talk to me now lyrics

He said, "Ani, you've gotten tough
'Cause my tone was curt"
Yeah, and when I'm approached in a dark alley
I don't lift my skirt

In this city
Self-preservation is a full time occupation
I'm determined to survive on this shore
You know I don't avert my eyes anymore

In a man's world I am a woman by birth
And after nineteen times around I have found
They will stop at nothing once they know
What you are worth

Talk to me now
I played the powerless in too many dark scenes
And I was blessed with a birth and a death
And I guess I just want some say in between

Don't you understand in the day to day and the face to face
I have to act just as strong as I can just to preserve a place
Where I can be who I am so if you still know how
Talk to me now