Before the Money Came (The Battle of Bettye Lavette) Songtext
von Bettye LaVette

Hey, hey

Close shootin′, don't kill no birds
I′m standin' tall with the rest of the girls
Hangin' on to my mama′s every word
Gonna sing ′em out loud and conquer the world

All them faces on the pictures up there
Makes me remember when my table was bare
Livin' at my mama′s house
Takin' food from my family′s mouth
Before the money came

I was singing R'n′B back in '62
Before you were born and your mama too
I knew David Ruffin when he was hopeless
Sleeping on my floor before he crossed over

All my friends on the Grammy shows
I was stuck in Detroit tryna open doors
Record deals kept falling apart
One with Atlantic nearly broke my heart
Before the money came


I got a lot to say
So proud I was built this way
Some folks didn't see my worth
Didn′t know where I fit in
40 years I kept on singing
Before the money started rolling in

Oh, there was a time when I would call it luck
If I got me a gig for 50 bucks
Now, I got all these big decisions to make
Never thought success would be hard to take

Shoes on my feet, more in the closet
Silk on my skin, more if I want it
All these years I kept my style
I wouldn′t cross over, so it took me a while
Before the money came

Y'all, I got so much to say
So damn proud, I was built this way
Some folks didn′t see my worth
Didn't know where I fit in
40 years I kept singing
Before the money started rolling in

Before the money came
Before the money came
Before the money came
Before the money came


I′m broke now, coming it's just about time
I ain′t ever been afraid to speak my mind
I've always had a lot to say
So proud, we can go and say
'Cause the money is rolling in

Then, the money came
Then the-, then the money came
Then the money came
Then the money came, then the money came
Then the money came, then the money came
Then, the money came in