I AM WOMAN

From birth I am daddy's little girl
Loved, protected, fed and kept
In his heart and his home, I whirl, I twirl
I dance and sing; I woke and slept
And when every time he left
No goodbyes, no tears, no sad sighs
Just wait and wait to see that cleft
That chin, that grin, and to hear my cries
"Daddy's home, daddy's home"
Into daddy's waiting arms I run
And it was oh... so much fun

I am woman, small and meek

I am mummy's little helper
From small I learned to fetch and carry
Later to bake, to cook, to clean and to forever
be pretty so that one day I will marry
A man as strong as daddy.
She was always there, my mummy
Busy and gentle as a teddy bear
A perfect wife, a splendid mummy
Prim, proper, slim and fair
Tender, clever, and such a beauty

She was woman, small and meek

Then I grew up and found out
That daddy's home though gold and guilded
Is nothing but a cage, a hideout
Where women are but symbols of men the stud
It is home of the conqueror, the lord, the master
It is where patriarchy resides
Mummy and me?
We pledge his honour
We protect his name
We are always in his corner
And, yes oh yes, we are to blame

We are women, small and meek

When the dawning came and I took fright
I scream, I shout; then I ran, I fled
From a world where I had no rights
Where I am woman who merely bled
Dirty, foul, dank and sad.
When I left, I was alright
But daddy, mummy they were vilified
How did they bring me up
to allow such a flight
from everything that was right?

I would rather burn in hell
And be hell's bell
To ring the tune of their disaster
To end all that is sinister
The small, you know, can be full of mirth
And the meek, they say, shall inherit the Earth

I am woman, SMALL and MEEK.