MUSIC, ANIMATION: Dolly Parton’s “Nineteenth Amendment” Song
A RadioLab presentation
Era: Post-Suffrage Era | Media: Animation, Music
WNYC Animation Studio
By Maya Adelman
Here are the lyrics to Dolly Parton’s “Nineteenth Amendment” as posted by WNYC Studios on Sept. 18, 2018.
Lyrics to 19th Amendment by Dolly Parton
Listen to the song on themostperfectalbum.org
Intro: (Male Voice) August 18, 1920: Woman Suffrage Amendment Ratified
Women have been fighting for the legal right to vote since the 1840’s. In 1890 the National American Woman Suffrage Association (NAWSA) was established with Susan B. Anthony its leading force. But women have been fighting for their rights since the very beginning of time.
Verse 1
First they said we couldn’t dance,
Then said we couldn’t drink.
And unless some man allowed it,
They said we couldn’t think.
They said we shouldn’t speak ‘Til we were spoken to.
Well, there was just so much back then We weren’t allowed to do.
Chorus
But the first bite of that apple I guess revealed the truth.
That’s when Eve got smart
And that’s why Adam don’t like fruit.
But that ol’ tree of knowledge
Had some limbs that broke.
We had to fight for women’s rights,
They said we couldn’t vote.
It is the duty of the women of this country to secure for themselves the sacred right to vote.
Bridge
We’ve carried signs, we’ve cussed at times,
Marched up and down the streets.
We had to fight for women’s rights,
Wore blisters on our feet.
We got tired of seein’ all our dreams go up in smoke,
Burdens more than we could tote
Having lies crammed down our throats.
But that ol’ dam finally broke
When women finally got the right to vote.
Do-do, Do, Do, Do-De-De-Do, Da-Da-Da, Da-Da
Verse 2
They said a woman’s place
Was staying in her hut.
Washin’, cookin’, cleanin’,
Wipin’ baby’s butts.
They said she’d never see the day
We’d equal up to them.
But here we are, we’ve come so far.
I guess we sure showed them.
Chorus
The first bite of that apple I guess revealed the truth.
That’s when Eve got smart
And that’s why Adam don’t like fruit.
But that ol’ tree of knowledge
Had some limbs that broke.
We had to fight for women’s right
They said we couldn’t vote.
Bridge
We were defiant, I’ll admit;
But we all knew we couldn’t quit.
‘Cause the suffrage amendment must be passed.
We protested, we cried out,
Finally it came about
Ratified by Tennessee, we won at last.
Chorus
And the first bite of that apple
I guess revealed the truth.
That’s when Eve got smart
And that’s why Adam don’t like fruit.
But that ol’ tree of knowledge
Had some limbs that broke.
We had to fight for women’s rights
We won the right to vote.
Tag
They thought we were a joke.
They tried to dash our hopes.
With every word they spoke.
They tried to revoke
A woman’s right to vote.
But we made it!