Fantasy is what you want
But reality is what you need
Suffering tears from your past
Knowing well that you're a broken cast
Is it you? Or is it me
That's the question every day I ask
To be happy, or to be free that's a part of me you'll never see
How long must it be this way
How long does it have to take
How long must feel this way
What else does it have to take
Being woman, woman
Ain't no play
Being woman, woman
Ain't no shame
A tortured soul
A broken life, a repetition of my mother's life
Ridiculed and lead astray, for the strength I had to give away
Damned by love, experience
The possibilities of being gay
Forgetting all you had to say, was the easiest thing that I could do
How long must it be this way
How long does it have to take
How long must feel this way
What else does it have to take
Being woman, woman
Ain't no play
Being woman, woman
Ain't no shame