“My skin is black
My arms are long
My hair is woolly
My back is strong
Strong enough to take the pain
inflicted again and again”
“Four Women” was written by Simone and appears on her classic 1966 album, Wild Is The Wind. It is one of several tunes that helped establish Simone as an important figure in the civil rights movement.
The catalyst of the song was her righteous indignation at the bombing of 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama on September 15, 1963, which killed four black girls. The tune is a compelling character study of four different black women. The lyrics use four different stereotypes to provide thought-provoking commentary on the residual effects of slavery. It also addresses how Eurocentric beauty standards are imposed upon black women. By reducing people to stereotypes it is easier to view them as less than and view their lives as of little consequence.
In 2000, the hip-hop duo Reflection Eternal (rapper Talib Kweli and producer Hi-Tek) recorded a poignant reworking as a hidden track for their debut album Train of Thought. The lyrics fleshes out the four characters adding a bit more humanity.
“Four Woman” gained renewed relevance in 2017 when it was sampled on Jay-Z’s “The Story of OJ”. Jay-Z uses the song as a canvas to address similar issues of systemic racism. It highlights that “Four Women” is sadly still relevant today.