Nick's Request - Tupac - Keep Ya' Head Up

*********************
Oooh Child - the Five Stairsteps



Ooh-oo child
Things are gonna get easier
Ooh-oo child
Things'll get brighter
Ooh-oo child
Things are gonna get easier
Ooh-oo child
Things'll get brighter

Some day, yeah
We'll get it together and we'll get it all done
Some day
When your head is much lighter
Some day, yeah
We'll walk in the rays of a beautiful sun
Some day
When the world is much brighter

Ooh-oo child
Things are gonna be easier
Ooh-oo child
Things'll get be brighter
Ooh-oo child
Things are gonna be easier
Ooh-oo child
Things'll get be brighter

Some day, yeah
We'll get it together and we'll get it all done
Some day
When your head is much lighter
Some day, yeah
We'll walk in the rays of a beautiful sun
Some day
When the world is much brighter

Some day, yeah
We'll get it together and we'll get it all done
Some day
When your head is much lighter
Some day, yeah
We'll walk in the rays of a beautiful sun
Some day
When the world is much brighter

Ooh-oo child
Things are gonna get easier
Ooh-oo child
Things'll get brighter
Ooh-oo child
Things are gonna get easier
Ooh-oo child
Things'll get brighter
Right now, right now

Igor's Request - Bill Withers - Lean on Me

Lean on Me - live



Sometimes in our lives
We all have pain
We all have sorrow
But if we are wise
We know that there's always tomorrow

Lean on me, when you're not strong
And I'll be your friend
I'll help you carry on
For it won't be long
'Til I'm gonna need
Somebody to lean on

Please swallow your pride
If I have things you need to borrow
For no one can fill those of your needs
That you won't let show

You just call on me brother, when you need a hand
We all need somebody to lean on
I just might have a problem that you'd understand
We all need somebody to lean on

Lean on me, when you're not strong
And I'll be your friend
I'll help you carry on
For it won't be long
'Til I'm gonna need
Somebody to lean on

You just call on me brother, when you need a hand
We all need somebody to lean on
I just might have a problem that you'd understand
We all need somebody to lean on

If there is a load you have to bear
That you can't carry
I'm right up the road
I'll share your load
If you just call me


Call me (if you need a friend)
Call me (call me)
Call me (if you need a friend)
Call me (if you ever need a friend)
Call me (call me)
Call me
Call me (if you need A friend)

Vicky's Request - Breathe - Anna Nalick

2 AM and she calls me 'cause I'm still awake,
"Can you help me unravel my latest mistake?,
I don't love him. Winter just wasn't my season"
Yeah we walk through the doors, so accusing their eyes
Like they have any right at all to criticize,
Hypocrites. You're all here for the very same reason

'Cause you can't jump the track, we're like cars on a cable
And life's like an hourglass, glued to the table
No one can find the rewind button, girl.
So cradle your head in your hands
And breathe... just breathe,
Oh breathe, just breathe

May he turn 21 on the base at Fort Bliss
"Just a day" he said down to the flask in his fist,
"Ain't been sober, since maybe October of last year."
Here in town you can tell he's been down for a while,
But, my God, it's so beautiful when the boy smiles,
Wanna hold him. Maybe I'll just sing about it.

Cause you can't jump the track, we're like cars on a cable,
And life's like an hourglass, glued to the table.
No one can find the rewind button, boys,
So cradle your head in your hands,
And breathe... just breathe,
Oh breathe, just breathe

There's a light at each end of this tunnel,
You shout 'cause you're just as far in as you'll ever be out
And these mistakes you've made, you'll just make them again
If you'd only try turning around.

2 AM and I'm still awake, writing a song
If I get it all down on paper, it's no longer inside of me,
Threatening the life it belongs to
And I feel like I'm naked in front of the crowd
Cause these words are my diary, screaming out loud
And I know that you'll use them, however you want to

But you can't jump the track, we're like cars on a cable,
And life's like an hourglass, glued to the table
No one can find the rewind button now
Sing it if you understand.
and breathe, just breathe
woah breathe, just breathe,
Oh breathe, just breathe,
Oh breathe, just breathe.

