Deniece Williams

Songwriter: Peter Couch Deniece Williams

Say you want to drown
Drown in your tears
Say there's been too many heartaches
Through the years, my dear

But the spirit deep inside
Is calling out your name
It says, "just you hold on
Hang on, help is on the way"

Start picking up the pieces
Start picking up the pieces

Life is just a game
The game of strategy
You can play to win or lose
Play it fair or play it to cheat
It's all up to you
It's all up to you
Yes, it is, yeah

Mm-hmm
La, la, la, la, la, la
La, la, la, la, la, la, la

Well, every time you fall
From the weight of the world
It just gives you one more chance
To stand real tall, yes, sir

'Cause the spirit deep inside
Says, "don't you be no fool
It's just as easy to win at life
As it is to lose"

Start picking up the pieces of your life
Start picking up the pieces
(Of life, yeah)

But life is just a game
The game of strategy
You can play to win or lose
Play it fair or play it to cheat
It's all up to you
(You can make it)
It's all up to you
(Oh-oh-oh, you can make it)

La, la, la, la, la, la
La, la, la, la, la, la, la
Mm-hmm
La, la, la, la, la, la
La, la, la, la, la, la, la

I said, life is just a game
The game of strategy
You can play to win or lose
Play it fair or play it to cheat
It's all up to you
(You can make it)
It's all up to you
(Oh-oh-oh, you can make it)

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah...

Start picking up the pieces of your life, yeah
Start picking up the pieces
'Cause you're a winner
And I know you are, yeah
Start picking up the pieces

It's your life
You can do what you want to, yeah
Start picking up the pieces
(Uh-huh)
Start picking up the pieces
'Cause you're a winner
Yeah, yeah, yeah

Start picking up the pieces
Every day is a new day, yeah
Start picking up the pieces

Deniece Williams (born name June Deniece Chandler) is an American singer, songwriter and producer. She was born June 3, 1950. She has been described as “one of the great soul voices” by the BBC. Williams has won four Grammys with twelve nominations altogether.

As Deniece Chandler, she recorded for The Toddlin' Town group of labels. One of those early records, “I’m Walking Away”, released on Toddlin’s subsidiary Lock Records in the late 1960s, is a favorite on England’s Northern Soul scene. In the early 1970s she became a backup vocalist for Stevie Wonder as part of “Wonderlove”, lending her vocals on his albums Talking Book, Fulfillingness' First Finale, and Songs in the Key of Life. Williams also guested in 1974 on Syreeta Wright’s album Stevie Wonder Syreeta as well as Minnie Riperton’s Perfect Angel album and a year later on Roberta Flack’s Feel Like Makin' Love.

more tracks from the album

Let’s Hear It for the Boy

From the album

Let’s Hear It for the Boy (1984)

Deniece Williams popular songs

Picking Up the PiecesDeniece Williams

Deniece Williams

Let’s Hear It for the Boy