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Story Behind the Song
A song about outgrowing the voices that kept you small and discovering the strength that was there from the beginning. It is personal, hard-won, and ultimately triumphant.
Lyrics
He said I oughta be quieter
Said I dreamed too big;
Said the world don't make room
For girls like me to live.
So I folded up my wings,
Tried to fit inside his plans;
Lost myself along the way
With my future in his hands.
I gave my heart to people
Who only took and never gave;
Mistakin' empty promises
For the kind of love I'd crave.
Every time they let me down
I'd blame myself somehow;
Funny how I couldn't see
What’s so clear to me now.
The world can’t keep me down no more
I know just what I’m fighting for;
I’m breakin’ free and feeling strong
For the woman I’ve been all along;
I’m free and I’m strong now:
It’s been me all along.
There were nights I'd lie there thinkin'
I was somehow less than whole;
Maybe there’s no love for me,
Maybe that's just how life goes.
But the years have taught me better
Than all those tears could ever do;
The one whose love I needed most
Was the one I always knew.
The girl who cried all of those nights
Wouldn't recognize me now;
I found my strength in all that rain
And learned to stand again somehow.
Funny how all those things I’ve lost
Show me all that I have won;
I'm proud of the girl I was
But I love the woman I’ve become.
The world can’t keep me down no more
I know just what I’m fighting for;
I’m breakin’ free and feeling strong
For the woman I’ve been all along;
I’m free and I’m strong now:
It’s been me all along.