Struggling to Change Perspective
Full Article:
Willing To Fight
By Ani DiFranco, lyrics courtesy of
© Righteous Babe Records
The windows of my soul
are made of one way glass
don’t bother looking into my eyes
if there’s something you want to know,
just ask
I got a dead bolt stroll
where I’m going is clear
I won’t wait for you to wonder
I’ll just tell you why I’m here
‘cause I know the biggest crime
is just to throw up your hands
say
this has nothing to do with me
I just want to live as comfortably as I can
you got to look outside your eyes
you got to think outside your brain
you got to walk outside your life
to where the neighborhood changes
tell me who is your boogieman
that’s who I will be
you don’t have to like me for who I am
but we’ll see what you’re made of
by what you make of me
I think that it’s absurd
that you think I
am the derelict daughter
I fight fire with words
words are hotter than flames
words are wetter than water
I got friends all over this country
I got friends in other countries too
I got friends I haven’t met yet
I got friends I never knew
I got lovers whose eyes
I’ve only seen at a glance
I got strangers for great grandchildren
I got strangers for ancestors
I was a long time coming
I’ll be a long time gone
you’ve got your whole life to do something
and that’s not very long
so why don’t you give me a call
when you’re willing to fight
for what you think is real
for what you think is right
I was introduced to the amazing singer/songwriter Ani DiFranco during my late high school days. I was at first drawn to her catchy music and honest, raw lyrics, but kept listening because the activist nature of many of her songs inspired me.
I continued singing along in college as I joined several activist groups on campus and as I strove to make my art as powerful and meaningful as she had made hers. "Willing to Fight" was the first activist song I had really connected with. It encouraged me to travel around a bit to get a better perspective. It moved me to dedicate my life and my talents to a better world. It was the very beginning of building a more meaningful life.
