Fancy
Bobbie Gentry Lyrics

I remember it all very well lookin' back
Looking back, I recall everything vividly

It was the summer I turned eighteen
It was the summer when I turned eighteen years old

We lived in a one-room, run down shack
Our abode was a one-room dilapidated hut

On the outskirts of New Orleans
It was located in the outskirts of the city of New Orleans

We didn't have money for food or rent
We lacked funds for food or accommodation

To say the least we were hard-pressed
Our situation was challenging, to say the least

Then mama spent every last penny we had
My mother utilized every penny we owned

To buy me a dancin' dress
She used it to purchase me a dancing dress

Mama washed and combed and curled my hair
My mother shampooed, combed, and styled my hair

Then she painted my eyes and lips
She then applied makeup to my eyes and lips

And then I stepped into my satin dancin' dress
Next, I wore my satin dancing dress

It was split on the side clean up to my hips
The dress was cut down the side, revealing my hips

It was red, velvet-trimmed, and it fit me good
The dress was red in colour, had velvet trimming and it fitted perfectly

And starin' back from the lookin' glass
When I looked in the mirror

Was a woman where a half grown kid had stood
I saw a woman's reflection despite being half-grown before

"Here's your one chance, Fancy, don't let me down
"This is your only opportunity, Fancy, please don't disappoint me

Lord forgive me for what I do (please)
God, forgive me for my actions, I plead

But if you want out, well, it's up to you
However, if you desire an escape, the choice is yours

Now don't let me down
Therefore, please don't let me down

Your mama's gonna help you move uptown"
I am ready to assist you in changing your life for the better

And mama dabbed a little bit of perfume
My mother applied a small amount of perfume

On my neck and she kissed my cheek
She placed the perfume on my neck and kissed my cheek

And I saw the tears well up
I witnessed her shedding tears

In her troubled eyes when she started to speak
She got emotional as she began to talk

She looked at our pitiful shack
She gazed at our impoverished home

And then she looked at me and took a ragged breath
She glanced at me, then took a deep breath

"Your Pa's run off, and I'm real sick
"Your father abandoned us, and I'm seriously ill

And the baby's gonna starve to death"
The infant will perish from starvation

She handed me a heart-shaped locket that said
My mother gave me a heart-shaped locket that read

"To thine own self be true"
"Be true to yourself"

And I shivered as I watched a roach crawl across
I trembled when I spotted a cockroach moving along

The toe of my high-healed shoe
The insect on my high-heeled shoe's tip

It sounded like somebody else, it was talkin'
The voice sounded unfamiliar, as if it was someone else speaking

Askin', "mama what do I do?"
It asked, "Mama, what should I do?"

"Just be nice to the gentlemen, Fancy
"Be pleasant to the men, Fancy

And they'll be nice to you"
They will respond in kind

"Lord, forgive me for what I do
"Oh God, pardon me for my actions

But if you want out, well it's up to you
However, you are in charge if you want to exit this lifestyle

Now get on out, girl, you better start movin' uptown"
Therefore, you should go, young lady, and initiate your transition to an affluent location

Well, that was the last time I saw my ma
That was the final occasion I saw my mother

Then I left that rickety shack
Consequently I departed from the afflicted abode

'Cause the welfare people came and took the baby
Since the welfare officials took the baby

Ma died and I ain't been back
My mother expired, and I haven't returned since

But the wheels of fate had started to turn
Nonetheless, the forces of luck had already begun to shift

And for me there was no other way out
Therefore, there was no alternative escape route I could take

And it wasn't very long 'til I knew exactly
It didn't take me much time to comprehend completely

What my mama'd been talkin' about
The message my mother had tried to convey

I did what I had to do
I executed what was necessary

But I made myself this solemn vow
However, I pledged myself this serious oath

That I was gonna to be a lady someday
I was determined to become a refined woman one day

Though I didn't know when or how
Although when and how were still uncertain

I couldn't see spendin' the rest of my life
I could not envision spending the duration of my existence

With my head hung down in shame
In disgrace, with bowed down head

I mighta been born just plain white trash
I may have been born poor and undeserving

But Fancy was my name
However, Fancy was my name

"Here's your one chance, Fancy, don't let me down
"This is your final opportunity, Fancy, I implore you, don't fail me

"Lord, forgive me for what I do
"Oh God, please forgive me for my deeds

But if you want out, well, it's up to you
However, the decision to leave is solely yours

Now don't let me down
Please, don't disappoint me now

Your mama's gonna help you move uptown"
I will assist you in migrating to an affluent neighbourhood

It wasn't long after a benevolent man
Shortly after an altruistic individual

Took me in off of the street
Rescued me from the street

And one week later I was pourin' his tea
One week later, I was serving him tea

In a five room hotel suite
Inside a suite comprising of five rooms in a hotel

Well I've charmed a king, a congressman
I have beguiled both a king and a congressman

And an occasional aristocrat
Plus occasionally, an aristocrat

And I got me a Georgia mansion
I also obtained a mansion in Georgia

And an elegant New York townhouse flat
Additionally, I have a luxurious flat in a New York townhouse

And I ain't done bad
My progress has not been insignificant

Now in this world there's a lot of self-righteous
In this world, many are self-righteous

Hypocrites that would call me bad
They are hypocrites who would judge me with disdain

And criticize my mama for turning me out
They disparage my mother for molding me into a courtesan

No matter how little we had
Regardless of what little we owned

And though I ain't had to worry 'bout nothin'
And even though I have not had to fret about anything

For nigh on fifteen years
For nearly fifteen years

I can still hear the desperation
I can still listen to my mother's desperate pleas

In my poor mama's voice ringin' in my ears
Echoing in my ear is the sound of my destitute mother's voice