Cash released her first single in 1979, a duet with Bobby Bare called "We Don't Need No Memories Hangin' 'Round". Two years later, she had her first country No. 1 (and the biggest commercial hit of her career), "Seven Year Ache". Although Cash was a prominent country star throughout the '80s, alongside fellow decade-defining artists Emmylou Harris, Juice Newton, and Dolly Parton, her music was anything but traditional: She topped the charts with songs written not only by herself, but by her father ("Tennessee Flat Top Box"), John Hiatt ("The Way We Make a Broken Heart"), Tom Petty ("Never Be You") and the Beatles ("I Don't Want to Spoil the Party"), "I Don't Know Why You Don't Want Me", which won her a Grammy in 1985, and "It's Such a Small World", a 1987 duet with Rodney Crowell on his album Diamonds & Dirt, provided further hits. A sampling of these songs and more are included on the compilation Hits 1979-1989. In 1979, she married Rodney Crowell, who was to produce most of her hit records. Their stormy marriage lasted until 1992; its break-up is chronicled in Cash's Interiors and in Crowell's album Life Is Messy. Cash later married John Leventhal, who produced her albums The Wheel, 10 Song Demo, Rules of Travel, and Black Cadillac.
To date, Cash has had more than twenty top 40 country singles, including eleven chart-toppers, but none since 1990, and she has left Nashville in both spirit and body to pursue her artistic vision. Although she had recorded all of her hits for Columbia Records' Nashville division, she released 10 Song Demo for the pop division of Capitol. Cash resurfaced in 2003 with Rules of Travel. The album features guest appearances by Sheryl Crow and Steve Earle, as well as a tune penned by Joe Henry and the Wallflowers' Jakob Dylan. Cash's latest album, entitled Black Cadillac, was released by Capitol Records in January 2006 to critical acclaim. Many of the songs were written by Cash and address the losses (within a 24-month span) of her step-mother, her father, her step-sister (Rosey Nix Adams) and then finally her mother on Cash's fiftieth birthday.
Real Woman
Rosanne Cash Lyrics
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I don't want to check my appearance in your eyes
I don't need a million bucks baby it don't take much
I don't need to play the princess all the time
I want to be a real woman changing every day
I want to be a real woman real in every way I want to be a real woman
I don't want to be admired I don't want to take my smile
I don't want to use my charm to disarm you
You don't have to pass some test just to impress me
I want to be a real woman...
Real is how I deal with what I deal with
Real is how I feel when I know how I'm feelin'
I don't want to be a man I just want to be what I am
I don't want to hide my light so yours keeps shining
If you don't want to face the truth then you're not gonna like what I do
You're not gonna make or break me so don't start trying
I want to be a real woman...
The song "Real Woman" by Rosanne Cash speaks to the notion of authenticity, as well as the pressure put on women to conform to societal expectations. The lyrics express a desire to reject the superficial demands of society and instead embrace one's true self. In the first verse, the singer dismisses the desire for fame and material wealth, instead valuing personal growth and development. She declares her desire to be a "real woman," meaning someone who is authentic and true to herself, changing and evolving every day.
The second verse continues this theme, rejecting the pressure to conform to gender stereotypes in order to be accepted or admired. The singer values honesty and emotional authenticity, insisting that she won't hide her light just to make others feel more comfortable.
The overall message of the song is one of empowerment, as the singer rejects societal expectations and defines her own sense of self-worth. By embracing her own authenticity and rejecting the pressure to conform, she becomes a "real woman" in the truest sense of the term.
Line by Line Meaning
I don't want to be a star I don't want to talk through glass
I don't want to be a celebrity and I don't want to feel isolated from reality
I don't want to check my appearance in your eyes
I don't want to constantly worry about whether or not I look attractive to you
I don't need a million bucks baby it don't take much
I don't need excessive wealth to be happy, as long as I have enough to live comfortably
I don't need to play the princess all the time
I don't want to constantly play a role that society expects of me as a woman
I want to be a real woman changing every day
I want to be an authentic woman who embraces change and growth
I want to be a real woman real in every way I want to be a real woman
I want to fully embrace my true self and be real in every aspect of my life
I don't want to be admired I don't want to take my smile
I don't want to be objectified or feel like I have to pretend to be happy all the time
I don't want to use my charm to disarm you
I don't want to resort to using my charm or beauty to manipulate others
You don't have to spin your wheels oh baby I know how that feels
You don't have to go through the struggle of trying to impress me, I understand how hard it can be
You don't have to pass some test just to impress me
You don't have to meet any specific qualifications or criteria to be accepted by me
Real is how I deal with what I deal with
Being real is how I cope with the challenges in my life
Real is how I feel when I know how I'm feelin'
Being true to my emotions is what makes me feel real and alive
I don't want to be a man I just want to be what I am
I don't want to be defined by gender roles, I just want to be my authentic self
I don't want to hide my light so yours keeps shining
I don't want to dim my own light, so that others can shine brighter in comparison
If you don't want to face the truth then you're not gonna like what I do
If you can't handle my realness and honesty, then you won't like who I am
You're not gonna make or break me so don't start trying
You don't have the power to control my life, so don't bother trying to bring me down
I want to be a real woman...
I want authenticity to be a central part of my identity as a woman
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Downtown Music Publishing, WORDS & MUSIC A DIV OF BIG DEAL MUSIC LLC
Written by: RODNEY CROWELL, ROSANNE CASH
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind