Project File
SheWouldNotBowHerHead.mp3 (11.6 MB)

She Would Not Bow Her Head - Dedicated to the 276 schoolgirls kidnapped in Chiboc, Nigeria

She was always a good girl
An easy child to love
A gentle way with everyone
She seemed blessed from above
Her world was hard; far worst than worst
But she knew no other way

She would not play the victim
She smiled right back instead
Life beat her down
But she would not bow her head

Soldiers came: her brothers ran
But they could not get away

She heard the gunfire
And the plaintive cries that day

“Dear mother; where's father?
What will we do now?”

Sold to slavers at sixteen
Kicked around like a useless dog
Beaten down but not beaten
Her light shined through the deepest fog

She would not play the victim
She smiled right back instead
Life beat her down
But she would not bow her head

Be the boat on the river
Be the heat in the light
Let your true self deliver
the stars to the night

Be the gift of forgiveness
Be the faith standing near
Let your heart be the witness
Be the hope, not the fear

  • Grant Maloy Smith
    Author
  • Grant Maloy Smith
    Name of Band or Artist
  • Project Type:
    Song
  • Length:
    5 minutes 2 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    February 23, 2023
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Student Project:
    No
  • The Grammys
    Los Angeles, CA
    February 2, 2017
    Two awards for working on Grammy winning song and album
  • Indie Music Channel
    Los Angeles, CA
    September 23, 2022
    Multiple best songs and best album awards, and Hall of Fame induction
  • Akademia Music Awards
    Los Angeles, CA
    June 14, 2022
    Best Album
  • HMMA Hollywood Music In Media Awards
    Hollywood, CA
    March 15, 2021
    Best Americana Song
  • All Awards at https://www.grant-maloy-smith.com/epk#awards
    Various
    See the complete list: https://www.grant-maloy-smith.com/epk#awards
Artist Biography

Grant Maloy Smith® is a Billboard Top 10 recording artist and MusicRow CountryBreakout charting songwriter of AMERICAN ROOTS music. His latest album, APPALACHIA: AMERICAN STORIES is getting rave reviews, including:

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“If you took a few ounces of Willie Nelson and Jimmie Dale Gilmore, mixed them carefully, Grant Maloy Smith would appear ...One day we’ll be talking about how Grant Maloy Smith is a national treasure – like John Prine.”
~ John Apice, Americana Highways

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His previous album, DUST BOWL: AMERICAN STORIES, spent 17 weeks on the Billboard charts, including eleven weeks in the Top 10. Grant made his Carnegie Hall debut in 2018 and has won numerous awards, including two Grammy® certificates. He performed at Lincoln Center in 2021 and Carnegie Hall for a second time in 2022.

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Grant's passion is bringing American history (including our native peoples) and culture to life with his music. So far, his AMERICAN STORIES series of albums has captured the essence of the Dust Bowl and Appalachia, and the Mississippi River is scheduled for 2023. He released a Christmas album called THE CHRISTMAS HEART in late 2022.

Add Artist Biography
Artist Statement

I am deeply concerned about the treatment of girls and women around the world. There are places where they are in special danger. We need to create a better world where this is no longer a reality.