Shola - This Is Me Now (acoustic)
1970s folk soul, motown, acoustic guitar fingerpicking, lead belting vocals, raspy close mic delivery, sultry lower register, Hammond organ riff, grand piano, umplugged, acoustic, guitars arpaggios, soft drum, tribal percussion, tambourine, live, fast tempo, crowd
Shola - This Is Me Now (acoustic)
1970s folk soul, motown, acoustic guitar fingerpicking, lead belting vocals, raspy close mic delivery, sultry lower register, Hammond organ riff, grand piano, umplugged, acoustic, guitars arpaggios, soft drum, tribal percussion, tambourine, live, fast tempo, crowd
Lyrics
(Long Intro instrumental – spoken / sung)
Hey…
hey…
Ohhh…Mmmm
I worked for them…
now I work for me...
(Verse 1)
Trays in my hands, with a smile on my face
“Thank you, have a nice day,” even feelin’ outta place
Cash register lines, scan their lives all day
Watchin’ mine go by while I slowly fade away
Behind the bar, pourin’ out their nights
Hearin’ all their stories, all their drunken lies
Countin’ numbers daytime, stuck inside a cage
Makin’ money for them while I’m filled with rage
(Pre-Chorus)
And I said… “how long can this go on?”
Before I live my life for real, not just play along
(Chorus – punchy)
This is me!
This is me!
No one standin’ over me!
My voice!
My choice!
I won’t bend for you no more!
Nothin’ to change!
Nothin’ to prove!
I’m finally here — listen to me!
This is me! This is me!
Yeah — this is me now!
solo instrumental
(Verse 2)
Heard all the “no’s”, heard “you’re not enough”
“Stay in your place”, yeah they said it rough
I bit my tongue, kept it all inside
But I felt that fire, couldn’t let it die
Saw their dreams fade in a coffee break
“Maybe someday”… dreams they never chase
I said no more, I drew the line
If I fall, at least it’s on my time
(Pre-Chorus)
And I screamed… even with no mic
Even if it didn’t sound right
(Chorus – stronger)
This is me!
This is me!
No one standin’ over me!
My voice!
My choice!
I won’t bend for you no more!
Nothin’ to change!
Nothin’ to prove!
I’m finally here — look at me!
This is me! This is me!
Yeah — this is me now!
solo instrumental
(Bridge – breakdown, gospel feel)
Not perfect — no!
Not quiet — no!
But I’m livin’ — OH!
Every word I sing
Is a piece of me
Every note I bring
Sets my spirit free
(Break instrumental)
Waitress!
Cashier!
Bartender!
Bookkeeper!
All of that made… ME!
interlude instrumental
(Final Chorus – bigger, modulated)
This is me!
This is me!
I won’t lose my voice again!
My voice!
My choice!
I’m livin’ life my way till the end!
Nothin’ to change!
Nothin’ to prove!
I’m finally free — hear me now!
This is me! This is me!
Yeah — this is me now!
(Outro – ad-libs, fade)
Ohhh… this is me…
Ain’t holdin’ back…
Never again…
This is me now…