Story Behind The Song
On the news there was a woman who was arrested for child neglect, and I realized I was judging her as a bad mom, instead of thinking "where is this kid's dad?"
Song Description
It's about the uneasy feeling you get when you understand that the person whom you were about to judge, may be a little more like you then you'd want to believe.
| Song Length |
4:43 |
Genre |
Folk - Rock, Folk - Contemporary |
| Tempo |
Medium (111 - 130) |
Lead Vocal |
Female Vocal |
| Mood |
Moving, Poignant |
Subject |
Girls, Women, Economics |
| Similar Artists |
Neil Young, Shawn Colvin |
Language |
English |
Lyrics
Throwaway Woman
Copyright 2007
I was at the grocery store
You'd probably know the name
One stop shopping round the clock
A big national chain
There among beans and corn
An old woman stole a glance
As she shoved a can of tuna
In the pocket of her pants
When she saw that I had seen her
She seemed frozen where she stood
Then she looked at me and whispered
Can't always do what we should
And who are you to judge me
You've never had to be afraid
How can you begrudge me
A life that I never made
And she said
Guess I'm a throwaway woman
I've done the best I could
God saw me too you know
And God believes I'm good
I got home from work in time
Caught the evening news
Poured myself a glass of wine
Sat down and kicked off my shoes
A bewildered young woman
Appeared upon the screen
Barefoot and handcuffed
A Hooters tee shirt and old jeans
The cops said while she took a nap
Her child played with fire
He'd go into foster care
It's what the law required
As she was led away
she sobbed she wasn't bad
She'd worked 2 shifts today
And the boy didn't have a dad
And she said
(Chorus)
Bridge
All the throwaway women
Trade their mistakes for their lives
They must have someone somewhere
These moms, daughters, sisters and wives
Guess they're throwaway women
They've done the best that they could
God sees them too, you know
And God believes they're good