'Fannie Lou' Musical

The second installment of our Fannie Lou Musical INSIDE TRACKS series is the spoken-word song “Who Owns You?” It is performed in the production by the character Junior, Laura’s 17-year-old son.

Junior is disheartened. He’s frustrated. He’s angry. He is a child of the South in the early 1960’s, but he cannot accept the restrictions of the times. He doesn’t like the “isms” – racism and classism in particular – and he cannot bring himself to make peace with the social, cultural and legal restraints of segregation.

He lives in a world in which his own aspirations are cruelly limited by others, and he sees no way around it. But there has to be a way. There must be an answer. What is it? One thing is certain: In the land of the free and home of the brave, as long as others manipulate and control his destiny he cannot truly live as a free and self-determining individual.

"Who Owns You?"
from Fannie Lou Musical

Words, Music and
Promotional Demo Arrangement
by Felicia Hunter

"WHO OWNS YOU?"
from the new musical Fannie Lou by Felicia Hunter; performed by Jonathan Rodriguez

They took a piece of you
Away from you
They had no right to
That's ownership, possession
Whatever you want to call it
Take a lesson
Who owns you?

Nobody lives their life
Ridin' high, free and clear
Nobody, hear?
Unless, that is, you're the man
Who owns the land
And anything else he can
Who owns you?

You think they don't control
Who you are, what you do
How you even feed your family
The whole make-up of you?
That's ownership, possession
Whatever you want to call it
Take a lesson
Who owns you?

And what's so bad
You don't even know it
They give you a sinking boat
And you try to row it
You don't even realize
It's made so you'll blow it

That's ownership, possession
Whatever you want to call it
Take a lesson
Who owns you?

Can't live where you want
Eat where you want
Buy what you want
Say what you want
Work where you want
Go where you want
Sit where you want
See who you want
Be who you want

Vote ...

When you want

That's ownership, possession
Whatever you want to call it
Take a lesson
Who owns you?

You think they'll ever
Let you be free?
No, you'll always be chained
By the powers that be

Who
Owns
You?



"Who Owns You?"

 The song “Who Owns You?” speaks to Junior’s frustration, and that of many others in his community. Here, the song is performed by Jonathan Rodriguez, who portrayed Junior in several of our New York City productions. (To find out more about Jonathan, please visit this page.) Many thanks to Jonathan and engineer Cristopher Rodriguez for sharing their time and talent for this project. This promotional demo version of “Who Owns You?” was recorded
in New York City.

Please feel free to listen to this version of “Who Owns You?” from Fannie Lou Musical. The lyrics are printed to the left.

Thank you for your interest in and support of Fannie Lou Musical! (For more information about our INSIDE TRACKS series and to hear and download “Forget Me Not,” the first installment in the series, please go here.
For other songs in the series, please visit here, here, here, here and here.)