On Sunday, September 18th, a group of women met in Port Townsend, Washington, to live-stream a message to the world in support of Julie Jaman, the woman banned by the local YMCA for asking a man (who claims he’s a woman) to leave the women’s locker room. You can view our live-stream HERE. This was a follow-up to the event we held on August 15th, during which we were attacked by hundreds of people who drowned out our words, assaulted us, and stole things from us, as the police stood by. (See my substack article on that here.)
We need more music in our fight against the Gender Identity Madness. Music empowers, inspires, invigorates, educates, and persuades. That’s why I’m using this post to share with gender critics everywhere songs I prepared for use at the Port Townsend event, some of which appear in the live stream. Below you will find the words and a recording of me singing them, for the following songs. I did the quick recordings on my phone to help people know how the words line up with the melodies.
Wouldn’t It Be Loverly
There Once Was A Woman Who Swallowed a Lie
I Am Woman
Blowing in the Wind
The Swimming Maid (sung to The Union Maid.)
Skip to the Loo
Ain’t Gonna Let Nobody Turn Me Around
We Shall Not Be Moved
The lyrics provided here are largely ones I made up. But some original words are there, too, i.e. in “I Am Woman.” Feel free, of course, to write new verses, if so inspired! If groups with websites that reach a lot of people want to create pages where we can find and share songs like these, that would be great.
A couple of the songs are traditional civil rights anthems. We’re the ones defending civil rights, and we need to claim that mantle for ourselves musically. I urge people everywhere to use other civil rights songs in addition to the two included here.
So without further ado, here are the songs. Enjoy them. Use them. Make and share your own.
Sing on! Fight on!
WOULDN’T IT BE LOVERLY.
All I want is my civil rights,
Won through centuries of long hard fights,
And living free of stereotypes!
Oh, wouldn’t it be loverly.
No more men standing on my neck,
Telling me to show them respect.
Their rank misogyny’s in check
Oh wouldn’t it be loverly.
Oh, so loverly being abso-blooming-lutely free,
To be with only women when, whenever we want to be.
All I want is a room somewhere.
Far away from the cold night air,
With only girls and women there,
Oh wouldn’t it be loverly.
Far away from the mad woke herd,
The things we won, they’re all still secured.
Each space, each sport, each word
Oh wouldn’t it be loverly.
Loverly. Loverly. Loverly. Loverly.
RECORDING OF “WOULDN’T IT BE LOVERLY:
THERE ONCE WAS A WOMAN WHO SWALLOWED A LIE
There once was a woman who swallowed a lie,
I don’t know why she swallowed the lie,
Oh why, oh why?
There once was a woman who swallowed a lie
That men can be women instead of a guy,
Oh why, oh why?
There once was a woman who swallowed a rule,
That challenging men in the women’s is cruel
She swallowed the rule that flowed from the lie
That men can be women instead of a guy
Oh why, oh why?
There once was a woman who stepped to the side,
As a man in her race, passed her by with his stride.
She stepped to the side cuz she’d swallowed the rule,
That challenging men is simply too cruel.
She swallowed the rule that flowed from the lie,
That men can be women instead of a guy.
Oh why oh why?
{PAUSE}
There was an old woman who went for a swim,
Then stepped from the shower right into a him.
She opened her mouth and she told him to leave
She had swallowed no lie, so she wasn’t deceived.
But along came the woman who’d swallowed the lie,
Incensed that a gal saw a guy as a guy
She told the old woman, “You’re banned from this pool,
Cuz telling the truth makes you hateful and cruel.”
But…….
The old woman wouldn’t lie down like a mat.
She gathered her friends and we’re all fighting back.
Courage calls courage, that’s how things begin.
We won’t swallow lies, and we know that we’ll win.
We know we’ll win.
RECORDING OF “THERE ONCE WAS A WOMAN….”:
I AM WOMAN (Verses 3 and 4 are new. Others are from the original.)
Verse 1
I am woman, hear me roar
In numbers too big to ignore
And I know too much to go back an' pretend
'Cause I've heard it all before
And I've been down there on the floor
No one's ever gonna keep me down again
Chorus
Oh yes I am wise
But it's wisdom born of pain
Yes, I've paid the price
But look how much I gained
If I have to, I can do anything
I am strong (strong)
I am invincible (invincible)
I am woman
Verse 2
You can bend but never break me
'Cause it only serves to make me
More determined to achieve my final goal
And I come back even stronger
Not a novice any longer
'Cause you've deepened the conviction in my soul.
Chorus (Same as above.)
Verse 3
I say let this woman swim,
Her locker room’s for her, not him.
We fought too hard to win this basic right.
We’re not leaving here, no way.
Mark my words, we’re here to stay.
The more you push us down, the more we fight.
Chorus
Your ideology
Is regressive as they come.
You preach misogyny.
We’re are kind, but we’re not dumb.
We remember, the ones who fought before.
We are strong (strong).
We are invincible.
We are woman.
Verse 4
Oh, our sex-based privacy
Is grounded in biology.
No, womanhood is not a state of mind.
You think it’s stunning and it’s great,
Our words to appropriate.
But you’re the ones who are being quote unkind.
Chorus
The voices of our mothers
Shout from books upon our shelves.
We’re keeping up the fight,
For Our Bodies, For Our Selves.
If we have to, we can do anything.
We are strong (strong). We are invincible. We are woman.
