I Can Do Hard Things

Album: single release only (2019)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • A slow, acoustic guitar-driven song, "I Can Do Hard Things" is an anthem for personal empowerment which finds Jennifer Nettles musing on overcoming adversity.

    Sometimes I don't like it
    But that don't mean I don't love it
    Sometimes I get down so low
    But that don't mean I can't rise above it


    Nettles explained on Twitter: "This song for me is a truth telling, a bloodletting, a real-life heart opening to what it means to be a grown woman. It is my offering to honor the reality that, as I like to say, everything is everything."
  • The black-and-white video for the song, filmed in Nashville and Brooklyn, shows seven women giving us a glimpse into their lives. The personal "hard things" they overcome range from caring for the disabled and single motherhood to sexual assault:

    "This song took on a life quickly and unexpectedly," Nettles explained to ABC Radio. "For me, in writing it, I was just writing my own Truth and story. But what I have come to see is that so many women share this Truth, and that inspired me to make an invitation."

    The clip was filmed by photographer Katie Kauss, whose other credits include shooting the cover of Will Hoge's Small Town Dreams album.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Gavin Rossdale On Lyric Inspirations and Bush's Album The Kingdom

Gavin Rossdale On Lyric Inspirations and Bush's Album The KingdomSongwriter Interviews

The Bush frontman on where he finds inspiration for lyrics, if his "machine head" is a guitar tuner, and the stories behind songs from the album The Kingdom.

Chris Fehn of Slipknot

Chris Fehn of SlipknotSongwriter Interviews

A drummer for one of the most successful metal bands of the last decade, Chris talks about what it's like writing and performing with Slipknot. Metal-neck is a factor.

Tom Keifer of Cinderella

Tom Keifer of CinderellaSongwriter Interviews

Tom talks about the evolution of Cinderella's songs through their first three albums, and how he writes as a solo artist.

Ed Roland of Collective Soul

Ed Roland of Collective SoulSongwriter Interviews

The stories behind "Shine," "December," "The World I Know" and other Collective Soul hits.

Judas Priest

Judas PriestSongwriter Interviews

Rob Halford, Richie Faulkner and Glenn Tipton talk twin guitar harmonies and explain how they create songs in Judas Priest.

Max Cavalera of Soulfly (ex-Sepultura)

Max Cavalera of Soulfly (ex-Sepultura)Songwriter Interviews

The Brazilian rocker sees pictures in his riffs. When he came up with one of his gnarliest songs, there was a riot going on.