When I was a little girl, I wished I was a boy
I tagged along behind the gang and wore me corduroys
Everybody said I only did it to annoy
But I was gonna be an engineer
Mama told me, Can't you be a lady?
Your duty is to make me the mother of a pearl
Wait until you're older dear, and maybe
You'll be glad that you're a girl
* Dainty as a Dresden Statue
Gentle as a Jersey cow
Smooth as silk, gives creamy milk
Learn to coo, learn to moo
That's what you do to be a lady now
When I went to school I learned to write and how to read
Some history, geography and home economy,
And typing is a skill that every girl is sure to need,
To while away the extra time until the time to breed
And then they had the nerve to say, What would you like to be?
I says, I'm gonna be an engineer!
No, you only need to learn to be a lady
The duty isn't yours for to try and run the world
An engineer could never have a baby!
Remember, dear, that you're a girl
* She's smart! for a woman
I wonder how she got that way?
You get no choice, you get no voice
Just stay mum, pretend you're dumb
That's how you come to be a lady today!
So I became a typist and I study on the sly
Working out the day and night so I can qualify
Peggy Seeger
* omit these verses for shorter version