“Woman Be Strong,” the Story
It was 1997. The diagnosis: Inflammatory breast cancer. The treatment: Aggressive. The prognosis: Forty percent chance of living five years. My dear friend, fellow musician, and colleague Linda experienced a sudden numbness in her arm while at the office. Working one day, undergoing intense chemotherapy the next. It was only three months after she’d lost her son, John, who died in a motorcycle crash five days after he married the love of his life.
Woman be strong like a lion
Be as strong as you can be
Woman fly high like an eagle
And soar so fast and free
After each toxic treatment, Linda came to work looking like a million dollars. You wouldn’t have a clue she just had chemo.
We worked together at a downtown law firm. We shared a love of music. Linda was a gifted sax player. The death of her son had been devastating. I was going through a divorce. New songs were flowing out of me. I shared my songs with Linda. We shared our sadness. We shared our stories. We gave each other strength. When she started treatment, I lost any self-pity that had been brewing after my broken marriage. Linda’s life was on the line.
You are a sign of strength for many
You stand tall just like a tree
The words “woman be strong” and Linda’s unending will to survive kept running through my head. Linda was extraordinary and had a fearless attitude to conquer this disease. She reminded me of my mom who was a breast cancer survivor for 24 years. I could feel a new song forming in my mind. I would call it “Woman Be Strong.”
You deal with pain with rays of sunshine
And you give your strength to me
On the day of Linda’s mastectomy, I sat down at the piano and the words and melody flowed out onto paper in minutes. It felt like a gift. I went to the hospital the next morning to play it for Linda.
I’m so glad that I know you
I’m so glad you’re in my life
I checked in at the nurses’ station and asked for Linda’s room number. The nurse asked me to sit in the family waiting room. I didn’t have to wonder why for very long. Moments later, Linda walked into the room smiling, fully dressed, every hair in place. She looked like she was at the hospital visiting someone, not recovering from recent major surgery. Talk about strength.
I pulled out my guitar and sang “Woman Be Strong.” It was a tender moment. We hugged. We cried. We held on to each other for dear life.
And I say my prayers each morning
That you will be free from strife
I wanted Linda to be in the studio when I recorded “Woman Be Strong” for the first time. After talking it over, we decided on a day between her radiation treatment and upcoming bone marrow transplant.
You go through grief with so much honor
You try to find a source of peace
The day is forever embedded in my mind. While I started recording, Linda got comfy in the sound booth with the engineer. A bass player like Linda’s son, he was moved by her story and added an unexpected bass line with Linda by his side. The powerful energy that day gave me the chills and filled me with emotion. It still does.
You give us all someone to lean on
And your strength, it does not cease
Then it was time for the bone marrow transplant. Experimental. Risky. Isolating. Only her immediate family could see her. I held my breath. She made it through, confirming what I felt in my heart: She was strong. She had the desire to live. She’d be in the forty percent. She’d get to lay a sax track on “Woman Be Strong.”
We look at how you deal with sorrow
You share with us your hope and trust
You carry on with strength and love inside
And you give your strength to us
The day came for Linda’s three-month checkup. The results: A spot of cancer lingered in her hip. She was stunned. We all were. But she maintained her fierce love and gentle grace to the very end, which came just three weeks after the results. It was my honor to play “Woman Be Strong” at her memorial service. Standing room only. She lives on in our hearts.
And we’ll be strong like a lion, we’ll be strong as we can be
We’ll fly high like an eagle, and soar so fast and free
We’ll fly high like an eagle, spread our wings and sail the sea
We’ll be strong like a lion, we’ll be as strong as we can be
The 1997 recording of “Woman Be Strong” is incredibly special to me and I included it on the song list for my first CD, Sneak Preview, released in 1999. I will always cherish that day in the studio. Linda was there. I will always feel her presence in the song and especially that recording.
In 2003, I recorded a second version of “Woman Be Strong” and created a CD song card to keep Linda’s message of strength and hope alive. Over the years, “Woman Be Strong” has been played at cancer fundraisers, the Susan G. Komen 3-Day breast cancer walk, and concerts. Every time I perform it, I know it will deeply touch someone. Often, I receive a phone call or a letter thanking me for the song and sharing how listening to it brings comfort and strength. It continues to do the same for me all these years later. The song lives on.
As time passed, I lost more close friends and bandmates to cancer. Maybe you have lost loved ones, too. We are all touched by cancer in some way.
May this song bring you comfort, strength, hope, love, and kindness.
Share the song. The world needs more of these sentiments. We all need them.
Be strong.
My mom’s love and support inspired me to write a song about her titled “Song For Mom.” With a sweet melody and powerful lyrics, it captures her essence and what I’ve come to believe is the essence of all moms. Over the years, I’ve shared it in a variety of ways. I’ve performed it at every concert, printed the lyrics on greeting cards, and recorded two versions of Song For Mom featured on 2 CDs and CD Song Cards.
Eighteen years since my mom departed, the song lives on. I hope it connects with you when you listen to this digital download. It’s timeless, just like my mom, maybe just like your mom.
Lyrics
Woman Be Strong
©2006 rebecca lee
Woman be strong like a lion . . . Woman be strong as you can be
Woman fly high like an eagle . . . And soar so fast and free
Woman fly high like an eagle . . . Spread your wings and sail the sea
Woman be strong like a lion . . . Be as strong as you can be
You are a sign of strength for many . . . You stand tall just like a tree
You deal with pain with rays of sunshine . . . And you give your strength to me
And I thank the Lord that I know you . . . I’m so glad you’re in my life
And I say my prayers each morning . . . That you will be free from strife
Woman be strong like a lion . . . Woman be strong as you can be
Woman fly high like an eagle . . . And soar so fast and free
Woman fly high like an eagle . . . Spread your wings and sail the sea
Woman be strong like a lion . . . Be as strong as you can be
You go through grief with so much honor . . . You try to find a source of peace
You give us all someone to lean on . . . And your strength, it does not cease
We look at how you deal with sorrow . . . You share with us your hope and trust
You carry on with strength and love inside . . . And you give your strength to us
And we’ll be strong like a lion . . . We’ll be strong as we can be
We’ll fly high like an eagle . . . And soar so fast and free
We’ll fly high like an eagle . . . We’ll spread our wings and sail the sea
We’ll be strong like a lion . . . We’ll be as strong as we can be
Woman be strong . . . woman be strong
Be strong like a lion . . . Fly high like an eagle . . . Woman be strong . . .