Yoko Ono and John Lennon collaborated on many albums, beginning in 1968 whe… Read Full Bio ↴Yoko Ono and John Lennon collaborated on many albums, beginning in 1968 when Lennon was still a Beatle, with Unfinished Music No.1: Two Virgins, an album of experimental and difficult electronic music. Two less controversial, yet equally challenging and experimental albums were released in addition to Two Virgins; Unfinished Music No.2: Life with the Lions, and Wedding Album, both in 1969.

Several of their later albums were released under the name The Plastic Ono Band, and often featured other musicians such as Eric Clapton, Klaus Voorman, and Alan White. The Plastic Ono Band's first album, Live Peace in Toronto 1969, was recorded during the Toronto Rock and Roll Revival Festival. The first half of their performance consisted of rock standards, and during the second half, Ono took the microphone and along with the band performed what may be one of the first expressions of the avant garde during a rock concert. The set ended with music that consisted mainly of feedback, while Ono screamed and sang.

Their fifth album together, Some Time in New York City, released in 1972, is fiercely motivated by political issues the couple found themselves confronted with upon moving to New York City in September, 1971. The album was highly controversial but is generally seen as the beginning of Ono's emergence as a songwriter with "Sisters O Sisters", "Born In A Prison", and "We're All Water"

With the birth of their son Sean in 1975, Lennon put his career on hold to raise the boy and rekindle his relationship with his older son Julian. In the summer of 1980, both Lennon and Ono felt ready to resume to work and began composing. They made the decision to release their impending songs together on the same album. Subtitled "A Heart Play", Double Fantasy would be a collection of songs whereby John and Yoko would be singing to each other.

Released in 1984, Milk and Honey is notable for being Lennon's first posthumous release of music, having been recorded in the last months of his life during and following the sessions for Double Fantasy. Though Lennon's death caused a temporary shelving of the project, Ono was later capable of returning to complete it.

Woman Is The Nigger Of The Wor
John Lennon & Yoko Ono Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Woman is the nigger of the world
Yes she is, think about it
Woman is the nigger of the world
Think about it, do something about it

We make her paint her face and dance
If she won't be aslave, we say that she don't love us
If she's real, we say she's trying to be a man
While putting her down we pretend that she is above us
Woman is the nigger of the world, yes she is
If you don't believe me take a look to the one you're with
Woman is the slave to the slaves
Ah yeah, better scream about it
We make her bear and raise our children
And then we leave her flat for being a fat old mother hen
We tell her home is the only place she should be
Then we complain that she's too unworldly to be our friend
Woman is the nigger of the world, yes she is
If you don't believe me take a look to the one you're with
Oh woman is the slave to the slaves
Yeah, alright

We insult her everyday on TV
And wonder why she has no guts or confidence
When she's young we kill her will to be free
While telling her not to be so smart we put her down for being so dumb
Woman is the nigger of the world, yes she is
If you don't believe me take a look to the one you're with
Woman is the slave to the slaves
Yes she is, if you believe me, you better scream about it

We make her paint her face and dance
We make her paint her face and dance
We make her paint her face and dance
We make her paint her face and dance
We make her paint her face and dance
We make her paint her face and dance

Overall Meaning

John Lennon and Yoko Ono's song "Woman Is the Nigger of the World" is a powerful commentary on the oppression and mistreatment of women. The lyrics liken the treatment of women to that of Black people during slavery, using the provocative word "nigger" to shock and convey the seriousness of the issue. The song begins with the simple but impactful statement: "Woman is the nigger of the world, yes she is, think about it." The lyrics go on to describe the many ways in which women are devalued and exploited by men, from being expected to conform to societal beauty standards and dance for male pleasure, to being blamed and ridiculed for being mothers and housewives. The song also calls out the media for perpetuating negative stereotypes about women and discouraging them from pursuing their dreams and being their true selves.

The lyrics of "Woman Is the Nigger of the World" are a reminder that gender inequality is a significant issue that still needs to be addressed today. It is also a tribute to the resilience of women who have been able to survive and thrive despite the many obstacles they face. The song urges listeners to take action and "do something about it" to help bring about change.

Line by Line Meaning

Woman is the nigger of the world
Women are treated as badly as black people used to be

Yes she is, think about it
It's true, think about it and see if you agree

Think about it, do something about it
Don't just think, take action to change things

We make her paint her face and dance
We force women to conform to societal beauty standards and perform for our entertainment

If she won't be aslave, we say that she don't love us
If women don't submit to men's authority, they are accused of not caring about them

If she's real, we say she's trying to be a man
If a woman asserts herself as an equal to men, she's accused of being unfeminine or trying to be a man

While putting her down we pretend that she is above us
We belittle women while simultaneously trying to uphold them as better than men

Woman is the slave to the slaves
Women are oppressed even more than other marginalized groups

Ah yeah, better scream about it
Yes, we need to raise awareness and demand change

We make her bear and raise our children
We force women to take on the majority of childcare responsibilities while denying them equal opportunities and compensation

And then we leave her flat for being a fat old mother hen
We abandon and shame women for aging and for fulfilling traditional gender roles

We tell her home is the only place she should be
We limit women's options and discourage them from pursuing careers or other interests outside the home

Then we complain that she's too unworldly to be our friend
We criticize women for not being interesting or accomplished enough, despite the fact that we've constrained their opportunities and experiences

We insult her everyday on TV
We perpetuate harmful stereotypes and dehumanize women in media

And wonder why she has no guts or confidence
We blame women for not having self-assurance when we constantly tear them down

When she's young we kill her will to be free
We discourage young girls from exercising their independence and limit their opportunities from a young age

While telling her not to be so smart we put her down for being so dumb
We criticize women for being both too intelligent and not intelligent enough, depending on what suits our interests

We make her paint her face and dance
We repeat this line to emphasize how we force women to conform to patriarchal beauty standards and entertain us

Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Universal Music Publishing Group, Downtown Music Publishing
Written by: JOHN LENNON, YOKO ONO

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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