he said ani, you've gotten tough 'cause my tone was curt yeah, and when i'm approached in a dark alley i don't lift my skirt in this city self-preservation is a full time occupation i'm determined to survive on these shores i don't avert my eyes anymore in a man's world i am a woman by birth and after nineteen times around i have found they will stop at nothing once they know what you are worth talk to me now i played the powerless in too many dark scenes and i was blessed with a birth and a death and i guess i just want some say in between don't you understand in the day to day in the face to face i have to act just as strong as i can just to preserve a place where i can be who i am so if you still know how talk to me now
Ani DiFranco Lyrics brought to you by danah boyd since 1995