Where is the Love? - The Black Eyed Peas

What's wrong with the world, mama
People livin' like they ain't got no mamas
I think the whole world addicted to the drama
Only attracted to things that'll bring you trauma

Overseas, yeah, we try to stop terrorism
But we still got terrorists here livin'
In the USA, the big CIA
The Bloods and The Crips and the KKK

But if you only have love for your own race
Then you only leave space to discriminate
And to discriminate only generates hate
And when you hate then you're bound to get irate, yeah

Madness is what you demonstrate
And that's exactly how anger works and operates
Man, you gotta have love just to set it straight
Take control of your mind and meditate
Let your soul gravitate to the love, y'all, y'all

People killin', people dyin'
Children hurt and you hear them cryin'
Can you practise what you preach
And would you turn the other cheek

Father, Father, Father help us
Send some guidance from above
'Cause people got me, got me questionin'
Where is the love (Love)

Where is the love (The love)
Where is the love (The love)
Where is the love, the love, the love

It just ain't the same, old ways have changed
New days are strange, is the world insane?
If love and peace are so strong
Why are there pieces of love that don't belong?

Nations droppin' bombs
Chemical gasses fillin' lungs of little ones
With ongoin' sufferin' as the youth die young
So ask yourself is the lovin' really gone

So I could ask myself really what is goin' wrong
In this world that we livin' in people keep on givin' in
Makin' wrong decisions, only visions of them dividends
Not respectin' each other, deny thy brother
A war is goin' on but the reason's undercover

The truth is kept secret, it's swept under the rug
If you never know truth then you never know love
Where's the love, y'all, come on (I don't know)
Where's the truth, y'all, come on (I don't know)
Where's the love, y'all

People killin', people dyin'
Children hurt and you hear them cryin'
Can you practise what you preach
And would you turn the other cheek

Father, Father, Father help us
Send some guidance from above
'Cause people got me, got me questionin'
Where is the love (Love)

Where is the love (The love)?
Where is the love (The love)?
Where is the love (The love)?
Where is the love (The love)?
Where is the love (The love)?
Where is the love (The love)?
Where is the love, the love, the love?

I feel the weight of the world on my shoulder
As I'm gettin' older, y'all, people gets colder
Most of us only care about money makin'
Selfishness got us followin' the wrong direction

Wrong information always shown by the media
Negative images is the main criteria
Infecting the young minds faster than bacteria
Kids wanna act like what they see in the cinema

Yo', whatever happened to the values of humanity
Whatever happened to the fairness and equality
Instead of spreading love we're spreading animosity
Lack of understanding, leading us away from unity

That's the reason why sometimes I'm feelin' under
That's the reason why sometimes I'm feelin' down
There's no wonder why sometimes I'm feelin' under
Gotta keep my faith alive 'til love is found
Now ask yourself

Where is the love?
Where is the love?
Where is the love?
Where is the love?

Father, Father, Father, help us
Send some guidance from above
'Cause people got me, got me questionin'
Where is the love?

Sing with me y'all:
One world, one world (We only got)
One world, one world (That's all we got)
One world, one world
And something's wrong with it (Yeah)
Something's wrong with it (Yeah)
Something's wrong with the wo-wo-world, yeah
We only got
(One world, one world)
That's all we got
(One world, one world)

Lives in the Balance - Jackson Browne

I've been waiting for something to happen
For a week or a month or a year
With the blood in the ink of the headlines
And the sound of the crowd in my ear
You might ask what it takes to remember
When you know that you've seen it before
Where a government lies to a people
And a country is drifting to war

And there's a shadow on the faces
Of the men who send the guns
To the wars that are fought in places
Where their business interest runs

On the radio talk shows and the t.v.
You hear one thing again and again
How the u.s.a. stands for freedom
And we come to the aid of a friend
But who are the ones that we call our friends--
These governments killing their own?
Or the people who finally can't take any more
And they pick up a gun or a brick or a stone
There are lives in the balance
There are people under fire
There are children at the cannons
And there is blood on the wire

There's a shadow on the faces
Of the men who fan the flames
Of the wars that are fought in places
Where we can't even say the names

They sell us the president the same way
They sell us our clothes and our cars
They sell us every thing from youth to religion
The same time they sell us our wars
I want to know who the men in the shadows are
I want to hear somebody asking them why
They can be counted on to tell us who our enemies are
But they're never the ones to fight or to die
And there are lives in the balance
There are people under fire
There are children at the cannons
And there is blood on the wire

*******************************************

I am a Patriot



*******************************************

Bob Marley

Bob Marley has several songs that have been used as anthems for different protest movements. One of the most popular is "Get Up Stand Up"



Get up, stand up: stand up for your rights!
Get up, stand up: stand up for your rights!
Get up, stand up: stand up for your rights!
Get up, stand up: don't give up the fight!

Preacher man, don't tell me,
Heaven is under the earth.
I know you don't know
What life is really worth.
It's not all that glitters is gold;
'Alf the story has never been told:
So now you see the light, eh!
Stand up for your rights. come on!

