The Family Pattern We All Recognize
You know that family where every gathering involves alcohol? Where “bottomless mimosas” at Sunday brunch is just… normal? Where the joke “it’s five o’clock somewhere” gets said at least three times per party?
Yeah. That’s my family. And maybe yours too.
“It Runs on Both Sides of the Family” is my wry, observational take on family drinking culture – the kind we all laugh about, normalize, and maybe don’t look at too closely. Until we do.
The Story Behind “It Runs on Both Sides”
This song came from watching my family at gatherings. Friday nights with wine that goes from “just one glass” to “one more’s fine.” Weddings where the open bar is the main event. Holidays where someone’s always pouring. Tuesdays that somehow require a drink to get through.
And the thing is? Everyone’s in on it. Mom’s got her chardonnay. Dad’s got his beer. Aunt Linda’s “just unwinding.” Uncle Bob says he “needs this to feel alive.” And we all laugh. We all participate. We all say “it runs on both sides of the family” like that explains everything.
Like naming it means we don’t have to actually think about it.
The Lyrics
VERSE 1
Friday night and someone’s pouring wine
“Just one glass” turns into “one more’s fine”
Sunday brunch means bottomless mimosas flow
Every celebration’s got an open bar, you know
Mom’s got her chardonnay, Dad’s got his beer
And nobody thinks twice when cases appear
PRE-CHORUS
We’re just having fun, right?
CHORUS
It runs on both sides of the family
Can’t blame just one side of the tree
Mom’s side and Dad’s side both agree
A drink or two is how we’re meant to be
It runs on both sides of the family
So when I pour that glass of wine
I say “well, I come by it honestly this time”
It runs on both sides of the family
VERSE 2
Aunt Linda’s always “just unwinding” after five
Uncle Bob says “I need this to feel alive”
Weddings, birthdays, Tuesdays, it’s all the same
Someone’s always pouring, playing the game
“It’s five o’clock somewhere” is the family joke
We laugh it off like it’s all just smoke
PRE-CHORUS
We’re all adults here, right?
BRIDGE
But late at night when I’m honest with myself
I think about the bottles on the shelf
My mom says “Alcoholism runs on both sides, you know”
Like naming it is enough to let it go
And I wonder if I’m dancing close to the line
Between having a good time and crossing the line
Maybe I should pay attention to the family tree
Before it runs right through me
CHORUS (FINAL)
It runs on both sides of the family
Can’t blame just one side of the tree
Mom’s side and Dad’s side both agree
That drinking’s in our DNA, apparently
It runs on both sides of the family
So I’m watching what I pour tonight
Maybe breaking patterns starts with insight
Yeah, it runs on both sides of the family
But maybe it slows down with me
The Comedy of Observation
The verses are almost funny, right? Because they’re SO relatable. We’ve all been to those gatherings. We’ve all heard those phrases. “We’re just having fun, right?” “We’re all adults here, right?”
Those pre-choruses with those dismissive little questions – that’s how we all talk ourselves into not looking too closely. It’s FINE. We’re ADULTS. Everyone does this.
And the casual observations in the verses – “just one glass” turning into “one more’s fine,” bottomless mimosas at brunch, someone always needing a drink to “feel alive” – these aren’t accusations. They’re just… what happens. What we all see. What we all participate in.
But Then The Bridge Hits
That bridge is where the comedy stops and the honesty starts.
“Late at night when I’m honest with myself / I think about the bottles on the shelf”
That’s the moment. That quiet, late-night moment when you stop laughing and start wondering. When you look at the family tree and wonder if you’re repeating patterns you don’t even realize you’re in.
“And I wonder if I’m dancing close to the line / Between having a good time and crossing the line”
THAT line. We all know it exists. We all joke about it. But do we actually know where it is? Do we pay attention?
“Maybe I should pay attention to the family tree / Before it runs right through me”
There it is. The real question underneath all the wine and mimosas and “five o’clock somewhere” jokes.
The Final Chorus Shift
That final chorus changes everything. It’s not just observation anymore. It’s intention.
“So I’m watching what I pour tonight / Maybe breaking patterns starts with insight”
Not “I’m quitting drinking.” Not “I’m breaking the cycle dramatically.” Just… awareness. Attention. Watching. Thinking.
“Yeah, it runs on both sides of the family / But maybe it slows down with me”
Maybe. MAYBE it slows down with me. Not “definitely.” Not “I’m cured.” Just the possibility that being aware is the first step to doing something different.
What This Song Really Is
This isn’t a tragedy. This isn’t an accusation. This is just… noticing. Observing. Being honest about family drinking culture without making it a huge dramatic thing.
Because most families with drinking patterns don’t have funerals and devastation. They just have a LOT of wine at every gathering. They have jokes that aren’t really jokes. They have patterns that nobody questions because “we’ve always done it this way.”
And this song is me saying: I see the pattern. I’m IN the pattern. And maybe, just maybe, I can be aware enough to make different choices.
The Folk Pop Feel
This needed to sound conversational, relatable, adult contemporary. Acoustic guitar, light percussion. The verses are almost casual in their delivery – just telling you what I see.
But the bridge builds. That’s where the music supports the emotional shift from observation to honest reflection. And the final chorus comes back with that new awareness, that slight change in the lyrics that shows growth.
What This Song Does for the Album
After the comedy highs of tracks 6-7 and the genuine warmth of track 8, “It Runs on Both Sides” is where we start to get more introspective. We’re looking at family patterns not with anger or devastation, but with honest awareness.
This prepares us for the recovery and renewal that’s coming in tracks 10-15. Because you can’t bloom where you’re planted (track 14) until you’re honest about the soil you’re in.
To Anyone Who Relates
If you see your family in this song, you’re not alone. If you’ve ever wondered if you’re “dancing close to the line,” you’re not alone. If you’ve ever said “it runs in my family” and then just… kept pouring anyway, you’re not alone.
Awareness is the first step. Watching what you pour is a choice. And maybe breaking patterns really does start with insight.
You don’t have to be dramatic about it. You don’t have to make it a huge deal. You can just… notice. Think. Choose.
And maybe it slows down with you.
❤️ Melanie