Verse 5 (which I didn’t sing in Port Townsend): I am woman watch me grow
See me standing toe to toe
As I spread my lovin' arms across the land
But I'm still an embryo
With a long long way to go
Until I make my brother understand
Chorus: See first chorus at top of the song.
RECORDING OF “I AM WOMAN”:
Listen also to Helen Reddy sing “I Am Woman” here. I may have done some notes differently than her. (But hey that’s how folk music works!)
BLOWING IN THE WIND
How many times must we women folk fight
To win what we’ve already won?
Yes, and how many times will some fools sell us out,
Making all our hard work come undone?
Oh, and how many bouts will it take til our rights,
Stand there safe and secure in the sun?
The answer my friends, on you and me depends.
The answer on you and me depends.
How many times will some men tell us lies, assuming we’ll all just play dumb?
How many times must we forfeit our bread, and then thank the thief for a crumb?
And why must we all praise the emperor’s clothes, when he’s naked as ever they come?
The answer depends, on you and me, my friends. The answer on you and me depends.
How many times on this circular path, must we all go around and around?
Yes and How many times will it take til we stop, by planting our feet on the ground?
Today is the day that we’ll do that at last, so join in this wonderful sound!
It’s time now my friend, the travesty to end; it’s time now the travesty to end.
The answer my friends, on you and me depends. The answer on you and me depends.
RECORDING OF “BLOWING IN THE WIND”":
THE SWIMMING MAID
VERSE 1
There once was a swimming maid, who never was afraid
Of the sexist snobs and the cultish mobs, and the mayor’s ignorance on parade
She stood up in the square, & proclaimed to everyone there,
That a women’s right, is worth the fight, and we will not despair.
CHORUS 1
Oh, you can’t scare me, I’m sticking with the women,
I’m sticking with the women. I’m sticking with the women.
Oh, you can’t scare me, I’m sticking with the women, I’m sticking with the women
Who came before.
VERSE 2
There’s Stanton and Susan B, and more in our herstory,
The Pankhurst gals, and Ida B Wells, women who fought for you and me,
Sojourner Truth, and Stone, no we are not alone,
On their shoulders we stand, as we fight hand in hand, we refuse to not be free.
CHORUS 2
Oh, you can’t scare me, I’m sticking with the women,
I’m sticking with the women, I’m sticking with the women.
Oh, you can’t scare me, I’m sticking with the women, I’m sticking with the women
Who came before.
VERSE 3
All around the world, our banners are unfurled
We’ve had enough, we’re rising up, With the madness we won’t go along.
From here to everywhere, we womenfolk declare,
We’ll defend each right, Oh, we’re gonna fight, With protests, suits and song.
CHORUS 3
Oh you can’t scare me, I’m sticking with the women,
I’m sticking with the women, I’m sticking with the women.
Oh, you can’t scare me, I’m sticking with the women, I’m sticking with the women,
All around the world.
RECORDING OF “THE SWIMMING MAID”:
SKIP TO THE LOO
Skip, skip, skip to the loo.
Skip, skip, skip to the loo.
Skip, skip, skip to the loo, skip to the loo, my darlin’.
Men in the women’s, what’ll I do?
Men in the women’s, what’ll I do?
Men in the women’s, what’ll I do? A man’s in my loo, my darlin’.
Say “No, that won’t do.”
Say “No, that won’t do.”
Say “No, that won’t do.” Get out of my loo my darlin’
Skip to the locker room, men are there, too.
Skip to the locker room, men are there, too.
Skip to the locker room, men are there, too. What should I do, my darlin’.
Say “No, that won’t do.” ……….Get out of the room, my darlin’
Men in women’s prisons, what’ll we do…………………….…What will we do my darlin’?
Say, No that won’t do…………………………… Get out of our prisons, darlin’
SLOWLY:
Just cuz you believe in Gender Woo.
Doesn’t mean that we do too.
Forcing your religion on us just won’t do
We have rights, oh yes, it’s true.
Yes, yes, we have rights. Yes, yes, we have rights.
Yes, yes, we have rights. Even in the loo my darlin’
La la, la-la-la-la
La la, la-la-la-la
La la, la-la-la-la, Get out of my loo, my darlin’
RECORDING OF “SKIP TO THE LOO”:
AIN’T GONNA LET NOBODY TURN ME AROUND
Ain’t gonna let nobody turn me around, turn me around, turn me around.
Ain’t gonna let nobody turn me around, I’m gonna keep on a-walkin’, keep on a-talkin’
Marchin’ down to freedom’s land.
Ain’t gonna let no mob turn me around
Ain’t gonna let nobody silence my voice
Ain’t gonna let nobody steal my words
Ain’t gonna let nobody turn me around
RECORDING OF “AIN’T GONNA LET NOBODY…”":
WE SHALL NOT BE MOVED
We shall not, we shall not be moved.
We shall not, we shall not be moved.
Just like a tree, that’s planted by the water, we shall not be moved.
We’re fighting for our spaces, we shall not be moved….
We’re fighting for our language, we shall not be moved…
We’re fighting for our children, we shall not be moved….
We’re fighting based in science, we shall not be moved….
We’re fighting for the truth, we shall not be moved….
We’re fighting for free speech, we shall not be moved….
We’re fighting for our freedom, we shall not be moved…
RECORDING OF “WE SHALL NOT BE MOVED”:
You are amazing! Thank you.
Great! Thank you!