I use this song to encourage my students to think about how it would feel to be in somebody else’s shoes. After they listen I have them write letters to Renee.
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Renee is Fourteen
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A song about a girl who runs away from an abusive home and winds up being trafficked.
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Renee is Fourteen
Renee is Fourteen
Words & Music by Steve Siler
Renee is fourteen
Her family like pieces of broken glass
Running from pain that she can’t outlast
An innocent victim of her past
She hitches a ride
Interstate 40 towards Hollywood
Maybe there she will be understood
At least she knows that the weather’s good
She arrives with dreams
But she’s in beyond her means
and inside her a child’s voice screams
for someone to care
Renee needs a home
She squats in a shack down on Gardner street
In the shadow of wealth and the town’s elite
Wondering each day what she’ll have to eat
She sells what she must
She’d rather not but there’s no way out
Survival becomes what her world’s about
On the street money is all that counts
No time for tears
Anger hurts less than fear
Hardened beyond her years
and too tired to care
Renee is alive but each day one more part of her soul is dead
Could we have afforded to turn our heads
If she had been our little girl instead
© Fifty States Music (Administered by Clearbox Rights) ASCAP
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I will never forget Renee is Fourteen. That song makes me cry every time I hear it.
Amy R., Nashville, TN
Rene is Fourteen kills me. Gut wrenching song.
Drew S., Tacoma, WA
What a lovely melody for such a terrible story. Unsettling and reassuring all at once.
James Y., Washington DC
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Jason Webb
Jason Webb
Instrument / Role:
Piano
Albums / Songs Involved With:
BROKEN TO BLESS Not too Far from Here, Broken to Bless, Renee is Fourteen, Beatitudes, Listening, Wounded Angel, Nothing is in Vain, The Apology CELEBRATION TABLE Celebration Table, Come Meet Me Here, In Christ, I've Got This, Shame Died These Things, A Voiceless Cry, You are Not Alone DRINK DEEP No!, Don't Feel Much like Prayer Today, Drink Deep, After the Crowds are Gone, No Such Thing as Normal, Differently, Every Single Tear, Good, Ambush, As Good as Goodbye Gets, Today, Gone Ahead, Death Has Been Conquered MERCY GREAT ENOUGH Hidden Things, The Days Still Yet to Come, Hope Will Rise Again, You'll Never Call Me Daddy, Stain Upon My Heart, We Forgive You, Your Life Has Made a Difference
Website:
http://jasonwebbmusic.com/Kent Hooper
Kent Hooper
Instrument / Role:
Co-Producer, Engineer, Mixing, Mastering, Arranging, and Keyboards
Albums / Songs Involved With:
AFTER THE STORM Engineer spoken pieces, Engineering, mixing, and mastering THE APOLOGY Engineering, mixing, and mastering BEFORE WE SAID HELLO Engineering, mixing, and mastering BROKEN TO BLESS Engineering, mixing, and mastering CELEBRATION TABLE Engineering, mixing, and mastering CHAOS OF THE HEART Programming - Chaos of the Heart / Piano - Interludes / Mixing & Mastering - Chaos of the Heart, Keep Breathing, & How Could You / Producer - Every Single Tear - used Courtesy of Spring Hill Music Group, Inc. CHILD OF GOD Engineering, mixing, and mastering CROOKED ROAD Engineering, mixing, and mastering DAYS OF HOPE Engineering, mixing, and mastering DIGNITY Co-Producer, engineering, mixing, and mastering - All tracks / Piano - Do You Know I Love You, Precious Lord Take My Hand DRINK DEEP Co-Producer, engineering, mixing, and mastering - All tracks FIFTY YEARS FROM NOW Programming, piano, & mixing - I Don't Know You Anymore / Love as I Have Been Loved - programming / Engineer for spoken pieces