Independent Woman

[ VERSE 1 ] Ladies listen up, I really hope you're ready Cause what I've got to say is far from petty We've come a long way, baby, so maybe Shanté can help a sister that's way be- hind, lost in the mind and can't find Her way to a better day, you know the kind So wrapped up in fairy tale dreams So naive that every male seems Honest and loyal ready, to spoil Buyin him gifts as if the boy's loyal But Shanté is here just to say a few things Some you heard before, but some are new things So lend me your ears Dry up your tears And let's hear the cheers For the years Of the independent woman (Yeah) (Louder) [ VERSE 2 ] How many runny-nose kids can you have How many nights can you work on the ave. Your so-called man has a car and a Visa He's livin large while you're livin on pizza Unemployed while you wait for the perfect mate Let's get one thing straight cause it's gettin late What you're waitin for is really never comin No one hears the sorry tunes that you're hummin I'm here to bring the news, that if you're singin the blues Everyday, it will not change the views That people have of you, they say you're lost Nobody forced you to quit, your future's tossed You put your faith in the guys with the hazel eyes You thought you would get a prize, all you got was lies Now you're stuck in a room with a mopping broom Did you assume that one day you will find a groom? Are you dizzy, who would ever marry you? You're lookin for a man that will carry you And buy you nice things, like diamond rings You're amazed at the truth that my rhymin brings But the truth is the only way you'll ever see That the life that you're hopin for will never be But the race isn't over, put down the rope Shanté is here to say there's still hope So lend me your ears Dry up your tears And let's hear the cheers For the years Of the independent woman (Yeah) (Louder) [ VERSE 3 ] So much to live for, she wants to die Life's full of pitfalls, maybe that's why Her pops went to jail, her mother tapped her vein City took custody and trapped her in pain Feelin so alone in the room with a stranger Hates her own blood and nothing's gonna change her Angry at the world cause it doesn't play fair So much despair does she feel, no one to care Not a single family member will remember her Smoke's in her eyes, and the past is a blur She's on her own now, livin with some other girls With the same damn lives, but from a different world These girls are lost, how the city is full of fools So many years, no guidings, and no kinda rules No love to give Yo, they need love to live If not instead They'll ponder in a bed Sex is the thing that makes her feel wanted Love and care, for she's undaunted Because whoever is laying there won't really matter Such a sad song when young dreams shatter I really don't think glue is gonna fix it But homegirl can walk the right path if she picks it So lend me your ears Dry up your tears And let's hear the cheers For the years Of the independent woman (Yeah) (Louder) [ VERSE 4 ] The black woman role grows larger each day Nothing in the way so what we teach may Somehow help those young sisters that doze And sleepwalk through life with their eyes closed You don't need a man, all you need is to know you can Then you can stand on your own two feet and Achieve anything that you want out of life Do for yourself, then you can be a wife And you'll feel so good that you want to shout Because you got to the top and got there without Relyin on Tom, Dick, or Billy Dee You don't have to turn the lights on to really see So lend me your ears Dry up your tears And let's hear the cheers For the years Of the independent woman Independent woman