Get up, stand up: stand up for your rights!
Get up, stand up: don't give up the fight!
Get up, stand up: stand up for your rights!
Get up, stand up: don't give up the fight!

Most people think,
Great god will come from the skies,
Take away everything
And make everybody feel high.
But if you know what life is worth,
You will look for yours on earth:
And now you see the light,
You stand up for your rights. jah!

Get up, stand up! (jah, jah! )
Stand up for your rights! (oh-hoo! )
Get up, stand up! (get up, stand up! )
Don't give up the fight! (life is your right! )
Get up, stand up! (so we can't give up the fight! )
Stand up for your rights! (lord, lord! )
Get up, stand up! (keep on struggling on! )
Don't give up the fight! (yeah! )

We sick an' tired of-a your ism-skism game -
Dyin' 'n' goin' to heaven in-a Jesus' name, lord.
We know when we understand:
Almighty god is a living man.
You can fool some people sometimes,
But you can't fool all the people all the time.
So now we see the light (what you gonna do?),
We gonna stand up for our rights! (yeah, yeah, yeah! )

So you better:
Get up, stand up! (in the morning! git it up! )
Stand up for your rights! (stand up for our rights! )
Get up, stand up!
Don't give up the fight! (don't give it up, don't give it up! )
Get up, stand up! (get up, stand up! )
Stand up for your rights! (get up, stand up! )
Get up, stand up! (... )
Don't give up the fight! (get up, stand up! )
Get up, stand up! (... )
Stand up for your rights!
Get up, stand up!
Don't give up the fight!

*****************************************************

WAR

The lyrics of this song come from a speech by the Ethiopian Emperor, Haile Selassie, which he gave to the United Nations in 1963.



Until the philosophy which hold one race superior and another inferior
Is finally and permanently discredited and abandoned -
Everywhere is war -
Me say war.

That until there no longer first class and second class citizens of any nation
Until the colour of a man's skin is of no more significance than the colour of his eyes -
Me say war.

That until the basic human rights are equally guaranteed to all,
Without regard to race -
Dis a war.

That until that day the dream of lasting peace,
World citizenship, rule of international morality
Will remain in but a fleeting illusion to be pursued, but never attained -
Now everywhere is war - war.

And until the ignoble and unhappy regimes that hold our brothers in Angola,
In Mozambique, South Africa, sub-human bondage
Have been toppled, utterly destroyed -
Well, everywhere is war -
Me say war.

War in the east, war in the west,
War up north, war down south -
War - war -
Rumours of war.
And until that day,
The African continent will not know peace,
We Africans will fight - we find it necessary -
And we know we shall win
As we are confident
In the victory

Of good over evil -
Good over evil, yeah!
Good over evil -
Good over evil, yeah!
Good over evil -
Good over evil, yeah!

**************************************
War performed live.



**************************************
Here is a new version from Playing for Change featuring Bono

Protest Songs

These are some songs that have been used as anthems for different causes.

Ohio - by Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young is a song about an anti-war protest at Kent State University in Ohio. The National Guard opened fired and shot into the crowd of peaceful protesters. 4 students were killed. It was an event that shocked the nation.



*********************************
For What It's Worth always reminds me of the 1960s and the turbulance that was about to happen. The 60s were a time of hope and massive change, but it was also very messy. There were protests and riots, people were killed, beaten and arrested. The world was changing and the United States was experiencing massive changes.

This song is by Buffalo Springfield, "For What It's Worth"



*********************************
The changes that started in the 1960s continued for many decades. In the 1980s however, Ronald Regan was elected president, and the mood in the country became more conservative. The gap between the rich and poor began to grow again. Mental hospitals were closed and people with mental illness began living on the streets as homeless people. Arrests for drug possession increased and more people were in prison. The government engaged in secret wars in Nicaragua, El Salvador and Guatemala, and sold guns to Iran (also in secret). It was a dark time for many, but there was still hope for change. Tracy Chapman captures the spirit of these times in her song, "Talkin' Bout a Revolution".

