His Story
TLC Lyrics

Yo, this is a story of a male female threat to society
This song tells a story of a man and woman who are viewed as dangerous by society.

You know being misjudged and not respected for what we are
The characters feel unfairly judged and disrespected for who they are.

But I want to send this special shout out to my girl Tawana Brawley
The singer acknowledges a specific woman, Tawana Brawley, who was likely wrongly accused and disbelieved by society.

Cause no matter what we say or what we do
Despite the characters' best efforts, they feel like they cannot change society's view of them.

They'll always believe his story (ow)
No matter what, society tends to believe the story of the man over the woman's story.

His story (yeahee, yeahee, yeahee)
The man's story is privileged and given more weight by society.

Hist story (ow)
The man's version of events is seen as more valid than the woman's.

They're gonna believe
Society is programmed to automatically believe the man's story.

Why does it have to be that we get labeled for what we do
The characters feel that what they do, who they are, and how they react to unfair treatment is used to unfairly label them.

It's hard enough for us to be ourselves without being used
It is difficult to simply exist as themselves without being taken advantage of.

Girls have an image too
The female characters are aware of how society views them.

But when they get mad at you
If a woman becomes angry, people will use that emotion to cast doubt on her story.

There is no telling what they'll say to hurt you
People will say anything to discredit a woman's story and protect the man's story.

His story over mine his story will be his story
The man's story will always be chosen and accepted over the woman's story.

And my story is a waste of time (aaaah-aah-aah)
The woman's story is dismissed altogether as insignificant or unimportant.

Sometimes I feel like there is no reason for me to explain
The woman characters feel that their perspective or side of the story is not taken seriously.

No matter how much we complain
Even if they speak up or complain, the woman characters feel like they are not heard.

You know it all stays the same
Despite their efforts, nothing changes and society continues to disbelieve women.

They try to call us freaks
Society labels women as abnormal or lesser than men.

Why does it have to be
The women characters question why society has to treat women unfairly for no reason.

We can't get justified until we speak up (oooh)
The women characters feel that they can only get justice if they speak up, even if they may be disbelieved.

His story over mine his story will be his story
The man's story takes precedence over the woman's story, regardless of the truth.

(You know it's just a waste of my time)
The women characters feel like it is pointless to even tell their stories since they are not taken seriously.

So what you gonna do
The characters question what they can do to change society's unwillingness to believe them.

Don't let it take over you (hey)
The characters encourage each other to not let society's disbelieve control how they view themselves.

My story is a waste of time
The woman's story is once again dismissed as a waste of time and insignificant.

You can't put yourself in a position to be neglected
The women characters know that they cannot afford to put themselves in situations where they might be ignored or disbelieved.

And disrespected
The female characters feel like society disrespects them just because they are women.

You have to do what's not expected
They know that they need to do something unexpected or different to change how society sees them.

Alright
An affirmation that they are right and that things need to change.

His story will be his story
The chorus repeats as a reminder that the man's version of events is what society believes and accepts.

(This is a story of) how could you do this to us
The song ends with a rhetorical question about why society continues to treat women unfairly.

They're gonna believe
The final repetition of the chorus reinforces the idea that society will always believe the man's story.

This is a story of a male female threat to society
The song ends with a reminder that the characters are seen as threatening simply because of their gender.

Why you wanna go tell a lie on me? (yeahee, yeahee, ho)
The song's final line is a direct question to anyone who would try to discredit a woman's story.