This song is an ode to the resilience of children, and a plea to grown-ups to pay close attention to the ways in which young people push against the confines of our rigid systems and structures. Annie’s Daughter was written in celebration of the tenacious, outspoken, restlessly curious, and innovative nature that often accompanies those labeled as trouble-makers or hard to work with. These are the voices we need. The ones who squirm in their seats, step out of line or speak out of turn. They are the ones who won’t settle for being squished into a box that was never made to hold their marvelous existence. They are the ones who will pave the way for change because they refuse to be funneled into a system of conformity. Their rejection of social norms that were meant to tame and train them into compliance empowers all of us to take up life differently.
Annie’s Daughter is a reminder that children who struggle within the confines of institutions such as education, are often not the ones in need of “fixing.” It is the institution, run by adults, that needs the adjustment. It’s a reminder for us as adults to celebrate who these children are by opening our hearts, slowing down, and adapting our infrastructure to be reflective of a more vibrant way of being human within a diverse community.
Lyrics
Verse 1
Annie’s daughter is a red head
Dreaming everywhere but in her bed
She’s level headed
Hates wearing dresses
Avoids the crowd who tries to tell her where her mess is.
Verse 2:
Annie’s daughter isn’t broken
Somebody oughtta tell that to her first-grade class
Cuz they’ve been walking over her like
She’s been shattered into pieces that won’t fall back
Chorus:
She’s doing alright
While Annie is losing sleep every night
And she’s not giving up
Without a fight
Verse 3:
Annie’s daughter is unwinding
Dancing with the chains that each new age brings unaware,
no time to spare
She’s skipping stones at all the miles tangling up her hair
Chorus:
She’s doing alright
While Annie is losing sleep every night
And she’s not giving up
Without a fight
Bridge/Outro:
Keep talking out x’s 8
She’s doing alright
While Annie, is losing sleep every night
And she’s not giving up
Without a fight.