Tapestry of Faith: Resistance and Transformation: An Adult Program on Unitarian Universalist Social Justice History

Handout 4: There Was a Young Woman Who Swallowed a Lie

By Meredith Tax, from the Arlington Street Church Women’s Caucus worship service. Used with permission. In the Women’s Caucus worship service, lines 5 and 43 of the text read, “...live to serve others.“ At the author’s request, we have restored her original phrase, “...live to serve men.”

There was a young woman who swallowed a lie,

We all know why she swallowed that lie,

Perhaps she'll die.

There was a young woman who swallowed a rule,

"Live to serve men," she learned it in school;

She swallowed the rule to hold up the lie,

We all know why she swallowed that lie,

Perhaps she'll die.

There was a young woman who swallowed some fluff,

Lipstick and candy and powder and puff.

She swallowed the fluff to sweeten the rule,...

There was a young woman who swallowed a line,

"I like 'em dumb, baby, you suit me fine."

She swallowed the line to tie up the fluff,...

There was a young woman who swallowed a pill,

Might have said "no", but she hadn't the will.

She swallowed the pill to go with the line,...

There was a young woman who swallowed a ring,

Looked like a princess and felt like a thing.

She swallowed the ring to make up for the pill,...

There was a young woman who swallowed some Spock,

"Stay at home, mother, take care of your flock."

She swallowed the Spock to go with the ring,...

One day this young woman woke up and she said,

"I've swallowed so much that I wish I were dead.

I swallowed it all to go with the Spock,

I swallowed the Spock to go with the ring,

I swallowed the ring to make up for the pill,

I swallowed the pill to go with the line,

I swallowed the line to tie up the fluff,

I swallowed the fluff to sweeten the rule,

I swallowed the rule to hold up the lie,

Why in the world did I swallow that lie?

Perhaps I'll die."

She ran to her sister, it wasn't too late

To be liberated, regurgitate.

She threw up the Spock and she threw up the ring,

Looked like a princess and felt like a thing,

She threw up the pill and she threw up the line,

"I like 'em dumb, baby, you suit me fine."

She threw up the fluff and she threw up the rule,

"Live to serve men," she learned it in school.

And last but not least, she threw up the lie,

We all know why she threw up that lie,

SHE WILL NOT DIE!!!