***Flawless Lyrics

[Chorus]
I'm out that H-Town, comin', comin' down
I'm comin' down, drippin' candy on the ground
H-H-Town-Town, I'm comin' down
Comin' down, drippin' candy on the ground


Part II: ***Flawless

[Intro: Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie & Beyoncé]
We teach girls to shrink themselves, to make themselves smaller
We say to girls: "You can have ambition, but not too much
You should aim to be successful, but not too successful
Otherwise, you will threaten the man"
Because I am female, I am expected to aspire to marriage
I am expected to make my life choices always keeping in mind that marriage is the most important (C-Candy on the ground)
Now, marriage can be a source of joy and love and mutual support (Dum-da-dee-da)
But why do we teach girls to aspire to marriage and we don't teach boys the same? (Do-da-da, do-do, do-do-do-da)
We raise girls to see each other as competitors
Not for jobs or for accomplishments, which I think can be a good thing (Com-com-comin' down, drippin' candy on the ground)
But for the attention of men
We teach girls that they cannot be sexual beings in the way that boys are (Dum-da-de-da)
Feminist: A person who believes in the social, political, and economic equality of the sexes (Do-da-da, do-do, do-do-do-da)

[Chorus: Beyoncé]
You wake up (Flawless), post up (Flawless)
Riding 'round in it (Flawless), flossin' on that (Flawless)
This diamond (Flawless), my diamond (Flawless)
This rock (Flawless), my Roc (Flawless)
I woke up like this, I woke up like this
We flawless, ladies, tell 'em
I woke up like this, I woke up like this
We flawless, ladies, tell 'em
Say, "I look so good tonight"
Goddamn, goddamn
Say, "I look so good tonight"
Goddamn, goddamn, goddamn
[Bridge: Beyoncé]
My mama taught me good home-trainin'
My daddy taught me how to love my haters
My sister told me I should speak my mind
My man make me feel so goddamn fine, I'm flawless

[Chorus: Beyonce]
You wake up (Flawless), post up (Flawless)
Riding 'round in it (Flawless), flossin' on that (Flawless)
This diamond (Flawless), my diamond (Flawless)
This rock (Flawless), my Roc (Flawless)
I woke up like this, I woke up like this
We flawless, ladies, tell 'em
I woke up like this, I woke up like this
We flawless, ladies, tell 'em
Say, "I look so good tonight" (Right, right, right, right)
Goddamn, goddamn
Say, "I look so good tonight" (Right, right, right, right)
Goddamn, goddamn, goddamn

[Outro: Star Search excerpt]
The judges give champion Skeleton Crew 4 stars, a perfect score
The challenger, Girls' TYME, receives... 3 stars
Skeleton Crew, champions once again
Congratulations, we'll see you next week

How to Format Lyrics:

  • Type out all lyrics, even repeating song parts like the chorus
  • Lyrics should be broken down into individual lines
  • Use section headers above different song parts like [Verse], [Chorus], etc.
  • Use italics (<i>lyric</i>) and bold (<b>lyric</b>) to distinguish between different vocalists in the same song part
  • If you don’t understand a lyric, use [?]

To learn more, check out our transcription guide or visit our transcribers forum

About

Genius Annotation

The hard-hitting eleventh track from Bey’s self-titled record, “Flawless” is among Beyoncé’s most experimental and influential records. Perhaps the most culturally relevant track on Beyoncé, “Flawless” is largely responsible for pushing the word “feminism” back into the mainstream, and the ubiquitous “I woke up like this” is also the doing of this track.

Musically, Bey expands on a track she had released earlier in 2013, the Hit-Boy-produced “Bow Down / I Been On”.

The original single attracted criticism for what some people felt was Beyoncé’s counter-feminist stance in using the term “bitches”. Bey clarifies her intentions on the album version, incorporating a section from Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s TEDxEuston Talk “We Should All Be Feminists.”

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (born 15 September 1977) is a writer from Nigeria. She has been called “the most prominent” of a “procession of critically acclaimed young anglophone authors that is succeeding in attracting a new generation of readers to African literature”.

Q&A

Find answers to frequently asked questions about the song and explore its deeper meaning

What do the star symbols (***) stand for?
Genius Answer

The star symbols stand for the vote Girl’s Tyme, Beyoncé’s former girl group, received, when they participated to the talent show Star Search. In fact, as can be seen in this song’s official video, the judges of the show gave Girl’s Tyme 3 star, while the winners received 4 star.

What has Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie said about her speech being sampled?
Genius Answer

In October 2016, three years after the release of “***Flawless,” Adichie sat down with Dutch newspaper de Volkskrant and gave her first public comment on the song. She first started by commending Beyoncé’s artistry, saying:

In the first place: of course Beyoncé asked permission to use my texts, and I did give her permission. I think she’s lovely and I am convinced that she has nothing but the best intentions. In addition, Beyoncé is a celebrity of the first order and with this song she has reached many people who would otherwise probably never have heard the word feminism, let alone gone out and buy my essay.

However, despite having given the okay for the sample, Adichie revealed that the outcome of the song did not sit entirely right with her:

I was shocked about how many requests for an interview I received when that song was released. Literally every major newspaper in the world wanted to speak with me about Beyoncé. I felt such a resentment. I thought, “Are books really that unimportant to you?” Another thing I hated was that I read everywhere, “Now people finally know her, thanks to Beyoncé,” or, “She must be very grateful.” I found that disappointing. I thought, “I am a writer and I have been for some time and I refuse to perform in this charade that is now apparently expected of me.” Thanks to Beyoncé, my life will never be the same again. That’s why it didn’t speak about it much."

She further commented on the difference between her meaning and portrayal of feminism versus Beyoncé’s, saying:

Still, her type of feminism is not mine, as it is the kind that, at the same time, gives quite a lot of space to the necessity of men. I think men are lovely, but I don’t think that women should relate everything they do to men: did he hurt me, do I forgive him, did he put a ring on my finger? We women are so conditioned to relate everything to men. Put a group of women together and the conversation will eventually be about men. Put a group of men together and they will not talk about women at all, they will just talk about their own stuff. We women should spend about 20 percent of our time on men, because it’s fun, but otherwise we should also be talking about our own stuff.

Is there an official video preview for this song?
Genius Answer

What certifications have this track received?
Credits
Video Vfx Artist
Video Colorist
Video Makeup Artist
Video Hair Stylist
Video Choreographer
Video Executive Producer
Video Set Photographer
Phonographic Copyright ℗
Copyright ©
Performance Rights
Recording Engineer
Assistant Engineer
Mastering Engineer
Vocal Producer
Video Director Of Photography
Arranger
Video Director
Co-Producer
Additional Production
Recorded At
Kings Landing, Bridgehampton, NY; Jungle City Studios and Oven Studios, NYC
Release Date
December 13, 2013
View ***Flawless samples
Tags
Comments