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