Blowin' in the Wind

Peter, Paul and Mary made the song popular



Bob Dylan wrote the song

She Keeps Me Warm - Mary Lambert

Here is one video of Mary Lambert singing "She Keeps Me Warm"

)

She says I smell like safety and home
I named both of her eyes “Forever” and “Please don’t go”
I could be a morning sunrise all the time, all the time yeah
This could be good, this could be good

And I can’t change, even if I tried
Even if I wanted to
And I can’t change, even if I tried
Even if I wanted to
My love, my love, my love, my love
She keeps me warm, she keeps me warm

What’s your middle name?
Do you hate your job?
Do you fall in love too easily?
What’s your favorite word?
You like kissing girls?
Can I call you baby?
Yeah, yeah

She says that people stare ‘cuz we look so good together
Yeah, yeah, yeah

And I can’t change, even if I tried
Even if I wanted to
And I can’t change, even if I tried
Even if I wanted to
My love, my love, my love, my love
She keeps me warm, she keeps me warm [x2]

I’m not crying on Sundays, I’m not crying on Sundays [x2]
Love is patient, love is kind [x4]
My love, my love, my love, my love
She keeps me warm, she keeps me warm

***************************************
Here is the 2013 video

)


****************************************
Macklemore, Ryan Lewis and Mary Lambert

Same Love

)

When I was in the third grade I thought that I was gay,
'Cause I could draw, my uncle was, and I kept my room straight.
I told my mom, tears rushing down my face
She's like "Ben you've loved girls since before pre-k, trippin'."
Yeah, I guess she had a point, didn't she?
Bunch of stereotypes all in my head.
I remember doing the math like, "Yeah, I'm good at little league."
A preconceived idea of what it all meant
For those that liked the same sex
Had the characteristics
The right wing conservatives think it's a decision
And you can be cured with some treatment and religion
Man-made rewiring of a predisposition
Playing God, aw nah here we go
America the brave still fears what we don't know
And God loves all his children, is somehow forgotten
But we paraphrase a book written thirty-five-hundred years ago
I don't know

And I can't change
Even if I tried
Even if I wanted to
And I can't change
Even if I tried
Even if I wanted to
My love
My love
My love
She keeps me warm
She keeps me warm
She keeps me warm
She keeps me warm

If I was gay, I would think hip-hop hates me
Have you read the YouTube comments lately?
"Man, that's gay" gets dropped on the daily
We become so numb to what we're saying
A culture founded from oppression
Yet we don't have acceptance for 'em
Call each other faggots behind the keys of a message board
A word rooted in hate, yet our genre still ignores it
Gay is synonymous with the lesser
It's the same hate that's caused wars from religion
Gender to skin color, the complexion of your pigment
The same fight that led people to walk outs and sit ins
It's human rights for everybody, there is no difference!
Live on and be yourself
When I was at church they taught me something else
If you preach hate at the service those words aren't anointed
That holy water that you soak in has been poisoned
When everyone else is more comfortable remaining voiceless
Rather than fighting for humans that have had their rights stolen
I might not be the same, but that's not important
No freedom 'til we're equal, damn right I support it

(I don't know)

And I can't change
Even if I tried
Even if I wanted to
My love
My love
My love
She keeps me warm
She keeps me warm
She keeps me warm
She keeps me warm

We press play, don't press pause
Progress, march on
With the veil over our eyes
We turn our back on the cause
'Til the day that my uncles can be united by law
When kids are walking 'round the hallway plagued by pain in their heart
A world so hateful some would rather die than be who they are
And a certificate on paper isn't gonna solve it all
But it's a damn good place to start
No law is gonna change us
We have to change us
Whatever God you believe in
We come from the same one
Strip away the fear
Underneath it's all the same love
About time that we raised up... sex

And I can't change
Even if I tried
Even if I wanted to
And I can't change
Even if I tried
Even if I wanted to
My love
My love
My love
She keeps me warm
She keeps me warm
She keeps me warm
She keeps me warm

Love is patient
Love is kind
Love is patient
Love is kind
(not crying on Sundays)
Love is patient
(not crying on Sundays)
Love is kind
(I'm not crying on Sundays)
Love is patient
(not crying on Sundays)
Love is kind
(I'm not crying on Sundays)
Love is patient
(not crying on Sundays)
Love is kind
(I'm not crying on Sundays)
Love is patient
Love is kind

***************************************
Madonna, Mackelmore and Ryan Lewis, and Mary Lambert at the Grammy Awards performing "Same Love"
Queen Latifah performed a marriage ceremony with 33 couples. A few of them were same sex couples.

