MUSIC VIDEO
LYRICS
Woke up this mornin' when chickens was crowin' for day
Felt on the right side of my pilla', my man gad gone away
By this pilla' he left a note readin', "I'm sorry, Jane, you got my goat
No time to marry, no time to settle down"
I'm a young woman and ain't done runnin' 'round
I'm a young woman and ain't done runnin' 'round
Some people call me a Hobo
Some call me a bum
Nobody knows my name, nobody knows what I've done
I'm as good as any woman in your town
I'm as good as any woman in your town
I ain't no high yeller
I'm a deep killer of brown
I ain't gonna marry, ain't gonna settle down
I'm gonna drink good Moonshine
And rub these browns down
I'm a deep killer of brown
I ain't gonna marry, ain't gonna settle down
I'm gonna drink good Moonshine
And rub these browns down
See that long lonesome road
Lawd, you know it's gotta and I'm a good woman and I can get plenty men
ANALYSIS
Bessie Smith was one of the most prominent blues singers of the 1920s. Her work was unique in that it encouraged working-class women to embrace their right to drink, party, and satisfy their sexual needs as a way to cope with the stress and dissatisfaction in their daily lives. These ideas were seen as distasteful and inappropriate for black women and thus her lyrics often met criticism from the African American community as being unrealistic portrayals of the black woman’s experience. Yet, rather than conform to the traditional notions of how a woman should act, Smith seeks solace in “good moonshine” rather than in marriage. Through lines like “I’m a young woman and I ain’t done runnin’ around,” Smith makes clear her desire and willingness to claim sexual and social freedom (“Bessie Smith…” 2001).
WORKS CITED
“Bessie Smith – Young Woman's Blues.” Genius, Genius Media Group, 1 Feb. 2001,
genius.com/Bessie-smith-young-womans-blues-lyrics.
ANALYSIS
Bessie Smith was one of the most prominent blues singers of the 1920s. Her work was unique in that it encouraged working-class women to embrace their right to drink, party, and satisfy their sexual needs as a way to cope with the stress and dissatisfaction in their daily lives. These ideas were seen as distasteful and inappropriate for black women and thus her lyrics often met criticism from the African American community as being unrealistic portrayals of the black woman’s experience. Yet, rather than conform to the traditional notions of how a woman should act, Smith seeks solace in “good moonshine” rather than in marriage. Through lines like “I’m a young woman and I ain’t done runnin’ around,” Smith makes clear her desire and willingness to claim sexual and social freedom (“Bessie Smith…” 2001).
WORKS CITED
“Bessie Smith – Young Woman's Blues.” Genius, Genius Media Group, 1 Feb. 2001,
genius.com/Bessie-smith-young-womans-blues-lyrics.
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