"Alyssa Lies" is a song written and recorded by American

country music Country (also called country and western) is a popular music, music genre originating in the southern regions of the United States, both the American South and American southwest, the Southwest. First produced in the 1920s, country music is p ...

artist

Jason Michael Carroll Jason Michael Carroll (born June 13, 1978) is an American country music artist. After being discovered at a local talent competition in 2004, Carroll was signed to the Arista Nashville label in 2006, releasing his debut album ''Waitin' in the Co ...

. The song was released as a single in October 2006, and served as his debut single and the lead-off to his debut album '' Waitin' in the Country''.

Background

Carroll took two years to write "Alyssa Lies." The song was so emotionally painful to write that he got

migraines Migraine (, ) is a complex neurological disorder characterized by episodes of moderate-to-severe headache, most often unilateral and generally associated with nausea, and light and sound sensitivity. Other characterizing symptoms may includ ...

while writing. It is based on a true story of a girl that wasn't saved from abuse in time. It seemed to Carroll that no matter what he wrote, he would never be satisfied with it. When he realized that he would not be able to make the song perfect, he tried the best he could to make it realistic and sufficiently emotional. After three years, he felt it was as heartfelt as he could make it, and recorded the song.

Content

The song is about a young girl, the narrator's daughter, who met a school friend named Alyssa, who is suffering

abuse Abuse is the act of improper usage or treatment of a person or thing, often to unfairly or improperly gain benefit. Abuse can come in many forms, such as: physical or verbal maltreatment, injury, assault, violation, rape, unjust practices, ...

. To explain her injuries, Alyssa lies to the teachers and classmates, so as not to implicate the culprit. The narrator's daughter had all explained this to him, and then asks why Alyssa lies about her situation ("My little girl asked me why Alyssa lies"). Eventually, the father (the singer) of the little girl, after hearing her pray one night for Alyssa's safety, decides to report the suspected abuse at school. However, when they get to school on Monday, it is too late; the culprit has apparently beaten Alyssa to death. Thus the lyrics, "She doesn't lie in the classroom ..." The singer goes on to bemoan the failings of her teachers and others who could have reported the abuse, and then tells how he had to tearfully explain why Alyssa wasn't at school to his little daughter.

Response

On the radio station 93.7 The Bull, located in St. Louis, Missouri, a trucker called in, and he said he had just listened to the song, and his eyes had become so filled with tears that he almost veered off of the road. The song has received much attention for its message in the severity and prevalence of child abuse.

Chart performance

Year-end charts

Sources

{{authority control 2006 debut singles 2006 songs Jason Michael Carroll songs Songs about child abuse Song recordings produced by Don Gehman Arista Nashville singles