Maxwell: It’s Woman’s Work

Remarks:

My favourite Maxwell song. Ever. So far. This came out in 2002 and went to #16 on the US R&B chart. It appeared two years earlier in the love scene of the film “Love & Basketball” (2000), which has others songs I adore.

This song is a cover of an 1989 Kate Bush song. In 2021 Tank reworked it as “Can’t Let It Show”.

I love the video too. It actually makes the song more powerful instead of distracting from it or treating it like a soundtrack. It was shot in Los Angeles, starting at The King Eddy Saloon at 131 E 5th Street, at the edge of downtown near Skid Row. It is:

• six and a  half blocks from where Chris Brown will sing “With You” (2007), and
• seven blocks from where Noel Gourdin will sing “The River” (2008).

The video was directed by Sanji Senaka, who appeared in this space before with Lauryn Hill’s “Everything is Everything” (1998).

See also:

• songs: the 2000s
• Maxwell
  • Lake by the Ocean
  • Fistful of Tears
• Love & Basketball – other songs in the film that have appeared here:
  • Zapp & Roger: I Want to be Your Man
  • Rufus ft Chaka Khan: Sweet Thing
  • Bilal: Soul Sista
  • Herb Alpert, Lisa Keith & Janet Jackson: Making Love in the Rain

Lyrics:

Ah-hah
Ah-hah-ooo. Ooooooooo….

Pray God you can cope
I stand outside this woman’s work
This woman’s world
Ooh, it’s hard on the man
Now his part is over
Now starts the craft of the father

I know you’ve got a little life in you yet
I know you’ve got a lot of strength left
I know you’ve got a little life in you yet
I know you’ve got a lot of strength left

I should be crying, but I just can’t let it go
I should be hoping, but I can’t stop thinking

Of all the things I should’ve said
That I never said
All the things we should’ve done
Though we never did
All the things I should’ve given
But I didn’t

Oh, darling, make it go, Make it go away

Give me these moments back
Give them back to me
Give me that little kiss
Give me your hand

(I know you have a little life in you yet
I know you have a lot of strength left
I know you have a little life in you yet
I know you have a lot of strength left)

I should be crying, but I just can’t let it go
I should be hoping, but I can’t stop thinking
Of all the things we should’ve said
That we never said
All the things we should’ve done
Though we never did
All the things that you needed from me
All the things that you wanted for me
All the things that I should’ve given
But I didn’t

Oh, darling, make it go away
Just make it go away

Source: AZLyrics.com.