her kids and never stops
With gentle hands and the heart of a fighter
I’m a survivor
The chorus is a real tear-jerker. McEntire relays the brutal yet beautiful dichotomy of a survivor’s life. Gentle hands and the heart of a fighter, she sings, summing up the song succinctly.
“I know Shelby has too, but I’ve always tried to be a man of integrity,” White explained in the same interview. “I’ve also tried to write songs with integrity. And I think this song was full of integrity.”
Revisit this country staple, below.
(Photo by Noam Galai/Getty Images)
