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This Country Song Shines A Rare Spotlight On The Heartbreak Abortion Causes Fathers

Wilder Blue’s song ‘Dixie Darlin’’ is a beautiful ballad that gives a rare insight into the often-overlooked father’s perspective on abortion. 

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With leftists constantly screaming about “a woman’s right to choose” and promulgating conspiracy theories like unborn babies don’t have heartbeats, it can be easy to forget about the human and emotional cost of abortion. Yet the pain and suffering that come with destroying unborn life are real — for all parties involved, including men. Enter country band Wilder Blue’s song “Dixie Darlin’,” a beautiful ballad that gives a rare insight into the often-overlooked father’s perspective on abortion. 

Dixie in “Dixie Darlin’” is commitment-averse, thirsting for experience, and likely suffering from a fear of missing out. She resists staying in one place and settling down with the man who loves her. Wilder Blue’s main vocalist, Zane Williams, acts as the song’s narrator, looking back at a tragic love affair with Dixie. The narrator is always there for Dixie, but as soon as she’s in his arms, Dixie quickly hits the road. “She heard the highway callin’ with the meltin’ of the snow,” sings Williams. “I tried to change her mind,” he croons, but it’s always to no avail and Dixie leaves him again and again.

The artist reveals that after Dixie’s father died, “She asked if I would hold her.” Despite Dixie’s habit of leaving, Dixie’s lover was there for her when she needed him and “held her all that week.” Love, stability, and emotional support were not enough for Dixie, and after that week she “loaded up her saddle,” sings Williams, “and she kissed me on the cheek.” Again, Dixie’s lover “tried to change her mind,” but Dixie headed out the door. 

A short while later, Dixie calls her lover with devastating news:

Dixie called me late one night on Colorado time

Told me she was two weeks late and she knew it must be mine

I wanted to raise a family right here in this little town

But in the end, she wasn’t ready to have a kid and settle down

In the heartbreaking next few lines, the artist returns to the chorus:

Dixie darlin’ did you find what you were after

A greener pasture, a wilder blue

When I think about the things that really matter

I always wish that I had mattered more to you

In the song, Dixie’s lover gave her everything he could. He offered her love and commitment. For whatever reason, though, Dixie was not ready to receive that kind of devotion. It could be past trauma or perhaps the secular world scaring her (as it does many other women) into believing that marriage and children mean giving up freedom and one’s dreams. Whatever the reason, Dixie “wasn’t ready to have a kid and settle down,” so she acted on her usual impulse, left, and aborted their baby.

There’s a sense of hopelessness in the upbeat nature of the song’s chorus. Dixie’s lover, like many other fathers, was completely powerless in his partner’s decision to kill their child. All he could do was helplessly sing that he hopes Dixie finds what she’s been after. As we all know, though, the grass is never greener. If Dixie were real, she would likely realize that she walked away from a good man who loved her. She’d also realize that pregnancies don’t just disappear. Her baby was no mere clump of cells and she can’t run away from the fact that she aborted her own child or the crippling side effects of Post Abortion Stress Syndrome

Dixie’s lover will also experience post-abortion trauma. Abortion may inflict emotional damage on fathers in different ways than on mothers, but the pain is no less real. Men crave responsibility and have a primal drive to protect and provide for their families. What then could torment a man more than forcing him to sit by and do nothing as his own child is killed? Even when men are ambivalent or supportive of their partners getting abortions, they often still report mental torment after the fact.  

Rarely is the male perspective of abortion explored in popular culture. This is partly because men are prone to denying grief and internalizing feelings of loss and partly because the “woman’s right to choose” narrative has bullied men into silence. Musicians, television series, and movies have historically been heavily scrutinized for humanizing unborn babies and showcasing post-abortion trauma experienced by women. Daring to discuss men’s trauma is even more taboo, at least in mainstream pop culture.

That’s the beauty of country music. Removed from Hollywood and L.A., free from the celebrity speech police, and enjoyed by a less politically correct fan base, country music provides a space where songs like “Dixie Darlin’” can thrive.  

This isn’t to say that country music is totally free from woke race baiters or the ear-splitting country/rap collabs. Indeed, there is a force within corporate country to erase regional sounds and distort wholesome messaging. However, there are fortunately many artists within the genre who are still producing authentic country music with thoughtful lyrics and counter-cultural content. Indeed, “Dixie Darlin’” is hardly the first country song to tackle abortion and unplanned pregnancy. 

Men deserve to be part of the abortion debate. They are uncles, brothers, grandfathers, and fathers to the innocents who are losing their lives. Their trauma is real and valid. Our culture muzzles men while the music and media industries refuse to represent them, which is why songs like “Dixie Darlin’” deserve a listen and our support.


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