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An anecdote (of unknown origin) about an orphaned girl who sees a picture of Jesus in Sunday school and identifies him as the man who comforted her the night her father killed her mother and himself is a fairly typical example of glurge: The particular example would ordinarily be unremarkable save for one facet: In 2000 it was turned into a smash hit by Nashville songwriter Harley Allen and country singer John Michael Montgomery: The song, titled The Little Girl, was penned by Allen after his brother forwarded him the above-quoted text via e-mail. It moved me more than I'd been moved in years by a story, Allen said. I grabbed the guitar and just started writing. It didn't take any time at all, about 10 to 15 minutes. According to USA Today, Allen says he and his brother have tried to track the tale's source, without any luck. It's posted on dozens of Web sites — usually with a title such as 'Held by Jesus' or 'And the Little Child Shall Lead Them' — with no attribution. 'We don't have a clue about its origin, Allen says, but if it ain't true, it ought to be.' Folklore is replete with tales of children who can see — and are saved by — helpful spirits, Jesus, or God, who guide and protect innocents from the deprivations of evil adults. The predatory adults in such stories are typically presented as non-religious or specifically non-Christian, while the young victims are characterized as being blamelessly non-religious because they are too young and unknowing to have yet made the conscious choice to accept God and Jesus. A strange coincidence related to this song was that another country singer, Allison Moorer, released a new album (The Hardest Part) the same day as John Michael Montgomery came out with his album (Brand New Me) on which The Little Girl appeared. Moorer's release also included a song (Cold, Cold Earth, the final, hidden track) about a father who shot his wife and then turned the gun on himself, only in Moorer's case the story was all too true — the man and wife were her parents:
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