My mother showed me back when I was just a girl
So much that I could do, my potential in this world
Beyond what she’d become
Beyond her hopes and dreams
Beyond a life that kept us fed, her loss of self-esteem

She said
“Be fearless, unashamed
Whatever else remains
Your spirit is the only thing that no one else can claim
Please forgive them, they don’t know what you’ve got”

My boyfriend held me back when I was just nineteen
In my supporting role, always there behind the scenes
Someone to feed his pride
Someone to soothe his head
Someone who made me doubt myself, forget what mama said

She said
“Be fearless, unashamed
Whatever else remains
Your spirit is the only thing that no one else can claim
Please forgive them, they don’t know what you’ve got”

Fast forward to marriage
Someone I thought understood
He didn’t treat me badly, but he didn’t treat me good
We both went our separate ways
His career and my romance
In love with a future where
I’d take a stand and not a man
That’s who I am

Don’t try to tell me what I can and cannot do
I’ve had enough of that, what with all that I’ve been through
The promises I’ve heard
The promises not kept
The promises of my whole life now rising from the dead

I say
"Be fearless, unashamed
Whatever else remains
Your spirit is the only thing that no one else can claim
Please forgive them, they don’t know what you’ve got

You’re all you’ve got"