A “gruff, rough” dad showed his tender-hearted side when he was surprised by his daughter’s voice on the radio singing a self-written song about the life lessons she learned from her dad as a child. Footage of his sweet, tearful reaction went viral.
Country singer Tawna Goforth, 35, grew up in the small town of Sedgwick, Kansas, where her parents owned a gas station and auto mechanic store. Today she lives in Nashville, Tennessee.
“Late 2022, I was writing with my co-writer. I said, ‘Well, I have this title in my phone about life lessons you learned from your dad,” Mrs. Goforth told The Epoch Times. “I guess we weren’t just fixing cars all those years, you know? He was teaching me about life, and he was teaching me about hard labor, hard work, and chasing a dream.
“I thought it'd be the perfect song to put out right before Father’s Day, as a dedication to my dad and to all dads and father figures.”
Mrs. Goforth’s first song, “Pieces,” written about her grandfather’s struggle with memory loss, had been picked up by Nashville’s Radio Sobro in the past so she reached out again, hoping they'd play her new track, “Fixing Cars.” They did, the week before Father’s Day 2023.
Mrs. Goforth’s father was on vacation with her mother, uncle, and cousin in Colorado at the time, so the singer enlisted her mom to tune in to Radio Sobro and sneakily record her dad’s reaction. The gruff mechanic was quickly reduced to tears.
“I watched his reaction, and then I just cried and cried. I just didn’t expect it to be that emotional for him,” Mrs. Goforth said. “Had he known he was being videoed, he may not have opened up as much as he did.”
Mrs. Goforth uploaded her father’s moving reaction to “Fixing Cars” on TikTok, where it racked up a million views a week, soon topping ten million, and also to YouTube, where it has over 700,000 views to date.
“My dad is not a technological person,” Mrs. Goforth said, “and that’s what’s so funny, that this video is having so much traction on the internet because he doesn’t really even use the internet.
“He was the provider for our family ... a very kind of strong, silent type. I think that’s why this video is connecting with so many people, you know? He’s got the beard, and he’s got kind of a gruff, rough exterior, but he is so tender-hearted.”
Growing up, Mrs. Goforth’s mom handled the bookkeeping at the family business, sometimes taking Mrs. Goforth and her three siblings to work, where they grew up “watching everything that happened.” Their blue-collar father worked morning, noon, and night to provide consistent service to their small town, and his work ethic left a lasting impression on his kids.
“I think just seeing him be that hard worker, you know, made me realize that you can chase after your dreams,” Mrs. Goforth said, “and it’s not going to be easy, and that’s where a lot of inspiration came from with the song: ‘You might get a little greasy, you might bend, but you won’t break.’”
Mrs. Goforth’s grandfather was a country singer and harmonica player. She grew up singing at church and school and started her first band right out of high school at the age of 18. She even auditioned for TV talent shows multiple times, but nothing “clicked.”
When she and her husband, Chad Goforth, moved to Nashville in 2014, she kept her dream alive by playing regular gigs as a singer-songwriter.
She said: “My faith is very strong, I was raised in the Christian church, and I think as an adult, now, navigating the music business is very hard. ... so as exciting as this video and this song has been, there’s also been very sad moments where I’m like, ‘Is this it?’ So definitely a lot of prayer, talking with my parents, my husband, other friends in the industry, just doing things that fill my cup and reassure me that I’m on the right path.”
A long-held dream did come true for Mrs. Goforth when she performed “Fixing Cars” at Nashville’s historical Bluebird Cafe, a venue where numerous big artists and songwriters have started their careers. This time, Mrs. Goforth’s parents attended in person, and her father could do nothing to hold back his tears.
“We knew he was going to be emotional,” said Mrs. Goforth, whose husband recorded her father’s reaction. “He didn’t know he was being filmed,” she said, “and obviously he’s continually wiping his face, trying to keep it together just seeing me sing.”
Her parents are “always worried” about her living 12 hours away, said the singer, but the knowledge that they did a good job raising their daughter is sinking in. Mrs. Goforth is also touched by the way her song, and her father’s emotional response, are touching others.
“It’s hard to even read the comments without crying because of the way people have related to it and the personal stories that they’re sharing with me, which is really just such an honor,” she told The Epoch Times. “I don’t think my dad can really comprehend how it’s helping people, just him showing emotion.
“I think it’s really strengthened our relationship ... seeing that side of him, and just how tender-hearted he really is. It just kind of gives me the confidence and the courage to keep pursuing this, because if I know it can have that effect on my dad and the millions of people that have seen it, I think I’m doing something right.”
