Melanie Grace

Tag: HonestSongwriting

  • Track 9: “It Runs on Both Sides of the Family”

    Track 9: “It Runs on Both Sides of the Family”

    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

  • Track 8: “Irish in My Bones” – The Real Story, Not the Stereotype

    Track 8: “Irish in My Bones” – The Real Story, Not the Stereotype

    We’ve laughed. We’ve celebrated. We’ve eaten shepherd’s pie. And now? Now we get real.

    “Irish in My Bones” is where the album slows down and gets honest. This is about what Irish heritage actually MEANS to me – not the jokes, not the stereotypes, but the real, complicated, beautiful truth.

    The Story Behind “Irish in My Bones”

    My father gave me stories wrapped in green. Thirty-three percent of my DNA comes from Ireland, but it feels like so much more than a number. It’s in the way I see the world. It’s in the way I love. It’s in the way I carry myself.

    But here’s what I wanted to say with this song: we’re not the Irish you see on TV.

    We’re not drunk. We’re not angry. We’re not stuck in tired, one-dimensional stereotypes. Yes, alcoholism runs on both sides of my family (we’ll get to that in the next song), and that’s part of the story. But it’s not the WHOLE story.

    This song is me saying: Irish heritage is complex. It’s beautiful and it’s hard. It’s something I choose to carry forward, but I get to decide WHAT I carry forward.

    The Lyrics

    VERSE 1
    My father gave me stories wrapped in green
    Thirty-three percent of who I’ve always been
    Not just a number, not just DNA
    It’s in the way I see the world, the things I say
    A thousand miles and generations wide
    But I carry Ireland somewhere deep inside

    CHORUS
    It’s Irish in my bones, Irish in my blood
    Passed down like a river, passed down like a flood
    From my father to me, now to my own
    These roots run deeper than I’ve ever known
    It’s more than heritage, it’s home
    Irish in my bones

    VERSE 2
    We’re not the Irish you see on TV screens
    Not angry, not drunk, not stuck in tired scenes
    Though alcoholism runs on both sides, it’s true
    That’s part of the story we’re working through
    My son came out with reddish in his hair
    Green eyes reflecting something real and rare

    VERSE 3
    My siblings know it too, we share this thread
    Connecting us to voices long since dead
    We laugh the same, we love the same way through
    Taking what’s good and leaving what’s not true
    And now my children carry Ireland on
    The real story, not the stereotype song

    BRIDGE
    Some things can’t be taught, they’re just known
    The good and hard both carved in stone
    Every March reminds me who I am
    Part of something bigger than this span
    I choose what travels, what moves on
    Through my children to the dawn

    The Weight of This Song

    That second verse – “We’re not the Irish you see on TV screens” – that needed to be said. Because representation matters, even in a personal album about spring and transformation.

    Irish people in media are often portrayed as caricatures: drunk, angry, simple. And yes, alcoholism IS part of my family story (stay tuned for track 9), but we’re not DEFINED by it. We’re complex. We’re real. We’re working through generational patterns while also celebrating what’s beautiful.

    And that line “My son came out with reddish in his hair / Green eyes reflecting something real and rare” – that’s the moment I realized this heritage is ALIVE. It’s not just history. It’s right here in my son’s eyes, in his hair, in the way he carries himself.

    The Power of Choice

    The bridge is where this song’s true message lives: “I choose what travels, what moves on / Through my children to the dawn.”

    Because that’s the thing about generational inheritance – YOU get to decide what you keep. You’re not a passive vessel. You’re an active curator of what gets passed down.

    The alcoholism? I’m working through that. I’m not passing it on unchallenged. The storytelling? The love? The resilience? That’s coming with me. The stubbornness? (Okay, that one might be hardwired, but I’m trying.)

    The Musical Shift

    After the comedy and energy of tracks 6-7, this song needed to SLOW DOWN. It’s gentle, intimate, almost whispered. Fingerpicked acoustic guitar, soft fiddle, warm strings.

    This is the quiet heart of the album. The moment where we stop performing and just… talk. Honestly.

    The chorus swells with warmth but never overpowers. The verses are observant and tender. This is about connection, not spectacle.

    What This Song Does for the Album

    “Irish in My Bones” is the bridge between comedy and darkness. We’ve laughed at ourselves in tracks 6-7. Now we’re getting real. And this prepares us for track 9, which is going to HIT HARD.

    This song says: heritage is complicated. It’s beautiful and it’s difficult. And we get to choose what we do with it.

    To My Father

    You gave me stories wrapped in green. You gave me 33% of my DNA and 100% of my understanding of what it means to carry Ireland forward with pride and honesty.

    Thank you for the good. Thank you for being honest about the hard. Thank you for teaching me that I get to CHOOSE.

    This song is for you.

    ❤️ Melanie