Drunk Girl

Drunk Girl – By Chris Janson

Main Point: Maturity means putting our childish ways behind us and making the right choice, even when it’s difficult.

About the Artist – Chris Janson

Missouri born and Nashville based country singer Chris Janson rose to fame in 2015 with his hit song Buy Me A Boat.  The song reached the top spot on the iTunes country chart and peaked at 41 on the Billboard Hot 100.  Despite many writing credits that included being a co-writer on Tim McGraw’s Truck Yeah, Janson continued to produce his own music, debuting his second album in 2017.  Janson is a married father of four who wrote the song Drunk Girl hoping it might be a song that would touch people’s lives.

Song Lyrics:  Drunk Girl

Couple of cover charge stamps got her hand looking like a rainbow

In and out of every bar on a whim just like the wind blows

She’s either a bachelorette or coming off a breakup

Take a drunk girl home

She’s bouncing like a pinball

Singing every word she never knew

Dancing with her eyes closed like she’s the only one in the room

Her hairs a perfect mess, falling out of that dress

Take a drunk girl home

Take a drunk girl home

Let her sleep all alone

Leave her keys on the counter your number by her phone

Pick up her life she threw on the floor

Leave the hall lights on walk out and lock the door

That’s how she knows the difference between a boy and man

Take a drunk girl home

You leave her drive for a dive

You get something bad to eat

They’re singing closing time at that little bar across the street

Then two by two strangers and lovers headed for the covers hooking up

That TV in your two bedroom sounds turned off

Through the paper thin walls you can hear the neighbor’s cigarette cough

There’s a million things you could be doing, but there’s one thing you’re damn sure glad you did

Take a drunk girl home

Let her sleep all alone

Leave her keys on the counter your number by the phone

Pick up her life she threw on the floor

Leave the hall lights on walk out and lock the door

That’s how you know the difference in a boy and man

Take a drunk girl home

Took a drunk girl home

In the sober light of dawn

She left you a message she thanked you on the phone

Cause you picked up her life she threw on the floor

You left the hall lights on walked out and locked the door

That’s how she knows the difference between a boy and man

Take a drunk girl home

Introducing the Song – You Say This:  Drunk Girl was written by Janson and fellow dads Scooter Carusoe and Tom Douglas.  Written from a dad’s perspective, the three wanted to write a song that told a story that was real and visual.  They wrote from the mindset that you can never put enough good information into the world, and they hoped it might be meaningful to both guys and girls. The video shows a young girl whose exposure to abuse as a child seemed to influence her decision to get drunk, yet she was treated with respect by the guy she had been flirting with.

The Music Video:  The music video can be viewed for free at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XDTFRQa593w 

Hand out Lyrics and Play Song: 

Transitional Statement—YOU SAY THIS:  The story told in this song is a vivid picture of a girl who went out and ended up drunk, but instead of becoming some guy’s conquest she was treated with respect and got home safely.  The song says, “That’s how you know the difference between a boy and man – Take a drunk girl home” which leads into our discussion.  We will talk about the idea of maturity and what it means to make the right choice in a situation, even when it’s difficult.

Divide into Small Groups:  Let’s go ahead and split up into our discussion groups, and then afterward we’ll come back together for a final word.

CLICK HERE for a quick training article on how to maximize your small groups using our small group format – a great resource to equip your small group leaders.

Discussion Questions:

1. ASK A FEW: The song says the girl was in and out of every bar on a whim just like the wind blows.  What do you think are some of the drawbacks of her choice to spend a night this way?
2. ASK A FEW:What are some reasons you think people choose to get drunk?  What are some of the unintended consequences of getting drunk?
3. ASK A FEW: Do you think most guys would make sure a drunk girl gets home safely?  Why or why not?
4. ASK A FEW: What do you think Janson means when he sings “cause you picked up her life she threw on the floor”?
5. AROUND THE CIRCLE: What do you believe is the difference between a boy and a man?

Read the following passage:

1 Corinthians 13:11  When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me.

6. ASK A FEW: Why is it so hard to make the right choice in certain situations?
7. ASK A FEW: How can you know which choice is the right one to make?
8. ASK A FEW:What do you know about 1 Corinthians 13? (This chapter is well known for being about love).  Looking at the chapter, why do you think this verse about “growing up” is right after it talks about love?
9. ASK A FEW:How do children talk, think, and reason? Who are children generally focused on?
10. ASK A FEW:What are some childish ways you have put behind you as you have matured?
11. ASK A FEW:Do you believe God’s Word tells us the right thing to do?  Why do you think we have a hard time believing God’s Word when it comes to making the right choice?
12. ASK A FEW:In what ways do you think spending time in God’s Word would impact your ability to make mature decisions?
13. ASK A FEW:Why do you think we struggle so much to spend time in God’s Word?
14. AROUND THE CIRCLE:How do you think God wants you to take steps toward maturity?

Wrap Up—YOU SAY THIS:  During this time we looked at Chris Janson’s song “Drunk Girl.”  We looked at a scenario where a girl goes out and gets drunk, and a respectful guy makes sure she gets home safe.  We used this to talk about maturity and how to make the right choice even when it’s hard. In light of this discussion, would you say that often we make wrong choices because we don’t know the right choice, or because of our own tendency toward sin? 

(Pause and give them a quiet moment to reflect on this.)

We all come into this world as babies, but we don’t stay this way.  We eat, drink, and grow.  In the same way as followers of Jesus, we start out as spiritual children. We mature by spending time with God, knowing His Word, and learning from others who walk with Jesus.  If we don’t make intentional steps toward spiritual maturity, it won’t accidentally happen.  Take a moment to reflect on your own desire to know God.  Ask God to help you take steps to grow and mature in your knowledge of Him.

(Pause and give them a moment to pray silently.)

Maturity means making the right choice, even when it’s difficult.  To make the right choices, we need to spend time with God and His Word.  We need to know truth while asking God to give us the strength and faith to act on this truth, even when it’s hard.  Let’s close our time by praying together and asking God to help us keep taking steps toward maturity.

CLOSE IN PRAYER