Inception - "Powerful Women"
Serving coffee at forty thousand feet in the air, surrounded by the ambient rattle and whirr of an airplane, is a strange time to feel compelled by a melody. But when this would happen, I would do my best to grasp the idea, until I could make it back into a galley to jot my thought down on whatever was available.
That is how the opening line of “Powerful Women” came to be. Ripped from a napkin, those words and the descending line, “We come from a line of powerful women”, rested in the bottom of my suitcase for over a year. I would glance at it from time to time, holding the phrase deep in my mind, waiting for the right moment of recall. But the idea wasn’t ready yet to be formulated. I knew that the intent was positive, so unlike the mystical chromatic intro melody, I was waiting for positive affirmations and major harmonies. Some songs write themselves quickly, but like it’s subject matter, this one warranted time. There was no need to rush, just ride the arc of rumination.
In the time that ensued I boarded and deplaned hundreds of jets. I landed in countless cites. I dabbled in the basics of Ableton in hotel rooms. My band tracked and released an album. I changed my shoes to suit the seasons.
Then one evening I was speaking to my sister and my niece about Christine Margaret Blasey Ford. They were following the proceedings in which she sought justice, not only as a victim of sexual assault, but also on behalf of all Americans who were faced with the appointment of a “good” supreme court justice. I felt profound empathy listening to my young niece confronted by injustice upheld by systems that are meant to protect. I was reminded of my own raw moral compass, that had guided my own convictions when I was young. The bright light shining on the edge of the knife, before we are whittled down by the weight of the world.
At that moment, I wanted my niece to retain her determination. To speak her mind and be an ally for others. I wanted her to feel like her heart, her beliefs, and her words mattered. I wanted her to know that bravery is rewarded, even if the results are not always immediately visible. I wanted my niece to be reminded that positive change can arrive quietly and slowly. That strength precedes her, and that we are reminded of it when we turn backwards to observe how human rights have evolved over time.
“We come from a line of powerful women.” The statement I had carried for so long appeared before me. It is a universal truth. Whether it reminds you of your family, or of women throughout history. Somewhere, a woman showed up; with so much to lose, and so little to gain; somewhere she shows up still, because of justice and conviction. That type of strength is formidable. It burns bright, bright enough to remind that there is hope for the future.
Powerful Women
We come from a line of powerful women
History says a lifetime is short
but it can be well spent
She knows it's a ride
It stops where it stops, ya
the sights are the sights
Still sometimes it breaks her heart
Still sometimes it fills her eyes in the dark of the night
Silence has a price
but still there's a cost to using her voice
So if the fuel of that fire ignites
As you stand in it's flames
know I see you
It's the brave who remain in that light
If the battle lasts long
Know I feel you
We come from a line of powerful women
History says a lifetime is short
but it can be well spent
When I think of time
I have to believe
that justice presides
So if the fuel of that fire ignites
As you stand in it's flames
know I see you
It's the brave who remain in that light
If the battle lasts long
Know I feel you
We come from a line of powerful women