)

Eurythmics and Aretha Franklin - Sisters Are Doing It

Now there was a time when we used to say that behind every great man there had to be a great woman
But in these times of change you know that it's no longer true
So we're comin' out of the kitchen 'cause there's something we forgot to say to you
We say, "Sisters are doin' it for themselves"
Standin' on their own two feet and ringin' on their own bells
We say, "Sisters are doin' it for themselves"

Now this is a song to celebrate the conscious liberation of the female state
Mothers, daughters and their daughters too
Woman to woman we're singing with you
The inferior sex has got a new exterior
We got doctors, lawyers (Yes we do), politicians too
Everybody take a look around
Can you see, can you see, can you see there's a woman right next to you
We say, "Sisters are doin' it for themselves" (Oh yes we are)
Standin' on their own two feet an ringin' on their own bells
Sisters are doin' it for themselves
Now we ain't makin' stories and we ain't layin' plans
Don't you know that a man still loves a woman and a woman still loves a man just the same way

Sisters are doin' it for themselves
There was a time (There was a time), when they used to say (When they used to say)
That behind every great man there had to be a great woman
In these times of change you know that it's no longer true
So we're comin' out of the kitchen 'cause there's something we forgot to say to you
We say, "Sisters are doin' it for themselves"
Standin' on their own two feet and ringin' on their own bells
Sisters are doin' it for themselves (C'mon yeah, go for it, go for it)
Sisters (Sisters) are doin' it for themselves (Step on, c'mon do it girl)
Sisters are doin' it for themselves (Doin' it, doin' it, doin' it, doin' it, doin' it)
Sisters are doin' it for themselves (Doin' it, do it, doin' it, doin' it)
Sisters are doin' it for themselves (Doin' it for themselves) (Doin' it, doin' it, doin' it, doin' it)
Sisters are doin' it for themselves
I said, "Sisters are doin' it for themselves" (People pay, hear what we say)
Standin' on their own two feet an ringin' on their own bells (Sisters are doin' it for themselves)
Here we come now, doin' it, doin' it, we're doin' it, doin' it (Sisters are doin' it for themselves)

Aretha Franklin - RESPECT

)



What you want, baby, I got it
What's you need? You know I got it
All I'm askin' is for a little respect when you get home
Hey baby, when you get home, mister

I ain't gonna do you wrong while you're gone
I ain't gonna do you wrong because I don't wanna
All I'm askin' is for a little respect when you get home
Hey baby, when you get home, listen

I'm about to give all of my money
And all I'm askin' in return, honey
You give me my profits when you get there
Yeah baby, when you get home, oh, yeah, ooh

Your kiss is sweeter than honey
Guess what? So is my money
All I need is just a little respect when you get home
Baby, when you get home
[Incomprehensible] on me

R E S P E C T
Find out what it means to me
R E S P E C T
Take care, T C B

Oh, a little respect
Yeah, baby, I want a little respect
Now, I get tired, but I keep on tryin'
Runnin' out of foolin', I ain't lyin'
Yes, respect, all I need is respect

All I want, ooh yeah, I want little respect
Yeah, baby, a little respect
Oh honey, sock it to me
[Incomprehensible]
Ooh, I want a little respect

Alicia Keys - A Woman's Worth

)



You could buy me diamonds
You could buy me pearls
Take me on a cruise around the world
Baby, you know I'm worth it

Dinner lit by candles
Run my bubble bath
Make love tenderly to last and last
Baby, you know I'm worth it

Wanna please, wanna keep
Wanna treat your woman right
Not just dough, better show
That you know she is worth your time

You will lose if you choose
To refuse to put her first
She will and she can
Find a man who knows her worth

'Cuz a real man knows a real woman when he sees her
And a real woman knows a real man ain't afraid to please her
And a real woman knows a real man always come first
And a real man just can't deny a womans worth

If you treat me fairly
I'll give you all my goods
Treat you like a real woman should
Baby, I know you're worth it

If you never play me
Promise not to bluff
I'll hold it down when shit gets rough
'Cuz baby, I know you're worth it

She walks the mile, makes you smile
All the while being true
Don't take for granted
The passion that she has for you

You will lose if you choose
To refuse to put her first
She will and she can
Find a man who knows her worth, ooh

'Cuz a real man knows a real woman when he sees her
And a real woman knows a real man ain't afraid to please her
And a real woman knows a real man always comes first
And a real man just can't deny a womans worth

No need to read between the lines spelled out for you
Just hear this song 'cuz you can't go wrong when you value
A womans worth
(Womans, womans, womans)

'Cuz a real man knows a real woman when he sees her
And a real woman knows a real man ain't afraid to please her
And a real woman knows a real man always comes first
And a real man just can't deny a womans worth

'Cuz a real man knows a real woman when he sees her
And a real woman knows a real man ain't afraid to please her
And a real woman knows a real man always comes first
And a real man just can't deny a womans worth

Alicia Keys - Superwoman

)



