WOMAN FOR THE WORLD

This lyric, from my musical JANE AND ELLEN AND MARY, is an exchange between social work pioneer and Nobel Prize-winning peace activist Jane Addams and her oldest friend, Ellan Gates Starr, as both near the end of their lives. Jane is ruing her lifelong failure at fully embracing a close personal relationship. Ellen, who once desperately wanted that relationship with Jane, has come to realize that Jane could only have poured her love into a general benevolence for humankind. In writing it I was working out the puzzle that some people—some great people—are not quite made for personal love.

ELLEN

YOU HAVE LIVED YOUR LIFE,

IT CANNOT CHANGE

WHAT YOU DID OR DIDN’T DO

YOU CAN’T REPLACE OR REARRANGE.  

JANE

I WAS ALWAYS LOOKING

FAR BEYOND

OCCUPIED AND SELF-ABSORBED,

I NEVER BOTHERED TO RESPOND    

I KEPT APART  

INSTEAD OF LOVING FULLY THOSE RIGHT NEXT TO ME

WHO SHOULD BE CLOSEST TO MY HEART

I PLAYED THE ROLE OF WOMAN FOR THE WORLD

ELLEN

THE MILLIONS IN THE WORLD WHO LOOK TO YOU

DON’T NEED A WOMAN LOVING ONE OR TWO

THEY WANT THE JANE WHOSE ARMS ARE OPEN WIDE

THEY NEED THE SAINT TO BE THEIR GUIDE.

JANE

I’M NOT AS STRONG OR WISE OR WARM

AS ALL THOSE MILLIONS MAKE ME OUT TO BE

I’VE BEEN WEAK AND I’VE BEEN WRONG.  

AND NOW I WON’T BE ANYTHING FOR LONG

                         ELLEN

BUT WE NEED HER!

THAT ONE AND ONLY JANE

WHO’S ALWAYS READY FOR THE FIGHT

NO MATTER WHAT THE ODDS OR PAIN  

WE NEED TO KNOW

YOU KEPT THE FAITH, YOU DIDN’T FALTER AT THE END

THAT’S THE JANE I NEED

THAT’S THE JANE –

STANDING FOR WHAT’S RIGHT!

FOLLOWING THE LIGHT  

A WOMAN FOR THE WORLD.

YOU MUST BE THAT JANE

JANE

I MUST BE THAT JANE

I AM THAT JANE

A WOMAN FOR THE WORLD

ELLEN

YOU MUST BE THAT JANE

JANE

I AM THAT JANE

ELLEN, JANE

A WOMAN FOR THE WORLD

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