Women Helping Women Luncheon - 2007
Dawn Radcliffe-Snell, performed for her first audience LaCASA's 2007 Women Helping Women luncheon by singing about her years of enduring sexual abuse as a child. The song Dawn had wanted to sing for the past 12 years, reverberated throughout the crowd, bringing tears to the eyes of some.
LISTEN TO AUDIO (MP3 format - 7 mins.)
What Do You Do When You're Twelve Years Old?
Children should be seen and not heard
Grandpa, he'd say that with a slow Southern slur and Grandma'd be fryin', too busy to know grandkids underfoot on that throw rug below And I remember she gave me a toy ring if I'd sit quietly and not say a thing I was so starved, glad she saw me at all I sat really still and watched that sun slowly fallWhat do you do when you're six years old and you've been taught to do as you're told and the preacher man says be really good listen to your parents and do like you should and the teacher says adults know right then your Daddy whispers in your ear at night Don't tell a soul Well, that's how it goes when you do as your told and you're six years old
I loved that ring my grandma gave to me
it was so very shiny and I cried to see
it lay in my palm, it didn't last long
on the ride with my parents it broke before a song played on the radio, that dial glowing red and I remember what my momma said Oh honey, it's only a ring, don't be sad, you might wake the baby and that would be real bad...What do you do when you're nine years old and you've been taught to do as you're told and the preacher man says be really good listen to your parents and do like you should and the teacher says adults know right then your Daddy whispers in your ear at night Don't tell a soul Well, that's how it goes when you do as your told and you're nine years old
Well I curled into a ball and I fell asleep and my daddy, he carried me in a little girl heap up to my room, the broken ring fell to my bed, he whispered in my ear and I remember what he said You're my girl and I need you to protect the family, and what he meant (Oh God) I knew I had learned to be quiet and I tried not to cry but then what do you with all that hurt inside?
What do you do when you're twelve years old and you've been taught to do as you're told and that preacher man says you be really good you listen to your parents, you do like you should and the teacher, she says adults know right and then your Daddy, he whispers in your ear at night Oh, he's lost his soul And nobody knows when you're all alone and you are twelve years old...
- music & lyrics by Dawn Radcliffe, ©2007