Woman of the Ghetto (Live)

　　Woman of the Ghetto (Live) - Marlena Shaw

　　(ging, gi-gi-gi-gi-ging...)

　　(la-la-la-la-la-la-la, ...)

　　I was born, raised in a ghetto

　　I was born and raised in a ghetto

　　I'm a woman, of the ghetto

　　Won't you listen, won't you listen to me, legislator?

　　(ging, gi-gi-gi-gi-ging...)

　　How do you raise your kids in a ghetto?

　　How do you raise your kids in a ghetto?

　　Do you feed one child and starve another?

　　Won't you tell me, legislator?

　　Enthralled through

　　I know that my eyes ain't blue

　　But you see I'm a woman

　　Of the ghetto

　　I'm proud, free,

　　Black, that is me

　　But I'm a woman of the ghetto

　　(ging, gi-gi-gi-gi-ging...)

　　How does your heart feel late at night?

　　How does your heart feel late at night?

　　Does it beat with shame, or does it beat with pride?

　　I won't you tell me, tell me, legislator?

　　(na-na-na-na-na-na-na, ...)

　　Puts me in the mind of,

　　Come and cross the water in a boat

　　Chained, tied, together

　　They said, "no, no, they're really not man, and women,

　　Just chain 'em up, tie 'em up, chain 'em up, tie 'em up,

　　Chain 'em up, tie 'em up, work, work, work"

　　There's where the movement came from

　　Say no, no...

　　My children learned just the same as yours

　　As long as nobody tries to close the door

　　They cry with pain when the knife cuts deep

　　They even close their eyes when they wanna sleep

　　Now peace, you say

　　Is all that you ask

　　But self-respect is a separate task

　　You may be sitting up there

　　In your ivory tower

　　60 stories tall

　　I know that you may have checked out at least one ghetto

　　But I wonder have you lived there at all?

　　Places like Watts,

　　Ah, Holland, tell me

　　Chicago, ah tell me

　　Washington got some too

　　I have been up on the mountains, I

　　And I'm free at last

　　I say I'm free at last

　　I've seen the children dying

　　And I've been one of the mothers who was crying

　　(ging, gi-gi-gi-gi-ging...)

　　I am a woman

　　I am a woman

　　I am a woman, yes I

　　I said that I am,

　　I mean that I am,

　　I'm the woman, I'm the woman, I'm the woman of the ghetto

　　Strong, true,

　　A woman

　　A woman

　　You can walk through the streets of the ghetto at night

　　Whole lotta pretty, some ugly sites

　　Along comes the sleek limousine

　　Say "hey baby I got ten...

　　Look at me, I'm clean"

　　So she takes a little dope

　　What the hell everybody got to go

　　I got a baby

　　I got a baby

　　I got a baby i want to feed and I'm not really giving it all

　　Up, just a little ten-cent piece or two

　　Ah, the black woman...

　　But I ain't gonna raise your babies no more

　　I got a few on my own,

　　I wanna keep strolling,

　　I say I am a woman

　　Gi-gi-gi-gi-ging, I am

　　I

　　I am

　　I am

　　Remember me

　　I'm the one who had your babies, I

　　Gi-gi-gi-gi-ging, I am

　　I am a woman

　　Of the ghetto

　　Woman,

　　I'm a woman, yeah yeah yeah

　　Just a woman...