"Not a Pretty Girl" is the title track off
folksinger Ani DiFranco's sixth studio album, released in summer 1995. Along with "32 Flavors," another track off
the same album – which itself is considered by many to be Ani's finest work – it is one of "the little
folksinger's" most acclaimed and well-received songs.
Unlike many of Ani's blatantly feminist songs, "Not a Pretty Girl" is more subtle and even coy with its message. It
manages to be both political and personal at once as Ani declares that she wants to be "more than a pretty girl."
This fanlisting celebrates the song and its message.
Lyrics:
I am not a pretty girl
That is not what I do
I ain't no damsel in distress
And I don't need to be rescued
So put me down, punk
Maybe you'd prefer a maiden fair
Isn't there a kitten stuck up a tree somewhere?
I am not an angry girl
But it seems like I've got everyone fooled
Every time I say something they find hard to hear
They chalk it up to my anger
And never to their own fear
And imagine you're a girl
Just trying to finally come clean
Knowing full well they'd prefer you
Were dirty and smiling
And I am sorry
I am not a maiden fair
And I am not a kitten stuck up a tree somewhere
And generally my generation
Wouldn't be caught dead working for the man
And generally I agree with them
Trouble is, you gotta have yourself an alternate plan
And I have earned my disillusionment
I have been working all of my life
And I am a patriot
I have been fighting the good fight
And what if there are no damsels in distress?
What if I knew that and I called your bluff?
Don't you think every kitten figures out how to get down?
Whether or not you ever show up
I am not a pretty girl
I don't want to be a pretty girl
No, I want to be more than a pretty girl
