Nina Simone’s “Four Women” Lyrics Meaning

Human nature is such that, in reality, it’s difficult to keep someone enslaved simply via the force of the whip. Other methods must also be instituted, especially when you’re dealing with a system of slavery that lasts for centuries, such as what Black people endured in the United States.

For instance, at some point the slave must be made to feel that the oppression levied against him is justified. And one of the most effective measures used against the aforementioned Blacks in that regard was convincing them, via socialization, that they were actually inferior to Whites. 

And part of this socialization also made Blacks believe that they were, most simply put, uglier than Whites, i.e. possessing inferior or even unattractive innate physical features.

“Four Women”

As intended by Nina Simone, it is actually that concept “Four Women” is meant to speak to – how African-American women, in Nina’s own words, are “all suffering from self-hatred” due to being taught to disdain how they naturally look. 

So it is with that concept that we will approach this analysis, not as if the song is based on racism per se, as it has been interpreted by many, although the “four women” are obviously intended to serve as personifications of larger, race-based realities.

Aunt Sarah

The first of the women we are introduced to is one named “Aunt Sarah”. She is depicted as having ‘woolly hair’ and a ‘strong back’. So let’s say she’s more along the lines of a typical African-American woman, one whose body even has been shaped by the physical hardship such people had to endure in the name of survival. 

And accordingly, what she personifies is the continued suffering of her people. Or let’s say that no matter where in America Aunt Sarah goes, she will in fact be identified as Black and have to deal with the BS accordingly. To note, this song was written in the 1960s when the race problem in the United States was generally considered to be worse than it is now.

Saffronia

The second woman, Saffronia, is a mulatta, i.e. someone whose dad is White and mom, Black. As depicted, the former raped the latter. But more to the point as far as Saffronia is concerned is that she ‘belongs to two worlds’. That is to imply that she does not suffer the same level of racism, both externally and internally, that Aunt Sarah does. This is because she possesses some White-based physical characteristics.

Sweet Thing

Next we have “Sweet Thing”. “Sweet Thing” is not overtly presented as a mulatta. So the implication, based on her physical description, is that she may be a lighter-skinned Black, – perhaps having some type White DNA somewhere in her lineage. Either way, Sweet Thing’s main characteristic is her sexuality.

It is not abundantly clear how Miss Simone intended the portrayal of this character to relate to image issues that Black women may possess. But since Sweet Thing is described as more or less a sex worker, perhaps the implication is that she mitigates her self-image issues by seducing men.

Peaches

The last of the four women is “Peaches”. Her skin is “brown”, so she would not be one of the darker Blacks, like Aunt Sarah. But she is a prototypical African-American, i.e. one whose “parents were slaves”.

Slavery was outlawed in the United States in 1865. Meanwhile this song was dropped in 1966, 100 years after. So there may have been some direct descendants of slaves still around then, though they would have been quite old. So the more logical deduction is that, as argued earlier, in the personification of Peaches, Nina is referring to African-Americans in general.

And she proceeds to describe Peaches as someone who is “awfully bitter” and violent. Her bitterness is not only as a result of her parents having been enslaved but also because she has dealt with a ‘rough life’ herself. 

Yes, this definitely sounds like it speaks to the general African-American experience, as some of the more open-minded scholars out there have been able to figure out that the violence which dominates the ‘hood these days originates from Black Americans suffering as slaves. 

But more specifically, we would have to conclude that Peaches also personifies the angst of African-Americans during the Civil Right Era, with this song having been released in the 1960s and all.

In Conclusion

Nina meant for these lyrics to focus on self-image issues amongst African-American women. However, by the time all is said and done, they do in fact read as if they are based on the Black experience, from a female perspective, more generally. 

But to go as far as to ban this song from radio, as some stations had done under the premise that listeners thought “Four Women” is racist, was extreme. But as Nina Simone had responded to this censorship, “the truth hurts”. And even though “Four Women” is artistic and to some degree even poetic, it does in fact do an effective job enlightening readers to the types of trials Black women face.

Some may be afforded more opportunity or acceptance due to having lighter skin or Caucasian-like hair.  But at the end of the day, in one way or another they all have to deal with racism.

Facts about “Four Women”

“Four Women” is a song Nina Simone (1933-2003) authored by herself. It is featured on her 1966 album “Wild Is the Wind”. The track’s producer was Hal Mooney (1911-1995).

According to Nina, she wrote this song in a matter of hours. However, it wasn’t until four months afterwards that she actually mustered up the heart to play it.

“Four Women” does not appear to have a chart history to speak of. “Wild Is the Wind” also didn’t perform extraordinarily well on music charts. However, Rolling Stone still got around to ranking it as being amongst the “500 Greatest Albums of All Time” in 2020. 

A few artists have covered or utilized “Four Women” throughout the years. Perhaps most notable usage in that regard would be on Jay-Z’s 2017 outing “The Story of O.J.“.

What music genre is “Four Women”?

It is a soul song. That said, “Four Women” also fits perfectly into the jazz genre.