Inspiration Behind Because of You:
As a child, Kelly Clarkson witnessed her parents’ marriage fall apart, resulting in divorce. Kelly took this emotional turmoil and her pain, turning this into a song by age 16. David Hodges and Ben Moody took Kelly’s rough draft and fine-tuned Because of You’s sound and lyrics. Kelly’s desire was to avoid making the same mistakes as her parents, wanting to persevere her own marriage.
Biblical Application:
Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her 26 to make her holy, cleansing[b] her by the washing with water through the word, 27 and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. 28 In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself, Ephesians 5:25-28.
Exegesis of Because of You:
I will not make the same mistakes that you did
I will not let myself ’cause my heart so much misery
I will not break the way you did
You fell so hard
I’ve learned the hard way, to never let it get that far
Kelly developed a desire to not follow in her parents’ footsteps. She made it her ambition if she ever got married to never let a relationship spiral that far out of control.
Because of you
I never stray too far from the sidewalk
Because of you
I learned to play on the safe side, so I don’t get hurt
Because of you
I find it hard to trust not only me, but everyone around me
Because of you
I am afraid
Because of your divorce, I try to stay out of trouble. Because of what I witnessed, I play it safe to avoid getting hurt. Unfortunately, Kelly struggled with trusting others due to her parents’ divorce.
I lose my way
And it’s not too long before you point it out
I cannot cry
Because I know that’s weakness in your eyes
I’m forced to fake a smile, a laugh
Every day of my life
My heart can’t possibly break
When it wasn’t even whole to start with
The atmosphere inside her childhood home was tough. Wrongdoing was pointed out immediately. Meanwhile, crying was not accepted, a sign of weakness. Kelly learned to be fake around her parents to avoid getting disciplined.
Because of you
I never stray too far from the sidewalk
Because of you
I learned to play on the safe side, so I don’t get hurt
Because of you
I find it hard to trust not only me, but everyone around me
Because of you
I am afraid
This chorus points to what Kelly learned as a child to stay out of trouble. This also reveals the emotional scars from her childhood as well.
I watched you die (I watched you die)
I heard you cry
Every night in your sleep
I was so young (and you’re so young)
You should have known better (I was too young for you)
Than to lean on me
This marriage resulted in tears and dying inside. Kelly thinks her mom was too young for marriage, not mature enough to handle raising a child.
You never thought of anyone else
You just saw your pain (you never saw me)
And now I cry
In the middle of the night
For the same damn thing
Self-absorbed individuals can become consumed by their own pain that people around them go unnoticed. Kelly recalls nights crying herself to sleep.
Because of you
I never stray too far from the sidewalk
Because of you
I learned to play on the safe side so I don’t get hurt
Because of you
I find it hard to trust not only me, but everyone around me
Because of you
I am afraid
The side effects of growing up in a broken home are highlighted in this final chorus, creating fear within Kelly.
Because of you
Because of you
You either refers to Kelly’s mom or dad. This is how you affected my life.
Final Thoughts:
I once taught a high school Sunday school class. Every other week, the attendance was only a few students. By the end of my first month teaching, I realized that majority of my students were altering homes every other weekend. Despite being raised in a Christian home, the majority of my class grew up in broken homes, shattered by divorce. This is what happens when couples don’t possess to a will to love one another.
by Jay Mankus
ExpressYourself4Him 