Ain't Got No
Nina Simone Lyrics


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Ain't got no home, ain't got no shoes
Ain't got no money, ain't got no class
Ain't got no skirts, ain't got no sweaters
Ain't got no Perfume, ain't got no beard
Ain't got no mind

Ain't got no mother, ain't got no culture
Ain't got no friends, ain't got no schooling
Ain't got no love, ain't got no name
Ain't got no ticket, ain't got no token
Ain't got no God

What have I got?
Why am I alive anyway?
Yeah, what have I got?
Nobody can take away

I got my hair, I got my head
I got my brains, I got my ears
I got my eyes, I got my nose
I got my mouth, I got my smile

I got my tongue, I got my chin
I got my neck, I got my boobs
I got my heart, I got my soul
I got my back, I got my sex

I got my arms, I got my hands
I got my fingers, Got my legs
I got my feet, I got my toes
I got my liver, Got my blood

I've got life, I've got my freedom




I've got life, I'm gonna keep it
I've got life, I'm gonna keep it

Overall Meaning

Nina Simone's "Ain't Got No/I Got Life" is a powerful and thought-provoking song that speaks to the basic human experiences of loss, struggle, and resilience. The lyrics in the first stanza are a catalog of all the things that the singer "ain't got" - no home, no shoes, no money, no class, no skirts, no sweaters, no perfume and no beard; ultimately, the singer concludes that they "ain't got no mind." In the second stanza, the list continues, adding that the singer has no mother, no culture, no friends, no schooling, no love, no name, no ticket, no token, and no God. This catalog highlights the many ways in which we define ourselves and our existence through external markers, such as social class, clothing, education, and religion.


However, the refrain of the song is a powerful counterpoint to this list of losses: "I've got life, I've got my freedom, I've got life, I'm gonna keep it." Despite all the things that the singer lacks, the one thing they do have is life itself, and this is something that can't be taken away. The second half of the song is a celebration of the singer's physical existence, listing all the parts of their body that they "got." This celebration of the physical self is a contrast to the emphasis on external markers in the first stanza, emphasizing that our bodies are a fundamental aspect of our own aliveness and freedom.


Overall, "Ain't Got No/I Got Life" is a powerful reminder of the resilience and power of the human spirit in the face of adversity. The song encourages us to find meaning and value in our own existence, even in the face of loss, and to celebrate the basic physical experiences of being alive.


Line by Line Meaning

Ain't got no home, ain't got no shoes
I don’t have a home to come to, and no shoes to wear while I walk around.


Ain't got no money, ain't got no class
I don't have enough money to live life hassle-free and have no class or refinement.


Ain't got no skirts, ain't got no sweaters
I don't have anything to quickly put on to feel warm or look good.


Ain't got no Perfume, ain't got no beard
I don’t have any perfume to fancy myself up or a beard to grow on my face.


Ain't got no mind
I feel like I have no sense of purpose or understanding when it comes to the world.


Ain't got no mother, ain't got no culture
I don’t have any maternal figure to comfort me, and no significant cultural identity.


Ain't got no friends, ain't got no schooling
I don't have any friends to share experiences with, and no past education to fuel my knowledge.


Ain't got no love, ain't got no name
I do not have anyone to truly love and no name of my own to be recognized by others.


Ain't got no ticket, ain't got no token
I don’t have any forms of payment to get me to places I’d like to go.


Ain't got no God
I don't have any profound belief or faith in a higher power.


What have I got?
What possessions or traits make my life worth living?


Why am I alive anyway?
What is the purpose or reason for existing?


Yeah, what have I got?
Yes, exactly, what do I have?


Nobody can take away
Even if I have little to my name, there are intrinsic qualities of my life that no one can deprive me of.


I've got my hair, I've got my head
I have hair growing atop my head and the brain within it.


I've got my brains, I've got my ears
I maintain my intellectual and audial capabilities.


I've got my eyes, I've got my nose
I have working eyesight and smelling abilities.


I've got my mouth, I've got my smile
I have the power of speech and the gesture of a smile.


I've got my tongue, I've got my chin
I am able to taste things with my tongue, and my chin differentiates my face from others.


I've got my neck, I've got my boobs
I have a neck that connects my head to my body, and breasts to feed infants.


I've got my heart, I've got my soul
I own emotions and a non-material essence of who I am.


I've got my back, I've got my sex
I own a spinal column to keep me upright, and genitalia to attribute to my gender identity.


I've got my arms, I've got my hands
I have limbs to perform manual tasks and hands to grasp objects.


I've got my fingers, Got my legs
I have detailed appendages at the end of my arms and two legs to support my body.


I've got my feet, I've got my toes
I have feet to move me around and toes to balance on.


I've got my liver, Got my blood
I have a liver to cleanse my toxins and blood to circulate through my body.


I've got life, I've got my freedom
I possess the powerful experience of existence and the right to live it the way I choose.


I've got life, I'm gonna keep it
The experience of living is worth more than material possessions, and I will hold onto it relentlessly.


