Four Women, geschreven door Nina Simone zelf, werd in 1966 uitgebracht op het album Wild is the Wind. De song is eigenlijk een genealogie van vier zwarte vrouwen: Aunt Sarah, Saffronia, Sweet Thing en Peaches. Aunt Sarah is een slavin, Saffronia de dochter van een slavenhouder en een slavin (My father was rich and white/He forced my mother late one night), Sweet Thing is een prostituee en Peaches is verbitterd door generaties van onderdrukking, uitbuiting en lijden. Four Women begint heel rustig, maar eindigt met een kippenvel opwekkende climax.
My skin is black
My arms are long
My hair is woolly
My back is strong
Strong enough to take the pain
inflicted again and again
What do they call me
My name is Aunt Sarah
My name is Aunt Sarah
My skin is yellow
My hair is long
Between two worlds
I do belong
My father was rich and white
He forced my mother late one night
What do they call me
My name is Saffronia
My name is Saffronia
My skin is tan
My hair is fine
My hips invite you
my mouth like wine
Whose little girl am I?
Anyone who has money to buy
What do they call me
My name is Sweet Thing
My name is Sweet Thing
My skin is brown
my manner is tough
I’ll kill the first mother I see
my life has been too rough
I’m awfully bitter these days
because my parents were slaves
What do they call me
My name is PEACHES
Uitgelichte afbeelding: Slaves for sale in New Orleans – By Not credited – 19th century engraving Via New York Public Library Digital Collection at [2], Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=3471179
