Alix Olson is an internationally touring folk poe… Read Full Bio ↴from alixolson.com
Alix Olson is an internationally touring folk poet and progressive queer artist-activist. One part peace vigil, one part protest rally, and one part joyful raucous concert, Alix ignites audiences everywhere she performs. Olson's innumerable stage, broadcast, radio and print appearances include, most recently, twice headlining HBO's "Def Poetry Jam" (Russell Simmons), and an inclusion in Utne Magazine's InRadio compilation. Utne's website calls Olson "...the spoken word diva everyone's talking about."
Alix has graced the cover of Ms. Magazine, who called Olson a "road-poet-on-a-mission," and her work has been featured in Girlfriends Magazine, The Advocate, OUT Magazine, Curve, Lesbian Review of Books, and on the covers of Lambda Book Report, Lavender Lens, and Velvet Park magazines. A recent interview with Olson for The Progressive calls her a "word warrior" and gives a comprehensive peek into just what makes her work so compelling. Alix has appeared on the nationally syndicated Air America's "Unfiltered" radio (co-hosts Rachel Maddow, Rachel Winstead, and Chuck D), as well as on Oxygen television, CNN, HBO, In the Life, and WXPN's World Cafe with David Dye, and local radio stations around the country.
Alix was voted "Best Activist", along with MoveOn, in Venus Magazine's Hott List 2004. Olson was voted 2004 OutMusician of the Year (OutMusic), and was a triple nominee for the 2002 OUTMusic Awards. In June 2003, Alix (along with Margaret Cho and Nobuko Oyabu) received the "Visionary Award" from the DC Rape Crisis Center for her "exceptional commitment to the promotion of social justice." Past honorees include Gloria Steinem, Tori Amos, Patricia Ireland and Sarah Jones. Olson has also received a New York Foundation for the Arts fellowship, and a Barbara Deming grant.
Howard Zinn (historian/activist) calls Alix "an ingenious poet, a brilliant performer, a funny person, a serious thinker. Quite simply, extraordinary."
Alix tours over two-hundred days a year, and has headlined national conferences for the National Organization for Women, GenderPac, and the Lesbian Summit. Most recently, Alix performed for one million people at the Washington, D.C. March for Women's Lives. She has headlined international poetry festivals in Portugal, the Netherlands, and England, and will be touring Australia in January.
Of her live performances, The Progressive Magazine calls Alix "an electrifying performer who seduces the audience with wit and energy, spinning tales of life on the road between her fiery poems. A sharpshooter with theatrical flair, Olson oozes both love and rage."
Above all, Alix Olson is undaunted by being labeled as "controversial." "I think any artist who confronts the status quo will be targeted as 'controversial'. We will also be called 'angry,' 'aggressive,' 'loud,' or at best, 'idealistic,' so that we are discounted, backed into a corner, and our power is deflated. But I have never been intimidated by words, because they've always been on my side."
Subtle Sister
Alix Olson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
carry knives on our runs
wield words like weapons
prepare glares-like hidden guns,
we've deconstructed, demystified
tried retribution, remythologized,
we've been diagnosed with your diseases,
and still tried pleases, tried tears, tried Jesus.
You wanna see what it's like down here
in this pool of someone else's rules, well
jump in, take a swim or just sit in this pit
squishing bare toes in someone else's bullshit,
we do it all the time.
Still we've tried being patient,
collected, calm, nice
trying praying, tried laying you
paying the price,
we've learned to scream
until our throats throbbed
what else do you do
while your cunt's being robbed.
And they say "you've made progress, girls,
take a rest in-between"
but see while you're resting,
someone else is progressing,
it's what i've seen.
So i take back the whispers,
the cute mute act,
and the high pitched giggles, yeah
i take them back,
i won't avoid your stare, evade your step,
nothing of that kind,
won't help you help me victimize
the only space that's mine.
See now I'd put my life on the line just to see them trip,
frown and say "funny love, i never saw you slip."
i say, "my life on the line-"
you say "man, she's jaded."
i say, "maybe control's overrated."
like when we cackled, they called us witches,
now we don't giggle they call us bitches
well I'm cacklin loud, taking it back, full of hiss,
cacklin loud, cackling proud now.
And they're getting nervous with this kissing each other,
scratching their heads,
whats going on brother
and they yell feed your husband, stop feeding the fire!
and we just cackle,
we're a fuckin witches choir.
and we sing "sharpen your knives, sharpen your daughters
steam up the mirrors, bake us some dreams,
cook up some riots, fry up some screams,
and when you're sick of your skirts
slice open the seams
cause they want domestics,
theyll give us needle and thread
for patching their egos.
we'll sow revolution instead."
