Pickler's video recordings of the song won three CMT Music Awards in 2008:
Breakthrough Video of the YearTearjerker Video of the YearPerformance of the Year (This was based on the second video which was filmed during Pickler's live performance of the song during the 2007 CMAs).
The original video was shot in The Ryman Auditoreum, home of country music's Grand Ole Oprey. Both videos made CMT's Top Twenty Countdown, with the original hitting #1 (Pickler's first).
Pickler's mother, Cynthia Morton, was absent for much of Pickler's childhood, and, at least during her early performances, Pickler often becamse emotional, and would even have to stop during her singing. Morton contacted Pickler by letter shortly after the song's release, but Pickler wanted nothing to do with her.
I Wonder
Kellie Pickler Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Wonder if you're out there somewhere thinkin' 'bout me
And would you even recognize
The woman that your little girl has grown up to be
Cause I look in the mirror and all I see
Are your brown eyes lookin' back at me
They're the only thing you ever gave to me at all
There's sunny sky as far as I can see
If you ever come back home to Carolina
I wonder what you'd say to me
I think about how it ain't fair
That you weren't there to braid my hair like mothers do
You weren't around to cheer me on
Help me dress for my high school prom like mothers do
Did you think I didn't need you here to hold my hand, to dry my tears?
Did you even miss me through the years at all?
Oh, I hear the weather's nice in California
There's sunny sky as far as I can see
If you ever come back home to Carolina
I wonder what you'd say to me
Forgiveness is such a simple word
But it's so hard to do
When you've been hurt
Oh, I hear the weather's nice in California
And just in case you're wonderin' about me
From now on I won't be in Carolina
Your little girl is off
Your little girl is off
Your little girl is off to Tennessee
The song "I Wonder" by Kellie Pickler is a powerful ballad that speaks to the singer's emotions about her estranged relationship with her father. The opening verse shows how the singer wonders about her father's existence and imagines what it would be like for him to see her now that she has grown up into a woman. She reflects on how the only thing he ever passed down to her were his brown eyes, and how they are a constant reminder of him.
The second verse delves deeper into the singer's emotions, as she expresses her disappointment in not having a mother figure in her life. She lists the activities her mother would have taken part in were she there, such as braiding her hair and helping her dress for prom. She questions whether her father even missed her all these years, and how she would react should he return to her life.
The bridge of the song highlights the complexity of forgiveness, even when one has been hurt by someone else's actions. The final chorus reveals that the singer is moving forward with her life by leaving Carolina for Tennessee, and she doesn't expect her father to be a part of it. The song showcases the pain and longing that comes with an absent parent and the courage it takes to move on.
Line by Line Meaning
Sometimes I think about you
The singer still thinks about her absent father
Wonder if you're out there somewhere thinkin' 'bout me
She wonders if her father has any thoughts about her
And would you even recognize
The singer wonders if her father would recognize her grown-up self
The woman that your little girl has grown up to be
The girl has grown into a woman, but the father hasn't been around to see it
Cause I look in the mirror and all I see
The singer sees a reflection of her father in herself
Are your brown eyes lookin' back at me
Her eyes are the only physical trait she inherited from her father
They're the only thing you ever gave to me at all
The father's only biological contribution to his daughter is her eye color
Oh, I hear the weather's nice in California
The singer heard about California's weather
There's sunny sky as far as I can see
This suggests California is a more desirable location than her current home in Carolina
If you ever come back home to Carolina
The singer would like her father to return to the state where they used to live
I wonder what you'd say to me
It's unclear what the father's reaction would be if he were to see his daughter now
I think about how it ain't fair
The singer feels bad for not having a relationship with her father
That you weren't there to braid my hair like mothers do
The singer missed her father not being there for her in everyday moments
You weren't around to cheer me on
The singer's father missed important events in her life
Help me dress for my high school prom like mothers do
The singer resents that her father wasn't there for milestones that parents typically attend
Did you think I didn't need you here to hold my hand, to dry my tears?
The singer wonders if her father didn't think she needed him during difficult times
Did you even miss me through the years at all?
The singer questions if her father ever actually missed her presence in his life
Forgiveness is such a simple word
The singer understands the concept of forgiveness, but feels hurt by her father's absence
But it's so hard to do
Forgiving someone who has hurt you is a difficult and complicated process
When you've been hurt
The lack of a relationship with her father has caused pain for the singer
And just in case you're wonderin' about me
The singer thinks it's possible her father might be curious about her current life
From now on I won't be in Carolina
The singer is leaving Carolina for Tennessee
Your little girl is off to Tennessee
The singer specifically states she is the father's 'little girl' but she is making the move to Tennessee on her own
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, O/B/O DistroKid, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: AIMEE MAYO, CHRIS LINDSEY, KELLIE PICKLER, KARYN SUZANNE ROCHELLE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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As someone who had a wonderful relationship with their mom, this song breaks my heart for every person who doesn't. I can't imagine the pain and confusion that has to bring on wondering about why their mom couldn't be there
John Moreno
Dust yourself off, roll
up your sleeves, and go on!
Jody Gill
@Bewbies Smith There are two great books out there. I am not a reader, but I have read these several times. Motherless Daughters is one of them. The other is Will I Ever Be Good Enough: Healing the Daughters of Narcissistic Mothers. Hope you can read them sometime.
Bewbies Smith
@Jody Gill hugssss to you
Jody Gill
@Bewbies Smith My heart breaks with yours. I am the only child my parents kept, for no reason. My mother told everyone she never wanted children. She told me she wished I was a boy. In my 30's, I was apprised of my full-blood brother. Now I understand she gave the wrong child up for adoption.
PSYCHOTIC MILKSHAKE
Ikr 🤧 I feel for kellie so much
Amber Carr
This really hits home for me. Although my mom is in texas and Im in tennessee. When i first heard this song on the radio about 2 weeks ago, I cried my eyes out. I never knew anyone could write a song that hit the nail on the head for me. I knew other girls had probably went through this in their life too, but when you never hear anything about it you feel so alone. Im glad Kelly wrote this song. Im 24 now but I was raised by my grandparents also and i know the hurt.
JpascalN
Best wishes to you Amber
Kittie Hundley
Idk if my mom is alive or dead but this song hits for me aswell and i am from North Carolina. Im so sorry about your hurt. Some say my mom left but others think something happened to her.
Rachel Serfes
I can say the same. My dad raised me as both parents. So it's hard wondering what we did wrong.