I've got life, I'm gonna keep it
The experience of living is worth more than material possessions, and I will hold onto it relentlessly.




Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Galt MacDermot, Gerome Ragni, James Rado

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Most interesting comments from YouTube:

@MrMariaZerpa

Ain't Got No / I Got Life
Nina Simone

Ain't got no home, ain't got no shoes
Ain't got no money, ain't got no class
Ain't got no skirts, ain't got no sweaters
Ain't got no perfume, ain't got no love
Ain't got no faith

Ain't got no culture
Ain't got no mother, ain't got no father
Ain't got no brother, ain't got no children
Ain't got no aunts, ain't got no uncles
Ain't got no love, ain't got no mind

Ain't got no country, ain't got no schooling
Ain't got no friends, ain't got no nothing
Ain't got no water, ain't got no air
Ain't got no smokes, ain't got no chicken
Ain't got no

Ain't got no water
Ain't got no love
Ain't got no air
Ain't got no God
Ain't got no wine
Ain't got no money
Ain't got no faith
Ain't got no God
Ain't got no love


Then what have I got
Why am I alive anyway?
Yeah, hell
What have I got
Nobody can take away

I got my hair, got my head
Got my brains, got my ears
Got my eyes, got my nose
Got my mouth
I got my
I got myself

I got my arms, got my hands
Got my fingers, got my legs
Got my feet, got my toes
Got my liver
Got my blood

I've got life
I've got lives

I've got headaches, and toothaches
And bad times too like you

I got my hair, got my head
Got my brains, got my ears
Got my eyes, got my nose
Got my mouth
I got my smile

I got my tongue, got my chin
Got my neck, got my boobs
Got my heart, got my soul
Got my back
I got my sex

I got my arms, got my hands
Got my fingers, got my legs
Got my feet, got my toes
Got my liver
Got my blood

I've got life
I've got my freedom
Ohhh
I've got life!



@tnpvnp

"I've got life,
I've got my freedom,
I've got life,
I've got life
And I am gonna keep it,
I've got life
And nobody's gonna take it away,
I've got life!"

One and only - Nina Simone <3



@RudydeGroot

Lyrics:
(EDIT: I see my lyrics are now implemented in the YT subtitles.)

Ain't got no home - ain't got no shoes
Ain't got no money - ain't got no class
Ain't got no skirts - ain't got no sweaters
Ain't got no perfume - ain't got no love
ain't got no faith.

I ain't got no culture - ain't got no mother
Ain't got no father - ain't got no brother
Ain't got no children - ain't got no aunts
Ain't got no uncles - ain't got no love
ain't got no mind.

I ain't got no country - ain't got no schoolin'
Ain't got no friends - ain't got no nothin'
Ain't got no water - ain't got no air
Ain't got no smokes - ain't got no (...?)
ain't got no ...

Ain't got no water - ain't got no love
Ain't got no faith - ain't got no blood
Ain't got no wine - ain't got no money
Ain't got no faith - ain't got no God
ain't got no love.

And what have I got ...
Why am I alive anyway ...
And what have I got ...
[that] Nobody can take away ...

I got my hair - got my head
Got my brains - got my hair
Got my eyes - got my nose
Got my mouth - I got my s...
I got my selves.

I got my arms - got my hands
Got my fingers - got my legs
Got my feet - got my toes
Got my liver - got my blood.

I've got life - I've got LIFE!

I got headaches and toothaches
and bad times too - like you.

[I got my hair I got my head ... and reprise until fade.]



@B501M

i like from 2:23-2:25

Nina dons this curious little smile, & then sings the chorus, along with the other band members, relaxing &

gettin' all sassy 😅

& sure {more} certain /
sure
of
herself

❤ ❤ ❤

You tell THAT AUDIENCE, Nina!!! 😂

Tell 'em what you got ! ! ! 😅

Go, girl, go !!!

🎉❤🎉❤❤



All comments from YouTube:

@arnetrautmann9783

Can we please take a second and give a shout-out to that amazing bass player? He deserves some love.

@sbakernyc5761

This version one of the most powerful songs ever recorded

@dantesanchez2491

I love how this song conducts a deconstruction " I ain't got nothing", leting the ego go away, to then proceed to build from what is real: me, genuine and truly me. Realizing how powerful we're when we've understood who we are. Awakening is such a powerful transformation tool. Bless Nina for that.

@leila1662

Truly a REAL queen

@castielsisko2120

Actually it's about a freed slave just being happy to be alive. It ain't about ego lol

@miscellaneousSLUDGE

@@castielsisko2120 think again my friend, we are all enslaved, to be truly free is to let go of your ego

@castielsisko2120

@@miscellaneousSLUDGE we're not all chattel slaves you dingus too many people center their ego around not having one and you're giving me a similar vibe here.

@castielsisko2120

@@miscellaneousSLUDGE this song is quite literally about about someone getting out of chattel slavery and just being happy to be alive

27 More Replies...

@JoeG15

Man this version gives me chills every time. What a rock star, RIP.

@AlexandreAuCambodge

💝

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