Alix Olson - Subtle Sister lyrics

So we’ve learned karate Carry knives on our runs Wield words like weapons Prepare glares-like hidden guns We’ve deconstructed, demystified Tried retribution, remythologized We’ve been diagnosed with your diseases And still tried pleases, tried tears, tried Jesus You wanna see what it’s like down here In this pool of someone else’s rules, well Jump in, take a swim or just sit in this pit Squishing bare toes in someone else’s bullsh** We do it all the time Still we’ve tried being patient Collected, calm, nice Trying praying, tried laying you Paying the price We’ve learned to scream Until our throats throbbed What else do you do While your c*nt’s being robbed And they say “you’ve made progress, girls Take a rest in-between” But see while you’re resting Someone else is progressing It’s what i’ve seen So i take back the whispers The cute mute act And the high pitched giggles, yeah I take them back I won’t avoid your stare, evade your step Nothing of that kind Won’t help you help me victimize The only space that’s mine See now I’d put my life on the line just to see them trip Frown and say “funny love, i never saw you slip.” I say, “my life on the line-” You say “man, she’s jaded.” I say, “maybe control’s overrated.” Like when we cackled, they called us witches Now we don’t giggle they call us b**hes

Well I’m cacklin loud, taking it back, full of hiss Cacklin loud, cackling proud now And they’re getting nervous with this kissing each other Scratching their heads Whats going on brother And they yell feed your husband, stop feeding the fire! And we just cackle We’re a f*ckin witches choir And we sing “sharpen your knives, sharpen your daughters Steam up the mirrors, bake us some dreams Cook up some riots, fry up some screams And when you’re sick of your skirts Slice open the seams Cause they want domestics Theyll give us needle and thread For patching their egos We’ll sow revolution instead.” And i hear you saying “subtle, sister Less bite, more bark You can make your point without leaving such a mark Subtle, sister Stop your seething I think we got it, i think we’re even:” Subtle like a penis pounding its target? Subtle like your hissing from across the street? Subtle like the binding on my sisters’ feet? Subtle like her belly raped with his semen Draped in his f*ck, funny Doesn’t seem even See, sometimes anger’s subtle, stocked in metaphor Full of finesse and dressed in allure Yes, sometimes anger’s subtle, less rage than sad Leaking slow through spigots you didn’t know you had And sometimes it’s just F*ck you F*ck you You see, and to me That’s poetry too