Put a Woman in Charge

Raise the vibration and make the world a better place

Oct 05, 2024

Hi all,

Thank you for joining me for today’s song, “Put a Woman in Charge”, by Beth Nielsen Chapman, Keb' Mo’, John Lewis Parker and Kevin Moore. If you’d like to hear the song before you read about it, I’ve included a YouTube video below the article. Comments and questions are welcome. For Japanese students, vocabulary words in bold are provided in Japanese below. TOEIC (PBT) 450+, Eiken 2, CEFR B1.

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(413 words)

The song for today is from 2018. Songwriter Beth Nielsen Chapman says that Keb Mo’ invited her to co-write the song with John Lewis Parker. He wanted to be factual in the song, and not take political sides of any issue.

The song starts by looking at the things that men have created. There have also been problems when greed took over.

Way back when, in the beginning of time, man made the fire then the wheel
Went from a horse to an automobile
He said, "the world is mine"
He took the oceans and the sky, he set the borders, built the walls
He won't stop 'til he owns it all

There are many serious problems in the world right now. Everyone on the planet is feeling the effects of the climate crisis, prices are going up but pay isn’t, people are forced from their homes due to conflict, floods, and fires. What option is there for making an important change of direction?

And here we are, standing on the brink of disaster
Enough is enough is enough is enough
I know the answer

Put a woman in charge…
The time has come
We've got to turn this world around

To “turn something around” means to cause a situation to change in a better, more positive direction.
Call the mothers, call the daughters
We need the sisters of mercy now

The Sisters of Mercy is a group of women who help people in need. The group started on the 1800s in Ireland to care for the sick, teach children, and help the poor. They are part of the Catholic Church and do good work around the world to make life better for others.

She'll be a hero, not a fool
She's got the power to change the rules
She's got something that men don't have (yes we have)
She is kind and she understands

So, let the ladies do what they were born to do
Raise the vibration and make a better place for me and you

The lyrics say “raise the vibration”. In a video discussion of this song (1), Dar Williams says that women have always been good at raising positive energy and compassion in their homes and communities by paying attention to social cues. This strength is now becoming more common in men, and this helps break stereotypes.

Hallelujah
We're gonna feel the magic
When the girls take over
It's gonna be fantastic
(We need more women in charge)