Fancy
Reba and Kelly Lyrics

Well, I remember it all very well, lookin' back
I vividly recall everything that happened when I turned eighteen

It was the summer I turned eighteen
The events occurred in summer when I became of age

We lived in a one room, rundown shack
We resided in a dilapidated shack having only one room

On the outskirts of New Orleans
It was situated at the boundary of New Orleans

We didn't have money for food or rent
We lacked the funds to cater for basic necessities like food and rent

To say the least, we were hard-pressed
It's an understatement to say we were in a difficult situation

Then Mama spent every last penny we had
My mother used up all our money

To buy me a dancin' dress
She spent the money to buy me a dress for dancing

My mama washed and combed and curled my hair
My mother cleaned, attended, and styled my hair

And then she painted my eyes and lips (lips),
My mum applied make-up to my eyes and lips

then I stepped into a satin Dancin' dress
After that, I wore a satin dancing dress

that had a split from the side clean up to my hip
The dress had a side slit that extended to my hip

It was red velvet trim and it fit me good
The dress was trimmed with red velvet and fit me perfectly

Standin' back from the lookin' glass
I distanced myself from the mirror

There stood a woman where a half gown kid had stood
I looked like a lady instead of a girl in a short dress

She said, "Here's your one chance, Fancy, don't let me down"
My mother emphasized the significance of the opportunity and how I should not waste it

She said, "Here's your one chance, Fancy, don't let me down"
She exclaimed the message again

Mama dabbed a little bit of perfume on my neck
My mom put on a little perfume on my neck

Then she kissed my cheek
She gave me a kiss on the cheek

And then I saw the tears wellin' up in her troubled eyes
However, I could observe tears accumulating in her sad eyes

As she started to speak
As she began talking

She looked at our pitiful shack
She glanced at our poor dwelling

And then she looked at me and took a ragged breath
Afterward, she gazed at me and breathed uncertainly

She said, "Your pa's runned off and I'm real sick
She explained that my dad had left and how she was seriously ill

And the baby's gonna starve to death
She also stated that my younger sibling might die from starvation

She handed me a heart-shaped locket that said
She gave me locket shaped like a heart which had the following words engraved

"To thine own self be true"
"Be True to Yourself" was the inscription on the locket

And I shivered as I watched a roach crawl across
I was terrified when I observed a cockroach crawling on the toe of my shoe

The toe of my high heel shoe
The insect was scrabbling up the toe of my high heel footwear

It sounded like somebody else, it was talkin'
It felt like someone else was talking

Askin', "Mama, what do I do?"
I questioned my mother on what I should do

She said, "Just be nice to the gentlemen, Fancy
She suggested that I treat men kindly

They'll be nice to you"
She promised that this kindness would elicit the same response from men

She said, "Here's your one-chance, Fancy, don't let me down
Again, she emphasized how important the opportunity was to me

Here's your one chance, Fancy, don't let me down
My mom pleaded with me not to lose out on this chance

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

But if you want out, well, it's up to you
However, If you desire to escape, now is the opportunity to leave

Now don't let me down now
Do not cause me any disappointment

Your mama's gonna move you uptown"
Your mother will improve your living conditions

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

The night I left that rickety shack
The night I departed the shack falling apart

The welfare people came and took the baby
The welfare authorities came and took my younger sibling

Mama died and I ain't been back
My mother passed away, and I have not returned since then

But the wheels of fate had started to turn
Fortune began its unpredictable movements

And for me, there was no way out
I couldn't see any way of escaping my circumstances

It wasn't very long 'til I knew exactly
In no time at all, I knew for certain

What my mama been talkin' about
What my mother told me made complete sense

I knew what I had to do when I made myself this solemn vow
I understood what I had to do, and I promised myself

That I's gonna be a lady someday
That someday, I would become a sophisticated lady

Though I don't know when or how
Even though I'm not completely sure about the timing or approach

But I couldn't see spending the rest of my life
However, I refused to spend the remainder of my life

With my head hung down in shame
Being ashamed of myself and what I stood for

You know I might have been born just plain white trash
I might have been born to a life of poverty and shame

But Fancy was my name
But, I identified myself as 'Fancy'

She said, "Here's your one chance, Fancy, don't let me down"
My mother's words continued to resonate with me

She said, "Here's your one chance, Fancy, don't let me down"
I kept hearing her voice saying the same thing

It wasn't long after a benevolent man
Not long after a kindhearted man

Took me in off the streets
Rescued me from being homeless on the streets

One week later, I was pourin' his tea
A week later, I found myself serving his tea

In a five-room hotel suite (yes, she was)
And it happened in a luxurious suite with five rooms

I charmed a king, a congressman
I used my charm to win over a king and a congressman

And an occasional aristocrat
Also, on some occasions, I met aristocrats

And then I got me a Georgia mansion
Later, I acquired a large house in Georgia

And an elegant New York townhouse flat
Furthermore, I also got a classy apartment in New York City

And I ain't done bad (she ain't done bad)
All in all, I wasn't doing too bad for myself, and the same goes for her

Now in this world, there's a lot of self-righteous hypocrites
There are many self-righteous and hypocritical people in this world

That'd call me bad
Who would judge me harshly

And criticize mama for turning me out
And rebuke my mother for what she did

No matter how little we had
Regardless of the fact that our means were scanty

But though I ain't had to worry 'bout nothin'
Even though I had nothing to concern me

For nigh on fifteen years
For almost fifteen years

Well, I can still hear the desperation
I can still perceive the anxiety in her voice

In my poor mama's voice ringin' in my ears
Even though she's gone, I still hear her voice in my head

"Here's your one chance, Fancy, don't let me down
The words my mother spoke before resonate even now.

Oh, here's your one chance, Fancy, don't let me down
I better not let her down.

Lord, forgive me for what I do
Please forgive me, God, for doing what I had to do.

But if you want out, well, it's up to you
But remember, you're in control.

Now don't let me down hun
Please, don't let me down.

Your mama's gonna move you uptown"
Just ensure your mom will move you to a better place.

Oh and I guess she did
Looking back, she certainly didn't let her mother down.