Still Stuck on Those Dixie Chicks

I've been listening to the Dixie Chicks' album, Taking The Long Way, a lot this week. I went on their website to explore the stories behind the songs. The story behind one song, "So Hard," really moved me.

I mentioned in my last post that two of the band members, sisters Emily Robison and Martie Maguire, both underwent in-vitro fertilization and each have a set of twins. The Dixie Chicks, along with writing partner Dan Wilson, wrote a song called "So Hard" to share a little of the pain of the fertility process:

Martie: That song touches on the issue of infertility, which Emily and I both had to deal with. I think we feel a responsibility to break down some of these barriers - it's much more of a common problem than people realize. Someone the other day asked me if twins ran in my family. When I told them I did in vitro they said, "Oh, so you took the easy way." I couldn't believe they said that.

Emily: We both got pregnant through in vitro fertilization, and people usually get all freaked out when we tell them that. I don't find it a stigma at all - people need to start talking about it, because it feels almost epidemic. And it's so wonderful that we have this technology.

Here are the lyrics, which really touched me:

Back when we started
We didn't know how hard it was
Living on nothing but what the wind would bring to us
Now we've got something I can imagine fighting for
So why is fighting all that we're good at anymore
And sometimes I don't have the energy to prove everybody wrong
And I try my best to be strong but you know it's so hard

It’s so hard
It's so hard when it doesn't come easy
It's so hard when it doesn't come fast
It's so hard when it doesn't come easy
It's so hard

It felt like a given—something a woman is born to do
A natural ambition
See a reflection of me and you
And I'd feel so guilty if that was a gift I couldn't give
And could you be happy if life wasn't how we pictured it
And sometimes I just want to wait it out to prove everybody wrong
And I need your help to move on
‘Cause you know it's so hard

It's so hard
It's so hard when it doesn't come easy
It's so hard when it doesn't come fast
It's so hard when it doesn't come easy
So hard

I can live for the moment when all these clouds open up for me to see
And show me a vision of you and me swimming peacefully
Last night you told me that you can't remember how to feel free

It's so hard...