Everywhere I'm turning
Nothing seems complete
I stand up and I'm searching
For the better part of me

I hang my head from sorrow
State of humanity
I wear it on my shoulders
Gotta find the strength in me

'Cause I am a Superwoman
Yes I am, yes she is
Still when I'm a mess, I still put on a vest
With a S on my chest
Oh yes, I'm a Superwoman

This is for all the mothers fighting
For better days to come
And all my women
All my women sitting here trying
To come home before the sun

And all my sisters coming together
Say yes I will, yes I can

'Cause I am a Superwoman
Yes I am, yes she is
Still when I'm a mess, I still put on a vest
With an S on my chest
Oh yes, I'm a Superwoman

When I'm breaking down and I can't be found
As I start to get weak
'Cause no one knows me underneath these clothes
But I can fly, we can fly, oh

'Cause I am a Superwoman
Yes I am, yes she is
Even when I'm a mess, I still put on a vest
With an S on my chest
Oh yes, I'm a Superwoman, yes she is

Let me tell you, I am a Superwoman
Yes I am, yes she is
See, even when I'm a mess, I still put on a vest
With an S on my chest
Oh yes, I'm a Superwoman
Yes I am, said I'm a Superwoman, yes you are

Oh yeah, I'm tellin' you
I'm super, so super
I'm super, so super
Yes I am, yes we are
Yes I am, yes you are

Katy Perry - Roar

Do you notice anything similar between this song and "I Am Woman"?

)

I used to bite my tongue and hold my breath
Scared to rock the boat and make a mess
So I sat quietly, agreed politely
I guess that I forgot I had a choice
I let you push me past the breaking point
I stood for nothing, so I fell for everything

You held me down, but I got up (HEY!)
Already brushing off the dust
You hear my voice, you hear that sound
Like thunder gonna shake the ground
You held me down, but I got up (HEY!)
Get ready 'cause I’ve had enough
I see it all, I see it now

[Chorus]
I got the eye of the tiger, a fighter, dancing through the fire
'Cause I am a champion and you’re gonna hear me roar
Louder, louder than a lion
'Cause I am a champion and you’re gonna hear me roar
Oh oh oh oh oh oh
Oh oh oh oh oh oh
Oh oh oh oh oh oh
You’re gonna hear me roar

Now I’m floating like a butterfly
Stinging like a bee I earned my stripes
I went from zero, to my own hero

You held me down, but I got up (HEY!)
Already brushing off the dust
You hear my voice, you hear that sound
Like thunder gonna shake the ground
You held me down, but I got up (HEY!)
Get ready ’cause I’ve had enough
I see it all, I see it now

[Chorus]
I got the eye of the tiger, a fighter, dancing through the fire
‘Cause I am a champion and you’re gonna hear me roar
Louder, louder than a lion
‘Cause I am a champion and you’re gonna hear me roar
Oh oh oh oh oh oh
Oh oh oh oh oh oh
Oh oh oh oh oh oh
You’re gonna hear me roar
Oh oh oh oh oh oh
Oh oh oh oh oh oh
You'll hear me roar
Oh oh oh oh oh oh
You're gonna hear me roar...

Ro-oar, ro-oar, ro-oar, ro-oar, ro-oar

I got the eye of the tiger, a fighter, dancing through the fire
‘Cause I am a champion and you’re gonna hear me roar
Louder, louder than a lion
‘Cause I am a champion and you’re gonna hear me roar
Oh oh oh oh oh oh
Oh oh oh oh oh oh
Oh oh oh oh oh oh
You’re gonna hear me roar
Oh oh oh oh oh oh
Oh oh oh oh oh oh
You'll hear me roar
Oh oh oh oh oh oh
You're gonna hear me roar...

Helen Reddy - "I Am Woman"

This was Helen Reddy's first number one song. The United Nations declared 1975 the International Women's Year and chose this song as the theme. Helen Reddy won a Grammy Award for this song and in her acceptance speech she said, "I'd like to thank God because SHE made everything possible".



