If I've disappointed you You'll have to understand Not all life can fall in line According to your plan I came to you like many do Hoping to be cured To end what gods of men condemned Nathaniel to endure I've always wondered what it's like To live the way you do Gave my life to slave and strive To walk life in your shoes I've always tried to satisfy The picture you have drawn But by and by I realized I wasn't born to sing your song Say goodbye to following your rules Time that I stopped playing your damn fool No more wasted days tryin' to obey While letting life slip by I demand a second chance To live as I am I've seen firsthand how you brand The virtues of a man You hide behind your refined Righteous sterling sham You blindly lie and treat your wives Like pilfered property You weigh, inspect, degrade, reject And call it masculinity Say goodbye To the life you want for me It's my time I can't be and not be free All the wasted time The uphill climb The hell that I withstood I'll take what's mine It's not a crime To live as I am I've come to realize You're prisoners in a show Afraid of who you'll find Beneath your fitted clothes You can take the gloves Take the hair Take the dress I don't care Every fiber of my soul Defies your rigid roles Say goodbye I will be and I'll be me Won't deny Myself my destiny Belle dame was with you all along She found her voice She found her song Now it's time to take a stand And live As I am!