"If He Tries Anything" by Ani Difranco: IAN MOY

I found this song randomly while looking for anything that pertained to this blog. I have never heard much of Ani Difranco's work before, only second hand things. I know that she has been famous or known for sometime. Here are the lyrics:
"If He Tries Anything"

I'm invincible
so are you
we do all the things
they say we can't do
we walk around
in the middle of the night
and if it's too far to walk
we just hitch a ride

we got rings of dirt
around our necks
we talk like auctioneers
and we bounce like checks
we smell like shit
still, when we walk down the street
all the boys line up
to throw themselves at our feet

I say I think he likes you
you say I think he do too
go and get him girl
before he gets you
I'll be watching you
from the wings
I will come to your rescue
if he tries anything

it's a long long road
it's a big big world
we are wise wise women
we are giggling girls
we both carry a smile
to show when we're pleased
we both carry a switchblade
in our sleeves

tell you one thing
I'm gonna make noise when I go down
for ten square blocks
they're gonna know I died
all the goddesses will come up
to the ripped screen door
and say,
what do you want, dear?
and I'll say,
I want inside

I say I think he likes you
you say I think he do too
go and get him girl
before he gets you
I'll be watching you
from the wings
I will come to your rescue
if he tries anything

I'm not to sure if this song exhibits extremely strong feminist qualitites but the lines such as "get him girl before he gets you" or "we talk like auctioneers
and we bounce like checks
we smell like shit
still, when we walk down the street
all the boys line up
to throw themselves at our feet" are feminist lines because the second line i mentioned says that no matter what men will still be about women so take advantage of that ladies. The line "get him girl before he ges you" is goo also because in many relationships the men gain the power in the relationship and often this leads to abuses committed toward the women. The message that is being ignored by mainstream media is the bonds of sisterhood or protection women have between one another, a sort of leaning system. This song tells the girls to be more proactive in their interactions have an extended sense of confidence and not be controlled. So in essence ist is explaining how to stop gender oppression. I think this is a perfect example of a piece of work that would help make feminism look less threatening in the eyes of mainstream society. Because she isn't threatening towards the opposite sex or attacking others, she is merely empowering the disenfranchised women. I read that Ani Difranco is an active feminist and has won awards for her work in the fields of women's rights and her musics contribution.