I am woman, hear me roar in numbers too big to ignore
And I know too much to go back and pretend
'Cause I've heard it all before and I've been down there on the floor
No one's ever gonna keep me down again
Oh yes, I am wise, but it's wisdom born of pain
Yes, I've paid the price, but look how much I gained
If I have to, I can do anything
I am strong. I am invincible. I am woman
You can bend but never break me
'Cause it only serves to make me more determined to achieve my final goal
And I come back even stronger, not a novice any longer
'Cause you've deepened the conviction in my soul
Oh yes, I am wise but it's wisdom born of pain
Yes, I've paid the price but look how much I gained
If I have to, I can do anything
I am strong. I am invincible. I am woman
I am woman watch me grow
See me standing toe to toe as I spread my loving arms across the land
But I'm still an embryo with a long, long way to go
Until I make my brother understand
Oh yes, I am wise
But it's wisdom born of pain
Yes, I've paid the price
But look how much I gained
If I have to, I can face anything
I am strong
I am invincible
I am woman
I am woman
I am invincible
I am strong
I am woman
I am invincible
I am strong
I am woman


Here is a short documentary about Helen Reddy. She moved back to Australia. She lives a very simple life and no one knows who she is.

If I Were A Boy

Beyonce, If I Were a Boy Official Video



With lyrics

Tracy Chapman

Behind the Wall



Last night I heard the screaming
Loud voices behind the wall
Another sleepless night for me
It won't do no good to call
The police always come late
If they come at all

Last night I heard the screaming
Loud voices behind the wall
Another sleepless night for me
It won't do no good to call
The police always come late
If they come at all

And when they arrive
They say they can't interfere
With domestic affairs
Between a man and his wife
And as they walk out the door
The tears well up in her eyes

Last night I heard the screaming
Then a silence that chilled my soul
I prayed that I was dreaming
When I saw the ambulance in the road
And the policeman said
"I'm here to keep the peace
Will the crowd disperse
I think we all could use some sleep"

Last night I heard the screaming
Loud voices behind the wall
Another sleepless night for me
It won't do no good to call
The police always come late
If they come at all


Fast Car



You got a fast car
I want a ticket to anywhere
Maybe we make a deal
Maybe together we can get somewhere
Any place is better
Starting from zero got nothing to lose
Maybe we'll make something
Me myself I got nothing to prove

You got a fast car
I got a plan to get us out of here
I been working at the convenience store
Managed to save just a little bit of money
Won't have to drive too far
Just 'cross the border and into the city
You and I can both get jobs
And finally see what it means to be living

See my old man's got a problem
He live with the bottle that's the way it is
He says his body's too old for working
His body's too young to look like his
My mama went off and left him
She wanted more from life than he could give
I said somebody's got to take care of him
So I quit school and that's what I did

You got a fast car
Is it fast enough so we can fly away?
We gotta make a decision
Leave tonight or live and die this way

I remember when we were driving driving in your car
Speed so fast I felt like I was drunk
City lights lay out before us
And your arm felt nice wrapped 'round my shoulder
And I had a feeling that I belonged
I had a feeling I could be someone, be someone, be someone

You got a fast car
We go cruising, entertain ourselves
You still ain't got a job
And I work in a market as a checkout girl
I know things will get better
You'll find work and I'll get promoted
We'll move out of the shelter
Buy a bigger house and live in the suburbs

I remember when we were driving driving in your car
Speed so fast I felt like I was drunk
City lights lay out before us
And your arm felt nice wrapped 'round my shoulder
And I had a feeling that I belonged
I had a feeling I could be someone, be someone, be someone

You got a fast car
I got a job that pays all our bills
You stay out drinking late at the bar
See more of your friends than you do of your kids
I'd always hoped for better
Thought maybe together you and me'd find it
I got no plans I ain't going nowhere
So take your fast car and keep on driving

I remember when we were driving driving in your car
Speed so fast I felt like I was drunk
City lights lay out before us
And your arm felt nice wrapped 'round my shoulder
And I had a feeling that I belonged
I had a feeling I could be someone, be someone, be someone

You got a fast car
Is it fast enough so you can fly away?
You gotta make a decision
Leave tonight or live and die this way

*****************************************

Tracy Chapman Collection - Full Album

You Don't Own Me

This is another song from the 60's that signals a change is coming. This is a woman who is being very assertive and telling a man that she wants to be treated the same way he is. It gives you an idea of what it was like for women at that time that someone had to write a song singing "Don't tell me what to say." Later she says, "I'm young and I love to be young. I'm free and I love to be free."



You don't own me
I'm not just one of your many toys
You don't own me
Don't say I can't go with other boys

And don't tell me what to do
And don't tell me what to say
And please, when I go out with you,
Don't put me on display 'cause

You don't own me
Don't try to change me in any way
You don't own me
Don't tie me down 'cause I'd never stay

I don't tell you what to say
I don't tell you what to do
So, just let me be myself
That's all I ask of you

I'm young and I love to be young
I'm free and I love to be free
To live my life the way I want,
To say and do whatever I please


And don't tell me what to do
Oh, don't tell me what to say
And please, when I go out with you,
Don't put me on display

I don't tell you what to say,
Oh, don't tell you what to do
So, just let me be myself
That's all I ask of you

I'm young and I love to be young
I'm free and I love to be free
To live my life the way I want

Joni Mitchell

Little Green

This is a song about a child Joni had when she was a struggling singer in Toronto. She was not married and in those days, it was not okay for women to have children if they were single. Joni put the baby up for adoption. The song is very beautiful, and very sad. It's very personal.




