I'm sure you have all heard the song "Bag Lady" by Erykah Baduh...yes? no? maybe? Well if you have, you will know what I'm talking about, if not, you MUST listen to it. It's not a new song, but if you listen to it the message is amazing and empowering to women.
Bag lady you gone hurt your back
Dragging all them bags like that
I guess nobody ever told you
All you must hold on to
Is you, is you, is you
One day all them bags gone get in your way
One day all them bags gone get in your way
I said one day all them bags gone get in your way
One Day all them bags gone get in your way
So pack light
Pack light
Pack light
Ooh ooh
Bag lady you gone miss your bus
You can't hurry up
Cause you got too much stuff
When they see you comin
Niggas take off runnin
From you it's true oh yes they do
One day he gone say you crowdin my space
One day he gone say you crowdin my space
I said one day he gone say you crowdin my space
One day he gone say you crowdin my space
So pack light
Pack light
Pack light
Ooh ooh
Girl I know sometimes it's hard
And we can't let go
Oh when someone hurts you oh so bad inside
You can't deny it you can't stop crying
So oh, oh, oh
If you start breathin
Then you won't believe it
You'll feel so much better
(So much better baby)
Bag lady
Let it go, let it go, let it go, let it go
Ooh, ooh
Girl you don't need it
I betcha love can make it better
Betcha love can make it better
Betcha love can make it better
(Need someone to love you right)
Betcha love can make it better
(I betcha love, betcha love)
Betcha love can make it better
Betcha love can make it better
Betcha love can make it better
Betcha love can make it better
(I betcha love, betcha love)
Betcha love can make it better
(I betcha love, I betcha love, oh)
Betcha love can make it better
Betcha love can make it better
(Oh...)
Betcha love can make it better...
Bag lady, hmmLet it go, let it go, let it go, let it go
Girl you don't need that, hmm
What is she trying to say? I asked some guy friends and they laughed saying that she is just admitting that we girls are obsessed with bags and throw nothing but junk in it. The message is deeper though. The bag Baduh refers to is more than just a material bag: it's the heart.
"Bag lady you gone hurt your back
Dragging all them bags like that"
She is saying that very often our bag is full of needless things that weigh us down and keep us from moving along in our lives. Holding on to pain, hurt, anger, and dissappointment manifests itself in our bodies. The end result is that we often find ourselves being sick whether physically or emotionally. Sooner or later, our "baggage" causes our bodies to give out.
"Bag lady you gone miss your bus
You can't hurry up
Cause you got too much stuff"
When we spend too much time focusing on negative people, negative experiences, and negative feelings, we end up missing opportunities and blocking our blessings. We can't see the future because we are too busy living in the past. Meanwhile, our perpetrators go on living their lives: oblivious to the hurt they have caused. We only have the power to control our reactions to the bad things in life and we must learn to leave the past as the past and focus on the present and the future.
"When they see you comin
Niggas take off runnin
From you it's true oh yes they do"
I guess the question here is: why do we hurt? What are the things that have us hurting? Think about the many relationships we women start on crutches. A lot of women have a fear of being alone or missing out on a good man. Many women cover their wounds from previous relationships and experiences with their tight hairdos, pretty make-up, beautiful clothes, and a fake smile in order to attract somebody to keep them in their comfort zone and away from their loneliness. These women know they have no business getting involved when there are unresolved issues within them, but they hide it because otherwise people will run from them and avoid them. The message is that we must learn to not dwell on the negative experiences and we must be strong independent women. When we keep things inside, as time passes, the wounds get harder and harder to hide. When they are finally exposed , the important person in our life is suddenly history. When our "baggage" is exposed, we begin to "crowd his space" and he vanishes from our life.
The message is clear: the only thing that can ever stop us is....US! Yes, we have no control over what others do or say to us, but we CAN control our reactions. I'm not saying the "baggage" we have is something to be ashamed of, of course not, it's part of being a human being. The shame is not in having the baggage, but rather in KEEPING the "baggage".
So to all mybag ladies, search yourself! Be honest with yourself and ask yourself what is in your bag. When you realize what you are keeping inside do what you have to do - pray, cry, scream, liberate yourself!!!
"Girl I know sometimes it's hard
And we can't let go
Oh when someone hurts you oh so bad inside
You can't deny it you can't stop crying
So oh, oh, oh
If you start breathin
Then you won't believe it
You'll feel so much better"
So while my guy friends were wrong in saying that she is talking about our handbag fetish, they were right in the message : we do in fact carry a lot of worthless crap in our hearts. Crap that can be left in the past. They were right in saying that we are obsessed with the things that destroy us - negativitiy and sadness. WE MUST LEARN TO BE STRONG WOMEN: VISIONARIES OF THE FUTURE...
Bag lady....It's time to let it go...
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