Song Meaning
The lyrics paint a stark picture of inherited subjugation, beginning with the narrator's own birth, a product of "slave mogama and white man." This origin story immediately establishes a hierarchy, contrasting the father's "iron bed" with the mother's "cold sand." The mother's silence, "Never said a word / As if she were dumb," is presented not as a choice but as a dictated necessity, a fear that "a woman who will talk too much / Is soon to lose her man."
The narrative then broadens to a societal decree about women's roles, rooted in a patriarchal interpretation of creation: "God made man first / And made a woman second choice." This justifies the expectation that women "Obey her master's voice," serving men's needs whether they are hungry or cold. The constant refrain, "the woman has to work," underscores a relentless, unacknowledged labor.
This theme of enforced labor extends to economic disparity, where the "poor man wakes early / And he works until it's night" while the "rich man wakes up late / And tells the poor man what is right." Yet, even within this class struggle, the ultimate burden falls on women. The lyrics emphasize that "rich or poor the woman has / To work for both of them," highlighting a double layer of oppression where women are exploited by both men and the societal structures that dictate their subservience.
The power of these lyrics lies in their direct, unadorned language and the relentless focus on the woman's obligation. The repetition of "the woman has to work" acts as a hammer blow, driving home the inescapable reality of her situation. The stark contrasts—iron bed vs. cold sand, silence vs. speaking, master's voice vs. woman's work—create a palpable sense of injustice that resonates through the simple, declarative sentences.
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