And i hear you saying
"subtle, sister,
less bite, more bark
you can make your point without leaving such a mark.
subtle, sister,
stop your seething,
i think we got it, i think we're even:"
subtle like a penis pounding its target?
subtle like your hissing from across the street?
subtle like the binding on my sisters' feet?
subtle like her belly raped with his semen,
draped in his fuck, funny,
doesn't seem even.
See, sometimes anger's subtle, stocked in metaphor
full of finesse and dressed in allure
yes, sometimes anger's subtle, less rage than sad
leaking slow through spigots you didn't know you had.
and sometimes it's just
fuck you.
fuck you.
you see, and to me,
That's poetry too.
The lyrics of Alix Olson's song, Subtle Sister, speak to the anger and frustration that women feel when attempting to navigate a world that is not built for them. The song is a call to action, a rallying cry for women to stop hiding their anger and to speak out, to fight back against the forces that seek to silence or diminish them. In the opening lines, Olson references the various ways that women have learned to protect themselves in a society that is hostile to them - from studying martial arts to carrying weapons to using language as a weapon. She highlights the ways in which women have deconstructed the myths and stereotypes that have been used to justify their oppression, and have attempted to find new ways of relating to the world around them.
Despite all these efforts, women continue to be victimized and exploited, and their voices are often silenced or ignored. Olson highlights the various strategies that women have tried in order to bring attention to the issues they face - from being patient and calm to screaming and shouting. Ultimately, however, it is clear that these strategies have not been enough. Women are still being oppressed, and they are still being denied the respect and dignity that they deserve.
Through all of this, Olson urges women to be bold, to be unapologetic, and to speak their truth. She rejects the idea that women should be subtle or indirect in their anger or frustration, and instead encourages them to be loud and clear in their messaging. She acknowledges that anger can take many forms, ranging from subtle metaphors to raw, unvarnished vitriol. She suggests that any expression of anger can be a form of poetry, and that women should not be afraid to tap into that power.
Overall, the song Subtle Sister is a powerful call to action that urges women to reject the status quo and to fight for their own liberation. It is a testament to the resilience and strength of women, and a reminder of the power that can arise when they stand together and speak their truth.
Line by Line Meaning
So we've learned karate,
We have gained skills to defend ourselves.
carry knives on our runs
We take precautions and arm ourselves for protection purposes.
wield words like weapons
We use our words to defend ourselves and attack our oppressors.
prepare glares-like hidden guns,
We use our facial expressions as a subtle weapon to express our displeasure.
we've deconstructed, demystified
We have analyzed and broken down societal norms to understand them better.
tried retribution, remythologized,
We have attempted revenge and rewritten the stories we've been told to suit us better.
we've been diagnosed with your diseases,
We have been labeled by society and affected by its ills.
and still tried pleases, tried tears, tried Jesus.
We have tried various methods of appeasing our oppressors but to no avail.
You wanna see what it's like down here
You want to understand what it's like to be in our situation.
in this pool of someone else's rules, well
Living in a world where we are bound by societal norms and expectations.
jump in, take a swim or just sit in this pit
We invite you to immerse yourself in our experience, either actively or passively.
squishing bare toes in someone else's bullshit,
We are walking in a reality created by others, and it is not always pleasant.
we do it all the time.
We are used to living in a world not created for us and muddling through.
Still we’ve tried being patient,
We have attempted to be tolerant of our oppressors.
collected, calm, nice
We have taken a composed and congenial approach to dealing with our oppressors.
trying praying, tried laying you
We have tried to appease you using religion and sex.
paying the price,
We have suffered the consequences of our attempts to appease you.
we've learned to scream
We have found it necessary to shout and express our anger.
until our throats throbbed
We scream until we are physically pained.
what else do you do
Expressing our anger in this way is our only outlet.
while your cunt's being robbed.
We face oppression while we sit idly by.
And they say 'you've made progress, girls,
Our oppressors try to placate us by acknowledging our progress.
take a rest in-between'
They tell us to take breaks and slow down our progress.
but see while you're resting,
We cannot afford to take breaks while others progress ahead of us.
someone else is progressing,
Society continues to advance and leave us behind even as we rest.
it's what I've seen.
We have witnessed this pattern of events.
So I take back the whispers,
We withdraw our attempts to be subtle and opaque.
the cute mute act,
We no longer feign silence to appease our oppressors.
and the high pitched giggles, yeah
We will not laugh at their jokes and pretend to be entertained by their actions.
