Trouble Always Rolls Downhill

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This song was inspired by a line in the HBO series "Show Me A Hero." One character is talking with his mother and she inflates the importance of his job and he says, "Mom, I build minivans at Tarrytown." That's a line for a song if I ever heard one.

I started writing and it occurred to me the theme should be how we seem to pass our problems along to someone else, sometimes violently so. I recalled the saying, "Shit always rolls downhill," and since I'm not a fan of profanity in songs (there are exceptions, of course) I changed it to, "Trouble always rolls downhill."

From there, I figured the song should feature a man, a woman and then, finally, a kid.

So here you go.

Trouble Always Rolls Downhill
© 2016 by David Hanners

Built minivans at Tarrytown 'til they shut the factory down
GM moved the line to Doraville
Curse the TV, cleans his guns, nerves tight as a Pearl drum
And trouble always rolls downhill
Trouble always rolls downhill

Parks outside the Dollar Store, grabs her kid, slams the door
Her life a slow treadmill
First laid hands on him a month ago but some bruises never show
And trouble always rolls downhill
Trouble always rolls downhill

(Bridge)
Whether it's a choice or God's will
Truth is a bitter bill
And trouble always rolls downhill
Trouble always rolls downhill

Bloody nose, boy of eight, too young for so much hate
Fear is the only thing he'll feel
Schoolyard bullies don't grow up; they just age and just our luck
Their trouble always rolls downhill
Trouble always rolls downhill
Trouble always rolls downhill