Freedom

Dark rewrite of the George Michael song by the same name

Inspired by current headline news

We won't let you beat us down
We will not let you make us give up
Gonna have some faith in the new lives that we've found
It's the one good thing that we've got
To finally have the strength
To stand up to you and say stop
We won't let you keep beating us down
So don't you dare even try again to make us give up
Because no matter what you say or do
This time we swear
We're really, really not gonna stick around

Heaven knows some of us are still just young girls
Desperate only to be
Everything and anything that you ask us to be
All we hunger for is be a man, any man's pride and joy
Now we've got to realize
This kind of life is never gonna be enough for us
Sick of the mirrors reflecting our black and blue faces
Thru with your fists so angry
Trying to shove us back into place
Brand new confidence and bright, relaxed smiles on our faces
Fighting back hard against what you have tried so hard to make us be
Oh yes we know
Today will not be the same
As that horrible yesterday
No way
Think we may finally have found a way
To be free and happy

We think it's time with your abuse we were thru
We think it's time you quit trying to beat us down
Like we were your rapper girlfriend hos
There's something deep inside of us
There's stronger women we know we can be
Take back your so called macho games
Take back all the damn pain
Women beaters, you just better not misunderstand
Standing on our own now
Don't make the mistake of thinking
Any of these women are ever gonna come crawling back
To any of you men

Oh ladies all we have to do now
Is quit believing their lies and find within ourselves
What is really true
Oh yes, somehow
All we have to make ourselves see
Is that we don't belong to them
We owe nothing to anyone but ourselves
Freedom
Ladies, you gotta fight for what they're trying so hard to take

Heaven knows these guys act more like boys than men
Only way it seems they can get their kicks
Is to knock us all down
One by one
Oh girls, if you think that never could it happen to you
You're just foolin' yourselfs
Livin' in a fantasy
Trying to hide away your face in disgrace
When the fault is not yours
When the only shame anyone should be feelin' is them
For daring to deal another blow to your pretty face
Ought to run the scum all over
With our Suvs
Today, ladies, the way we've played the game is gonna change
Oh yeah
Now we're gonna get ourselves some happy

Oh your cruel, heartless beasts of men
We think it's time we were thru
We think it's time you learn
We're the ones who run this show
There's someone stronger inside each of us
There's someone better we know we can be
Take back your twisted macho games
Don't make the mistake of thinking that any of us will ever
Come back again
You just better understand
These women ain't ever gonna come crawling back
Back to you dirty old men

We think it's time with your abuse we were thru
We think it's time you quit trying to beat us down
Like we were your rapper girlfriend hos
There's something deep inside of us
There's stronger women we know we can be
Take back your so called macho games
Take back all the damn pain
Women beaters, you just better not misunderstand
Standing on our own now
Don't make the mistake of thinking
Any of these women are ever gonna come crawling back
To any of you men

Well at first they treat us to Heaven
Then little by little they start to give us hell
Tell us we better stay quiet
Don't say a word
If we know what's good for us
We'll keep it to ourselves
Understand which side our bread is buttered on
Or we'll get the knife as well as the bruises
Lie and deny
Keep them lookin' as perfect and as pretty as a picture
Nobody had better tell
And God forbid they should think
At another guy we've shaked our butts
For that
Gonna get hit hard and fast
Gonna make sure that it's our last mistake

Oh yes, ladies
That's what you get
That's what you get
They say
For trying to life
For trying to live your life
On your own terms

Oh ladies, please, I hope you'll listen this time
I hope that somehow you'll come to someday understand
Before it's too late
A strong one don't have to hit his lady
To feel like a man

Someday all you so called macho wannabes
We're gonna take our freedom
May not be what you want
Why should we care
This is just the way from now on it's gotta be
Back those fists away from our faces
Don't want to
Won't die
So before tomorrow finds you
Putting us six feet deep under
Forever
We're gonna be leaving you, today!

2009 Ramona Thompson