HEROES UNSUNG Engineer for spoken pieces IT DOESN’T FEEL LIKE CHRISTMAS THIS YEAR Engineering, mixing, and mastering MERCY GREAT ENOUGH Co-Producer, arranging, engineering, mixing, and mastering - All tracks MORE BEAUTIFUL Programming, Keyboards, Engineer, mixing - Wildest Ride on Earth, Keyboards & Engineer - Interlude for More Beautiful on Guitar, Engineer - Affirmation MORE THAN A SURVIVOR Co-Producer, engineering, mixing, and mastering ROCK BOTTOM SOON Vocal Engineer & Mix SOMEBODY’S DAUGHTER Songwriter & programming - All of Me / Keyboards, mixing - Somebody's Daughter / Programming, mixing - Into the Light/ Keyboards, mixing - Every Man's Battle / Engineer & mixing - Is it Me? / I Commit My Eyes / Traitor TELL ME WHAT YOU SEE Engineered, mixed, and mastered all tracks / Also Wurlitzer - Swept Away / Keyboards - Tell Me What You See, To Be Free, In the Image of God / Guitar - Piece Me Together / Programming & Keyboards - You Love Me TWENTY THREE Producer UNDER MY SKIN Mix and mastering WHOLE IN THE SIGHT OF GOD Engineer & MIx
Website:
http://houseofbig.com/Steve Siler
Steve Siler
Instrument / Role:
Founder, Director, & Producer / Songwriter / Keys / Vocalist
Albums / Songs Involved With:
AFTER THE STORM Songwriter / Where is the Ground, Not too Far From Here, Twenty Three BEFORE WE SAID HELLO Songwriter BROKEN TO BLESS Songwriter & Vocals / Not too Far from Here, Innocent Child, Broken to Bless, Renee is Fourteen, Child of Mine, Beatitudes, Listening, Wounded Angel, Nothing is in Vain, Walking Each Other Home, The Apology CELEBRATION TABLE Songwriter & Vocals / Celebration Table, Come Meet Me Here, In Christ, I've Got This, No Power Over Me, Rock Bottom Soon, Say Anything, Shame Died These Things, A Voiceless Cry, You are Not Alone CHAOS OF THE HEART Songwriter / Chaos of the Heart, How Could You, Every Single Tear, Keep Breathing, Twenty Three CHILD OF GOD Songwriter CROOKED ROAD Songwriter DAYS OF HOPE Songwriter DIGNITY Songwriter / Dignity, We've Never Done This Dance Before, Returning the Favor, Love Will Have to Do It, In the Middle of the Mess, Twenty Three, You Should Hear Him Sing, Do You Know I Love You, Precious Lord Take My Hand, I'm Gonna Lose You DRINK DEEP No!, Don't Feel Much like Prayer Today, Drink Deep, After the Crowds are Gone, No Such Thing as Normal, Differently, Every Single Tear, Good, Twenty Three, Ambush, Today, Gone Ahead, Death Has Been Conquered FIFTY YEARS FROM NOW Songwriter / Fifty Years From Now, I Don't Know You Anymore, Love as I Have Been Loved, Before God, What God Has Joined Together GOD CAN USE A BROKEN HEART Songwriter HEROES UNSUNG Songwriter & Piano IN ALL THINGS Songwriter I PROMISE TO BE WITH YOU TODAY Songwriter IT DOESN’T FEEL LIKE CHRISTMAS THIS YEAR Songwriter LIFE OF FAITH Songwriter LOOK INTO MY EYES Songwriter MERCY GREAT ENOUGH Songwriter / The Days Still Yet to Come, Hope Will Rise Again, I Lay it Down, I Wasn't There, Listen with Love, Stain Upon My Heart, We Forgive You, What Now?, You'll Never Call Me Daddy, Your Life Has Made a Difference MORE BEAUTIFUL Songwriter / More Beautiful, Wildest Ride on Earth MORE THAN A SURVIVOR Songwriter MUSIC FOR THE LITLE SOUL Songwriter THE NEXT RIGHT THING Songwriter NO POWER OVER ME Songwriter & Vocalist ROCK BOTTOM SOON Songwriter & Vocalist SET SAIL Songwriter SOMEBODY’S DAUGHTER Songwriter / Traitor, Somebody's Daughter, All of Me, Into the Light, Is It Me?, I Commit My Eyes, Every Man's Battle /also / Keyboards - Is It Me? TELL ME WHAT YOU SEE Songwriter / The Cost, You Love Me, In the image of God, Just the Way that I Am, No One Can Love Me like You Do TWENTY THREE Songwriter UNDER MY SKIN Songwriter WHERE IS MY FAITH Songwriter WHOLE IN THE SIGHT OF GOD Songwriter / Whole in the Sight of God WRONG CONVERSATIONS Songwriter