Mimi Speaks
Jane Siberry

There is a girl out on the sea
Floating on a pink surfboard
With a picnic lunch and parasol
Sitting there like a typical girl

You don't know me but I've been watching you all day. I thought that by ignoring you perhaps you'd go away. I thought it was just too much sun as I faced out across the bay. Hearing all these voices telling me how to spend my day. Then I turned around and I saw you standing there. Talking all this time. Talking like you care. It's been ten years and you haven't gone away. So I'm finally speaking up. It's time to have my say.

First of all, my name isn't Mimi. It's Ruth.
Ruth-Mimadoni-Castradicus-Phaterpithecus-Triumvatini.
And I come from a family of ten children. A tomboy. The youngest. I learned to fight before I learned to walk. To fight for my place in a space without grace. All cannons open by the age of two. By six I ruled the schoolyard. By fourteen I ruled the shopping malls.
Loud. Active. Restless. Arrogant. Aggressive.
And STRONG.

I couldn't understand these flimsy things called 'teenage girls'. They scattered before me like ineffective dolls. So I bullied them even more in my consternation. Trying to make them break out. Trying to beat them into consciousness. And then one day, I was working on this little bit of a thing. Trying to whip her into three dimensions. She was shaking and looking confused. Way beyond her ken. I was just about to give her one last kick, when all of a sudden, she got real silent. I mean, REAL silent.

And from somewhere faraway, someone called my name.

RUTH-MIMADONI-CASTRADICUS-PHATERPITHICUS-TRIUMVATINI.
And a pink surfboard was handed to me.
And a voice said her name will be Mimi.
And they gently urged me forward to the edge of the water.
And we moved out onto the sea, Mimi and me.
And the language between us was wordless and hung in the air.
And I spent a lot of time thinking about chains that bound the others but not me.
And then I started to feel so trapped by feeling oh-so-free.

And some days I hated the pink. I HATED the pink.
Pink for weakness and girls and little posies. Pink for subjugation, oppression, asexuality, moral shrivenness, ignorance, and painted toesies.

And yet it's pink that is my friend out here. Out on the sea that I'm learning to fear.

Pink that's showing me the way. Learning how to NOT have my say. To hear what YOU might have to say.

Stand up, Mimi. Stand up.

And so you're saying 'stand up' to a natural athlete. It's MUCH harder for me to sit here feeling oh-so-incomplete.

Something strange occurred
On the local beach that day
One girl paddled out to sea
The other slowly walked away


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Lyrics by Jane Siberry

  Above The Treeline   Adam And Eve   All The Candles In The World   All Through The Night   An Angel Stepped Down (And Slowly Looked Around)   Angel Voyeur   Anytime   Are You Burning, Little Candle?   As I Roved Out   At The Beginning Of Time   Barkis Is Willin'   Begat Begat   Bessie   Bound By The Beauty   Broken Birds   Burning Ship   Calling All Angels   Caravan   Carol of the Bells   Count Your Blessings   Dancing Class   Everything Reminds Me Of My Dog   Extra Executives   False False Fly   First Word   Flirtin' Is A Flo-Thing   Foecke   Follow Me   Freedom Is Gold   Goin' Down The River   Goodbye   Goodbye Sweet Pumpkinhead   Grace Hospital   Half Angel Half Eagle   Hockey   Honey Bee   Hotel Room 417   I Muse Aloud   I Paddle My Canoe   I Will Survive   In The Bleak Mid-Winter   In The Blue Light   Ingrid And The Footman   It Can't Rain All The Time   Jacob's Ladder   Jesus Christ The Apple Tree   La Jalouse   Last Word   Lena Is A White Table   Let's Not Talk Now   Love Is Everything   Love Is Everything (Harmony Version)   Love Is Everything [Harmony Version]   Lovin' Cup   Map Of The World (Part I)   Map Of The World (Part II)   Map Of The World (Part III): Are We Dancing Now?   Marco Polo   Maria   Maria Wanders Through The Thorn   Mary Had...   Mary's Lullaby   Mein Bitte   Mimi On The Beach   Miss Punta Blanca   Nasty And Delicious   Nasty And Delicious (Reprise)   O Holy Night   O Shenandoah / Sail Away   Oh My My   Oh My Sister   Ol' Man River   One More Colour   Pontchartrain   Puppet City   Quoi, Ma Voisine, Es-Tu Fachée?   Red High Heels   Sail Across The Water   See The Child   Seven Steps To The Wall   She's Like The Swallow   Shir Amami   Silent Night   Slow Tango   Something About Trains   Song To My Father   Streets Of Laredo   Sweet Incarnadine   Swing Low, Sweet Chariot   Symmetry (The Way Things Have To Be)   Temple   Temple (Ambient Mix)   Temple (Orinoco Mix)   Temple (Sanctuary Mix)   Temple (Single Mix)   Temple [Album Version]   Temple [Sanctuary Mix]   The Bird In The Gravel   The Bridge   The Christmas Song   The Empty City   The Gospel According To Darkness   The Life Is The Red Wagon   The Lobby   The Long Pirouette   The Magic Beads   The Mystery At Ogwen's Farm   The Sky Is So Blue   The Slow Tango   The Squirrel Crossed The Road   The Strange Well   The Taxi Ride   The Valley   The Very Large Hat   The Vigil (The Sea)   The Waitress   The Walking (And Constantly)   The Water Is Wide   The White Tent The Raft   This Girl I Know   Trumpeter Swan   Up The Loggin' Road   Valley Of The Dolls   Viking Heart   Vladimir Vladimir   We Should Be There By Morning   What Child Is This?   What Is This Lovely Fragrance Stealing?   When Last I Was A Fisherman   When Spring Comes   Wildwood Carol   Would You Go?   Writers Are A Funny Breed   You Don't Need   You Say I Say   You Will Be Born

