"letter to a john" by Ani DiFranco

don't ask me why i'm crying
i'm not going to tell you what's wrong
i'm just gonna sit on your lap
for five dollars a song
i want you to pay me for my beauty
i think it's only right
'cause i have been paying for it
all of my life

i'm gonna take the money i make
i'm gonna take the money i make
i'm gonna take the money i make
and i'm gonna go away...

we barely have time to react in this world
let alone rehearse
and i don't think i'm better than you
but i don't think that i'm worse
women learn to be women
and men learn to be men
and i don't blame it all on you
but i don't want to be your friend

i'm gonna take the money i make
i'm gonna take the money i make
i'm gonna take the money i make
and i'm gonna go away...

i was eleven years old
he was as old as my dad
and he took something from me
i didn't even know that i had
so don't tell me about decency
don't tell me about pride
just give me something for my trouble
'cause this time, it's not a free ride

i'm gonna take the money i make
i'm gonna take the money i make
i'm gonna take the money i make
and i'm gonna go away...

don't ask me why i'm crying
i'm not going to tell you what's wrong
i'm just gonna sit on your lap
for ten dollars a songs
i want you to pay me for my beauty
i think it's only right
'cause i have been paying for it
all of my life

now i just wanna take
and i'm just gonna take
i'm gonna take
and i'm gonna go away

Ani DiFranco Lyrics brought to you by danah boyd since 1995