BLACK FEMALE HAIR: PART II: India.Aire Lyrics

I believe this song by India.Arie is a perfect installment to my Black Female Hair Series... Read the words carefully... when you finish reading the words check out the youtube link in the title with more lyrics in the version featuring Akon....adding a little from the male perspective


INDIA.ARIE LYRICS
I Am Not My Hair


[Talking:]
Is that India.Arie? What happened to her hair? Ha ha ha ha ha
Dat dad a dat da [4x] Dad a ooh

[Verse 1]
Little girl with the press and curl
Age eight I got a Jheri curl
Thirteen I got a relaxer
I was a source of so much laughter
At fifteen when it all broke off
Eighteen and went all natural
February two thousand and two
I went and did
What I had to do
Because it was time to change my life
To become the women that I am inside
Ninety-seven dreadlock all gone
I looked in the mirror
For the first time and saw that HEY....

[Chorus]
I am not my hair
I am not this skin
I am not your expectations no no
I am not my hair
I ma not this skin
I am a soul that lives within

[Talking:]
What'd she do to her hair? I don't know it look crazy
I like it. I might do that.
Umm I wouldn't go that far. I know .. ha ha ha ha

[Verse 2]
Good hair means curls and waves
Bad hair means you look like a slave
At the turn of the century
Its time for us to redefine who we be
You can shave it off
Like a South African beauty
Or get in on lock
Like Bob Marley
You can rock it straight
Like Oprah Winfrey
If its not what's on your head
Its what's underneath and say HEY....

[Chorus]

[Bridge]
(Whoa, whoa, whoa)
Does the way I wear my hair make me a better person?
(Whoa, whoa, whoa)
Does the way I wear my hair make me a better friend? Oooh
(Whoa, whoa, whoa)
Does the way I wear my hair determine my integrity?
(Whoa, whoa, whoa)
I am expressing my creativity..
(Whoa, whoa, whoa)

[Verse 3]
Breast Cancer and Chemotherapy
Took away her crown and glory
She promised God if she was to survive
She would enjoy everyday of her life ooh
On national television
Her diamond eyes are sparkling
Bald headed like a full moon shining
Singing out to the whole wide world like HEY...

[Chorus 2x]

[Ad lib]
If I wanna shave it close
Or if I wanna rock locks
That don't take a bit away
From the soul that I got
Dat da da dat da [4x]
If I wanna where it braided
All down my back
I don't see what wrong with that
Dat da da dat da [4x]

[Talking:]
Is that India.Arie?
Ooh look she cut her hair!
I like that, its kinda PHAT
I don't know if I could do it.
But it looks sharp, it looks nice on her
She got a nice shaped head
She got an apple head
I know right?
It's perfect.

Happy Birthday to Me!

This blog thing... I can go months without saying a word... then again I have something to say everyday...lol... who knows... the one thing I notice is that I tend to write more in the last months of a year or if there is something major going on and I think to write... I think that I do this because I want to share my experiences and thoughts with others... as a year comes to a close or when a major life event occurs maybe it is then I am in my greatest point of reflection realizing how important some things are to me or I may be simply seeking an outlet to express myself....

With age comes wisdom... this I believe.... Have a great day!

CLAIM IT Ed. 3: SAY THANK YOU!

You see God has blessed me with wonderful parents, a great boyfriend, a loving family and awesome friends.

I do not know if I tell them thank you enough.... so I take this time and space to say... THANK YOU

I have been blessed with parents that have ALWAYS been there for me and go out of their way to do what they can for me. Who listen and offer advice (not always what I want to hear but advice nonetheless). You must understand I was a VERY involved child... from pageants, to school, to countless activities....one if not both of them where there. They taught me what they new/know and encouraged me to learn what they may not have experience in... they taught/teach me to be a good person .. and for that and so much more I want to say THANK YOU

Now onto my boyfriend.... you see my boyfriend is my high school sweetheart... at the age of 16 the 2nd time I REMEMBER seeing him... I feel in love... but I thought then who falls in love at 16... so I think i did many things to sabotage it.... I want to thank him for falling in love with me all over again, for being there, for listening for debating (sometimes :) ) for challenging me, for opening my eyes, for being my best friend. He is one of the most genuine and precious hearts you will ever want to meet... no everything is not perfect but that is why it is called a relationship... something you build and approve upon to make stronger. He gave me a card that I feel helps to explain it...

"The ups, the downs, the twists and turns, the love that keeps us together through it all...And I love looking back to the day we met, remembering all the sweet moments that are forever in my heart. I love knowing that time has made us stronger, and brought us eevn closer together...And when I think of tomorrow, wondering what our love story will hold, I know it will be wonderful for I'll be sharing it with you"

Thank you Kris for being the person I know you are and the great man I know you are destined to be...

