Day in and day out, people rush by me,
See past me, don't want to take another look at me.
“Get off the bus! This is for white people!”
“Colored seated in the rear.”
And I bite my tongue, turn my cheek,
and life carries on.

Working shifts longer than is legal,
for wages lower than is equal,
I will take what I can get;
And my pride takes the worst of it.
I shoulder it all, bite my tongue, turn my cheek,
and life carries on.

Why? There are days I ask “why.”
For my two little babies, that’s why.
My two sweet princesses who dance and sing
Like nothing is wrong in the world,
Because nothing is wrong -- not in their world,
Where “all men are created equal,”
Of white knights and happily ever afters.

And I want to tell them:
“Knights come in every shape and color, so no --
you don’t need a white knight, or even any knight,
to have a happily ever after.”
I want to tell them:
“Sweetheart, life isn’t fair.”
But let's hope they'll never have to know.

Life isn’t fair, but I am going to change that.
No more lying, no more biting my tongue,
No more turning my cheek.
Life shall not go on -- I won’t let it.
Because this is no way to live.
But I am going to change that.

Why? They ask, “After all this time, why now?”
For my two little babies, that’s why.
My two angels who build forts and play dress up,
Pretending to be astronauts, mermaids, fairies --
Because they believe they can be anything.
Because they believe in me.

I hold my picket sign proud and tall
Among other like-minded kindred spirits,
I take a deep breath and open my mouth,
I -- for the first time it seems--

Speak.