A Lyrical Song by Sound Alchemist Julie Jewels Smoot
 
I Take It Back is a powerful, deeply personal lyrical song about reclaiming personal power, restoring boundaries, and taking back the parts of yourself that trauma, betrayal, manipulation, and years of survival may have overshadowed.
 
Through emotionally honest lyrics and music, Julie Jewels Smoot explores what it means to stop surrendering your voice, your choices, your energy, and your sense of self to people who have caused harm or demanded more than you were willing to give.
 
Inspired by her experiences as a United States Navy veteran, survivor of sexual violence and Military Sexual Trauma, and woman living with Complex PTSD, this song is a declaration of independence and self-respect.
 
I take back my voice. I take back my choices. I take back my right to say no. I take back the life I am choosing to live.
 
I Take It Back is not about erasing the past or pretending that painful experiences never happened. It is about recognizing that what happened does not give anyone permanent authority over your life.
It is about withdrawing permission from relationships, expectations, and patterns that no longer honor your well-being.
 
I take back the energy I spent trying to make others comfortable.
I take back the silence I was expected to maintain.
I take back the boundaries I was taught to feel guilty for having.
I take back the right to rest without explaining myself.
 
I take back the freedom to decide who has access to my life.
 
I am no longer available for relationships that require me to abandon myself.
 
This song speaks to survivors who have spent years being told how they should feel, when they should heal, what they should forgive, and how they should respond to what happened to them.
 
You do not owe anyone forgiveness.
 
You do not owe anyone reconciliation.
 
You do not owe anyone access to your body, your story, or your private experiences.
 
And you do not have to continue giving parts of yourself away simply because someone expects you to.
 
Reclaiming your life does not require becoming fearless, forgetting your experiences, or proving that you have healed.
 
Sometimes reclaiming yourself begins with a single decision.
 
No more. Not this time. Not at the expense of myself.
 
Part of Julie's Listening First. Nothing Is Required. philosophy, I Take It Back celebrates bodily autonomy, emotional independence, personal sovereignty, and the courage to establish boundaries without apology.
 
It is a reminder that you can change your mind, change your direction, and choose a different way of living.
 
I take back my peace. I take back my power. I take back my voice. I take back the right to belong to myself.
 
My Voice. My Body. My Choices. My Life.
 
Listening First. Nothing Is Required.
 
© Julie Jewels Smoot. All rights reserved.