With the demise of blaxploitation, Grier's career went into hiatus for some years. She worked her way into progressively larger character roles in the 1980s, including notably the stoned prostitute in Fort Apache the Bronx (1981), a witch in Something Wicked this Way Comes (1983), and Steven Seagal's detective partner in Above the Law (1988). She became a regular on the hit television detective series Miami Vice in 1985.
Ms. Grier highlighted a successful television series during the '90s on the network B.E.T.
Grier re-achieved leading lady status in 1997 as the titular stewardess in Quentin Tarantino's Jackie Brown, which many consider her best work so far. Grier is currently appearing in the television series The L Word.
Long Time Woman
Pam Grier Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And I'm serving my time
I've been lock away so long now
I forgot my crime
I've been working on the road now,
I've been working by the sea
I've been working near them cane fields
Well ninety nine years is a long long long time
Ninety nine years is such a long long long time
Ninety nine years is a long long time
Well look at me, I'll never be free
I'm a long time woman
Ain't nobody to please
Got a natural feelings
Like a bad disease
Well ninety nine years is a long long time
Well ninety nine ninety nine years is such a long long time
Well ninety nine years is a long long time
Well look at me, I'll never be free
I'm a long time woman
Hmm, hmm, hmm ..
Doo, doo, doo, doo...
The lyrics to Pam Grier's song "Long Time Woman" talk about a woman who has been in prison for a very long time, but she cannot remember what crime she committed. She has been working in different places like the road, the sea, and the fields, but all she wants is to be free. The repetition of "ninety-nine years is such a long time" emphasizes the severity of her sentence and how it has affected her. She feels like she is serving time for a crime she cannot even remember, but all she desires is to be liberated.
The second verse speaks about how the woman has been locked up for so long that her natural feelings have been repressed, "like a bad disease". The lyrics depict how the prison system can make one feel desolate, unimportant, and disconnected from the world outside. The song captures the harshness of prisons and the pain felt by those who are trapped in them.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm a long time woman
I am a woman who has experienced a lot and endured pain for a long time.
And I'm serving my time
I am enduring the punishment that I deserve for my past mistakes or wrongdoing.
I've been locked away so long now
I have been imprisoned for a long time and lost track of the duration of my punishment.
I forgot my crime
I have been incarcerated for so long that I cannot remember the exact reason why I am being punished.
I've been working on the road now
I have been working hard on different job sites away from home.
I've been working by the sea
I have been working hard near the ocean.
I've been working near them cane fields
I have been working near the fields where sugarcane is grown.
And I wanna be free
I want to be free from my punishment and live my life without restrictions.
Well ninety nine years is a long long long time
The duration of my punishment, which is equivalent to ninety nine years, is a very long time.
Ninety nine years is such a long long long time
The punishment that I have been given for my offense is extremely long and difficult to endure.
Well look at me, I'll never be free
I will never be free from the punishment for my wrongdoing, no matter how long I live.
Ain't nobody to please
I do not feel obligated to please anyone but myself since I have been punished long enough.
Got a natural feelings like a bad disease
I have strong emotions that cannot be controlled or suppressed, much like a contagious illness.
I'm a long time woman
I am proud of the strength and resilience I have acquired over a long period of time.
Hmm, hmm, hmm ..
Conveys a feeling of deep contemplation or reflection.
Doo, doo, doo, doo...
Represents a melodious tune of soothing sound.
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: LES BAXTER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@GriffithMustDie
Quentin really got to live a dream with this film. Not only was he giving his childhood favorite badass lady a career revival, but it's probably the best film Pam's ever made. Paying tribute to those who inspire you has to be one of the great feelings when you create something yourself, and Jackie Brown is the ultimate tribute to black American cinema of the 70s.
@ThatJamesGuy42
Not to mention him being a huge fan of Elmore Leonard (Leonard was one of his influences), so to be able to adapt one of his books was probably a goal of his as well.
@androlibre9661
Yes its Pam....she recorded this way back in the Early 70s before she had struck it big....and didnt know Tarantino was going to use it in the film until she heard it at the premiere screening.......so I've heard
@theogoldberg8919
Was she moved by Quentin Tarantino classy gesture?
@courtneyryan8278
@@theogoldberg8919 no way didn’t no that
@steviep76
Sooooooo cool! Lockdown anthem
@androlibre9661
@@theogoldberg8919 I remember her telling the story on a talk show when the movie came out
@ltrask13
It was recorded for a different movie she starred in in the 70s, The Big Dolll House
@tammylawrenz1208
Just watched Jackie Brown again. I am a big fan of the movie and Pam Grier and Robert Forster.
@fweshy274
I just bought this album for 50p in a charity shop, I've had like 3 copies and this is my fav Tarantino film. Only now did I realise it's Pam Grier lol