**********************************************

Here is a clip from a documentary about Joni Mitchell. It is about her finding the daughter she put up for adoption.



*********************************************
This is her album "Blue". This is the album that "Little Green" comes from. This is classic Joni Mitchell.



*********************************************

This is "The Hissing of Summer Lawns". Here she is moving more towards Jazz.



********************************************
This is one of Joni Mitchell's more well-known songs.

Big Yellow Taxi



They paved paradise
And put up a parking lot
With a pink hotel *, a boutique
And a swinging hot spot

Don't it always seem to go
That you don't know what you've got
Till it's gone
They paved paradise
And put up a parking lot

They took all the trees
Put 'em in a tree museum *
And they charged the people
A dollar and a half just to see 'em

Don't it always seem to go
That you don't know what you've got
Till it's gone
They paved paradise
And put up a parking lot

Hey farmer farmer
Put away that DDT * now
Give me spots on my apples
But leave me the birds and the bees
Please!

Don't it always seem to go
That you don't know what you've got
Till it's gone
They paved paradise
And put up a parking lot

Late last night
I heard the screen door slam
And a big yellow taxi
Took away my old man

Don't it always seem to go
That you don't know what you've got
Till it's gone
They paved paradise
And put up a parking lot

They paved paradise
And put up a parking lot

I'm A Woman

I'm A Woman - sung by Peggy Lee (1963)



I can wash out forty four pairs of socks
And have 'em hangin' out on the line
I can starch and iron two dozen shirts
'Fore you can count from one to nine

I can scoop up a great big dipper full of lard
From the dripping's can
Throw it in the skillet, do my shopping
Be back before it melts in the pan

'Cause I'm a woman
W O M A N
I'll say it again

I can rub and scrub
'Til this old house shinin' like a dime
Feed the baby, grease the car and
Powder my face at the same time

Get all dressed up
Go out swing 'til 4 a.m. and then
Lay down at 5, jump up at 6
And start all over again

'Cause I'm a woman
W O M A N
I'll say it again

If you come to me sickly
You know I'm gonna make you well
If you come to me all hexed up
You know I'm gonna break the spell

If you come to me hungry
You know I'm gonna fill you full of grits
If it's lovin you're likin'
I'll kiss you and give you the shiverin' fits

'Cause I'm a woman
W O M A N
I'll say it again

I got a twenty dollar gold piece
Says there ain't nothing I can't do
I can make a dress out of a feed bag
And I can make a man out of you

'Cause I'm a woman
W O M A N
I'll say it again

'Cause I'm a woman
W O M A N
And that's all

***************************************
Here is a more modern version sung by American Idol contestant Melinda Doolittle




**************************************

Here is another song called "I'm a Woman" by Koko Taylor





Oh, yeah, oh, yeah
Everything, everything
Everything gone be alright
Oh, yeah

When I was a little girl, only twelve years old
I couldn't do nothing to save my dog gone soul
My mama told me the day I was grown
She says, "Sing the blues child, sing it from now on"

I'm a woman, oh, yeah
I'm a woman, I'm a ball of fire
I'm a woman, I can make love to a crocodile
I'm a woman, I can sing the blues
I'm a woman, I can change old to new

Spell W O M A N, oh, yeah

That means I'm grown
I'm a woman, I'm a rushing wind
I'm a woman, I can cut stone with a pin
I'm a woman, I'm a love maker
I'm a woman, you know I'm an earth shaker

I'm a woman, I'm a rushing wind
I'm a woman, I can cut stone with a pin
I'm a woman, I know my stuff
I'm a woman, I ain't never had enough

I'm goin' down yonder, behind the sun
Gonna do some for you, ain't never been done
I'ma hold back the lightning, with the palm of my hand
Shake hands with the devil, make him crawl in the sand

I'm a woman, oh, yeah
I'm a woman, I'm a ball of fire
I'm a woman, I can make love to a crocodile
I'm a woman, I'm a love maker
I'm a woman, you know I'm an earth shaker
Oh, oh, oh, oh, I'm a woman