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Alan Sparkhawk & Mimi Parker)...  The Properties Of Mimi Merlot - Of Montreal  Noirowoze Party - SID  Migite - Ellegarden  Siraxta - Eluveitie  Voice Mail #5 (Various Locations.)...  Another Day - Various Artists  Vanitas - Dir En Grey  Sick - Kuroyume  59th Street Bridge Song (Feelin' Groovy)...  What You Own - Original Broadway Cast  Back Together Again - Chemistry  Action Speaks Louder Than Words - Chocolate Milk  What You Own - Rent - The Broadways  What You Own - RENT  Liar Liar - Oh My Girl  Alone - ANJell  Planetes - Baloo  Everything Speaks - Diamond Rings  Eazy Speaks - Apostle Of Hustle  Round About - Oh My Girl  Knock Knock - Oh My Girl  Bordelul Mov - Timpuri Noi  What You Own - Various Artists  A Song Is Born - Ayumi Hamasaki  Kirikirimai (fantastic Four Remix) - Orange Range  Kirikirimai - Orange Range  Mouja No Koushin - Girugamesh  Song of Devilman - Animetal  Impact 3 - No Returning - Magellan  Impact 3: No Returning - The Explorers Club  Friend of a Friend [DVD] - Foo Fighters  Friend Of A Friend - Foo Fighters  Goodbye Love - Rent Movie Cast  Friend of a Friend - Dave Grohl  Girlfriend (Mandarin Version) - Avril Lavigne  Girlfriend (Mandarin Clean Version)...  Finale A - RENT  Finale - RENT  Action Speaks Louder Than Words...  Action Speaks Louder Than Words...  Curious - Oh My Girl  Running Low - Wahu  Crazy - 4 Minute  Bizarre Love Triangle - The Speaks  When He Speaks - Her Fallen Gown  When He Speaks - Meracuhl  Conversation - Copper  She is Love - Oasis  Impact 1 - Fate Speaks - Magellan  Kiri Kiri Mai - Orange Range  Mi Mi Mi - Serebro  Aroma - Nakashima Mika  Winning Come Back - The Pillows  Shoot The Water - Austra  Lost Language of the Andamans - Tourniquet  Another Day - Original Broadway Cast  Gucci Speaks/Shawty Lo Speaks - Gucci Mane  Impact 1: Fate Speaks - The Explorers Club  Goodbye Love - Original Broadway Cast  Goodbye Love - RENT  The Heat Is On In Saigon - Miss Saigon  American English - Wax UK  Ai No Sono - Stevie Wonder  Ai No, Sono - Stevie Wonder  Eleanor Speaks - Oh No Ono  Soothsayer Speaks - Dime Store Prophets  Isis Speaks - Melissa Auf Der Maur  She Speaks - Paul Weller  Wind Speaks - Mount Eerie  God Speaks - Agonizer  Satan Speaks - A Hill To Die Upon  Silence Speaks - Debbie Gibson  GSimone Speaks - Krs-one  Spirit Speaks - All Sons & Daughters  Harry Speaks - Marsalis Family  Someone Speaks - Anything Box  Obama Speaks - B.o.B  President Speaks - Nicki Minaj  Jeezy Speaks - T.I.  Silence Speaks - Gibson Debbie  Father Speaks - Handsome Boy Modeling School  Timbo Speaks! - DJ Mustard  Chaplin Speaks - England in 1819  Obama Speaks - B.O.B.  Isis Speaks - Auf Der Maur  Listen - Slide  Rick Ross Speaks/DJ Khaled Speaks - Gucci Mane  Time Speaks Her Golden Tongue - Screaming Trees  Little Joe's Dream - Veggie Tales  Little Joe's Dream - Veggie Tales  The Smurfs - TV Theme  396.17 - The Bunny The Bear  Change The World (Tv Size) - InuYasha  Divine Night - Cynthesis  She Must and Shall Go Free - Derek Webb  She Must And Shall Go Free - Caedmon's Call  Kimi Ga Iru - Ikimono Gakari  My soul speaks - Lore  She Speaks To The Dead - Evergrey  There Speaks A True Friend - Morrissey  Deep Within - Cardinal Wyrm  Mimizuku - Ayabie  I Spy - Mimi Goese  Thrilled to Pieces - Mimi Goese  Fire & Roses - Mimi Goese  In a Sentimental Mood - Mimi Fox  Kicks - Mimi Fox  Deathwish - MiMi Soya  Green Dolphin Street [*] - Mimi Fox  But Beautiful - Mimi Fox  On Green Dolphin Street - Mimi Fox  Caravan - Mimi Fox  My Foolish Heart - Mimi Fox  Spring Is Here - Mimi Fox  Only Trust Your Heart - Mimi Fox  On the Sunny Side of the Street - Mimi Fox  The Silence Speaks For Itself - Walker Clay  Dominique [Disco Version 1982][*] - Soeur Sourire  Mute - Stakka Bo  The Silence Speaks For Itself - Clay Walker  Mama Don't Know - Neil Diamond  Sing! - Original Cast  My God Is So Quiet - Kinky  Same Dude - Mimi & Flo  Good Ol' Girl - Matraca Berg  Just Wanna (Dance Now) - Michael Speaks  1500 Miles - Stephen Speaks  Disappear - Stephen Speaks  Out Of My League - Stephen Speaks  Passenger Seat - Stephen Speaks  Miles Between Us - Stephen Speaks  Leaving Song - Stephen Speaks  February Wind - Stephen Speaks