Oh my family.... I appreciate all genuine people from my sweethearted sister to my cousin who NEVER forgets to send you a birthday card..... THANK YOU ! Thank you! Though we did not choose each other there are many lessons learned, many talks, fun times, smiles, and laughter... thank you for

My friends... I cannot even begin to name names but thank you! ... Thank you for that person who would let me call them when I had panic attacks in the middle of the night, for that person who made me realize that it is okay for black females to talk about their problems, to those that let me stay in their home when my apartment burned, to those I have a monthly dinner with to vent and listen, to the ones I call daily, weekly, monthly, or just when the mood hits... thank you.. thank you for being such an important part of my life...thank you for being there my friends....

I could go on... but challenge to you today is to say ... THANK YOU.... tomorrow is not promised... make sure you tell those who have made a difference in your life.. thank you!

CLAIM IT Ed. 2 BE POSITIVE

There are good and bad times...

I may not believe exactly what everyone else does or how I was raised exactly, but I do believe there is a God. I believe in the power of being positive, even though sometimes it is easier said than done and you wouldn't always believe me if you saw me.

See I believe a negative attitude can take you to negative places... mentally and emotionally and sometimes physically. That is why I challenge you today to be positive... even when times are hard....

Example 1: I may not have people who can or want to give at the level that I am required to raise but I worked hard to get enough little gifts that they could equal several annual gifts at the level I am required


Example 2: I may not feel good but when I walk into a room where my boyfriend and father are making me laugh... I appreciate that moment... the time spent with two wonderful people in my life...

I could go on but I hope you get the picture.. be positive appreciate all little things. Learn from mistakes and make your life better... CLAIM IT!

CLAIM IT Ed. 1: Write Down Your Goals!

This scripture came to me about a month ago...
I was driving along heard it on the radio, when I got to church I must say I heard what the preacher said.. but was enveloped in how the pastor on the radio had presented this scripture in such a short time and it stuck with me...

So today when I rose (I didn't have no doubt)...lol...(funny to those who grew up in a black baptist church)... but i digress.... I shared the scripture via facebook again but with more detail, brought out a notebook and wrote down things that I claimed in His name today...

At this time I share it with you...

" 'Write down the revelation & make it plain on tablets so that a herald may run with it. For the revelation awaits an appointed time; it speaks of the end & will not prove false. Though it linger, wait for it; it will certainly come &will not delay.'" Habakkuk 2: 2-3.

This morning I woke up claimed what is mine and wrote it down. As I said I have shared this before but didn't act until today! My friend Denise and I used to do this annual in January... they started off as resolutions but then we revised it to goals that can be edited throughout the year... I will share with you one I wrote in the past... it will be added in a while...

That is

Black Female Hair… Comedy or Complex?

Part I: The thoughts of a NNS…

Yesterday I was hanging out at the pool and was thinking… man it sucks to have “nappy” black hair as a female…not that I am ungrateful …. I just started thinking… I wouldn’t mind going swimming, washing my hair daily, or learning how to swim if I had “good hair” or if I was wealthy enough to get my hair done daily (i.e. Oprah…or the stories of Oprah).

Then I began to think how many black swimmers …FEMALE swimmers do you see… haven’t researched it yet but I suspect not a large number. Then I began to think about water rides at amusement parks how the little “black” girl that got wet hair starts to get poofy while her friend of other ethnicities may dry wavy but is still manageable.

As I began to write my last two reports for the day I was going through my mail and saw an invitation had been returned… I went to that friends website and there it was again… another reminder about black hair… it was a trailer for the movie “good hair” … a comedy or at least set up as one but my question is .. is it a comedy… or complex…

I know I myself try to laugh it off… joking I look like a cotton ball or a dirty q-tip with wet hair. Then I watched the trailer that made me think… wow we spend so much money on our hair that other people do not have to (kind of a life expense if we choose or is it a choice)… trying to look our best… we spend money and if you have been to a typical hairdresser in the south… TIME… which in many cases is just as valuable… Not all black women have “nappy” hair and those that don’t are often the envy of her naturally nappy haired sisters (NNS)….

As I watched the trailer I also noticed how much we NNS spend on relaxers, extensions, wigs, etc… and it just made me begin to type this blog… not that this is going any farther than my computer screen to yours…
I am the kind of female that tries to solve problems… but I don’t have a solution for this one… there are many NNS that say you are trying to be another ethnicity by straightening your hair… or say you aren’t keeping it real… but truth is … I personally like the straight look…it is my and many others preference … and another fact is that society looks at our “natural” look as unprofessional… not to say that it is or isn’t but it brings me to recall a recent conversation with a very close friend… I said… “what do you think about me getting braids” .. their response… “you are too conservative”… they may be right …

The more I think of my nappy hair it frustrates me… there is nothing I can really do about it without drawing attention to myself…

(to be continued)