I take them back,
We retrieve the behaviors and qualities we once tempered.
I won't avoid your stare, evade your step,
We will not be intimidated by their actions or shy away from confrontation.
nothing of that kind,
We refuse to cower to their expectations and abuse.
won't help you help me victimize
Our compliance will not allow them to continue to oppress us.
the only space that's mine.
We claim and defend the space we have created for ourselves.
See now I'd put my life on the line just to see them trip,
We will go to great lengths to see our oppressors exposed and humbled.
frown and say 'funny love, I never saw you slip.'
We want to see their facade crumble and for them to be exposed.
I say, 'my life on the line-'
We understand the risks of taking such actions.
you say 'man, she's jaded.'
Others believe we have grown bitter and resentful.
I say, 'maybe control's overrated.'
We believe that our desire for control is unnecessary and overrated.
like when we cackled, they called us witches,
Society labeled us derogatively for expressing ourselves.
now we don't giggle they call us bitches
Our seriousness and assertiveness is also criticized and belittled by society.
well I'm cacklin loud, taking it back, full of hiss,
We are reclaiming our expressive nature and taking control of the narrative.
cacklin loud, cackling proud now.
We refuse to be silenced and continue to express ourselves loudly and proudly.
And they're getting nervous with this kissing each other,
Society has become uneasy with our group solidarity and support of each other.
scratching their heads,
Oppressors are confused by our determination and defiance.
whats going on brother
They question the shift in power dynamics and wonder what our end goal is.
and they yell feed your husband, stop feeding the fire!
They attempt to distract us from our activism by telling us to focus on domestic duties.
and we just cackle,
We remain unfazed and continue to laugh at their attempts to silence us.
we're a fuckin witches choir.
We embrace our labels and form a united front against our oppressors.
and we sing 'sharpen your knives, sharpen your daughters
We urge each other to prepare for resistance and to arm ourselves with the necessary tools.
steam up the mirrors, bake us some dreams,
We encourage each other to channel our anger into creative and productive pursuits.
cook up some riots, fry up some screams,
We incite each other to fight against our oppressors and make our voices heard through protests.
and when you're sick of your skirts
When we tire of conforming to societal expectations of femininity,
slice open the seams
We encourage each other to break down these barriers and push against gender norms.
cause they want domestics,
Our oppressors want us to focus our energy on domestic duties and accept our roles as subordinate.
they'll give us needle and thread
They provide us with the bare minimum to fulfill this role.
for patching their egos.
They expect us to fulfill this role to maintain their ego and sense of superiority.
we'll sow revolution instead.'
Instead, we band together and fight against these expectations and for our rights and equality.
And I hear you saying
We are aware of those who criticize our activism.
'subtle, sister,
They suggest that our activism is too extreme and that we should be more restrained.
less bite, more bark
They suggest that we use less confrontational methods to express ourselves.
you can make your point without leaving such a mark.
They suggest that we tone down our activism and not offend or upset oppressors.
subtle, sister,
They continue to insist on our restraint and passivity.
stop your seething,
They suggest that we should not be angry and take a more composed approach.
i think we got it, i think we're even:'
They believe that we have made our point and that it's time to stop our activism.
subtle like a penis pounding its target?
We are mocking their suggestions of subtlety by making crude comparisons to male sexuality.
subtle like your hissing from across the street?
We are pointing out how useless and ineffective it is to be subtle in the face of oppression.
subtle like the binding on my sisters' feet?
We are referencing how women are constrained by societal expectations and gender norms.
subtle like her belly raped with his semen,
We are pointing out the violent and oppressive nature of sexual assault.
draped in his fuck, funny,
We are mocking the absurdity of society's expectations and double standards regarding sex and gender.
doesn't seem even.
We are pointing out the inherent unfairness and oppression in society.
See, sometimes anger's subtle, stocked in metaphor
We are explaining that our anger is not always overt and that it can be expressed through art and metaphor.
full of finesse and dressed in allure
When we express anger subtly, it can be powerful and alluring.
yes, sometimes anger's subtle, less rage than sad
Anger can be expressed through sadness and sympathy as well.
leaking slow through spigots you didn't know you had.
Anger can manifest in unusual and unexpected ways.
and sometimes it's just
Other times, anger is more direct and violent.
fuck you.
We are expressing our anger and defiance.
fuck you.
We refuse to be silenced or oppressed.
you see, and to me,
This is our way of fighting back against our oppressors.
That's poetry too.
Our anger and defiance can be just as powerful and moving as traditional poetry.
Contributed by Victoria V. Suggest a correction in the comments below.