Released: October 7, 2003
Songwriter: Nelly Furtado Gerald Eaton Brian West Trevor Horn Anne Dudley Malcolm McLaren
Producer: Nelly Furtado Track & Field
[Verse 1]
Paint my face in your magazines
Make it look whiter than it seems
Paint me over with your dreams
Shove away my ethnicity
Burn every notion that I
May have a flame inside to fight
And say just what is on my mind
Without offending your might
[Chorus]
’Cause this life is too short
To live it just for you
But when you feel so powerless
What are you gonna do?
[Post-Chorus]
So say what you want
Say what you want
[Verse 2]
I saw her face outside today
Weatherworn, lookin' all the rage
Took her passion and her gaze and made a poster
Now it’s moccasins we sport
We take the culture and contort
Perhaps only to distort what we are hidin’
[Chorus]
’Cause this life is too short
To live it just for you
But when you feel so powerless
What are you gonna do?
[Post-Chorus]
But say what you want
Say what you want (Say, say)
[Bridge]
Hey you, the one, the one outside, are you gonna get in, get in?
Hey you, the one that don’t fit in, how ya, how ya gonna get in?
Hey you, the one outside, are you ever gonna get in with your
Broken teeth, broken jaw, broken mojo?
[Chorus]
Yeah, this life is too short
To live it just for you
But when you feel so powerless
What are you gonna do?
’Cause this life is too short
To live it just for you
But when you feel so powerless
What are you gonna do?
’Cause this life is too short
To live it just for you
But when you feel so powerless
What are you gonna do?
[Post-Chorus]
Say what you want (Life is too short)
Say what you want
Say what you want (Just for you)
Say what you want
Say what you want (feel powerless)
Say what you want
Say, say, say, say, yeah (Gonna do)
[Outro]
Life is too short
Just for you
Feel powerless
Gonna do
Paint my face in your magazines
Make it look whiter than it seems
Paint me over with your dreams
Shove away my ethnicity
Burn every notion that I
May have a flame inside to fight
And say just what is on my mind
Without offending your might
[Chorus]
’Cause this life is too short
To live it just for you
But when you feel so powerless
What are you gonna do?
[Post-Chorus]
So say what you want
Say what you want
[Verse 2]
I saw her face outside today
Weatherworn, lookin' all the rage
Took her passion and her gaze and made a poster
Now it’s moccasins we sport
We take the culture and contort
Perhaps only to distort what we are hidin’
[Chorus]
’Cause this life is too short
To live it just for you
But when you feel so powerless
What are you gonna do?
[Post-Chorus]
But say what you want
Say what you want (Say, say)
[Bridge]
Hey you, the one, the one outside, are you gonna get in, get in?
Hey you, the one that don’t fit in, how ya, how ya gonna get in?
Hey you, the one outside, are you ever gonna get in with your
Broken teeth, broken jaw, broken mojo?
[Chorus]
Yeah, this life is too short
To live it just for you
But when you feel so powerless
What are you gonna do?
’Cause this life is too short
To live it just for you
But when you feel so powerless
What are you gonna do?
’Cause this life is too short
To live it just for you
But when you feel so powerless
What are you gonna do?
[Post-Chorus]
Say what you want (Life is too short)
Say what you want
Say what you want (Just for you)
Say what you want
Say what you want (feel powerless)
Say what you want
Say, say, say, say, yeah (Gonna do)
[Outro]
Life is too short
Just for you
Feel powerless
Gonna do
- Powerless (Say What You Want) - EP (2003)
- Folklore (2003)
- Juno Awards 2004 (2004)
- The Best of Nelly Furtado (2010)
- The Best of Nelly Furtado (Deluxe Version) (2010)
- The Best of Nelly Furtado (Spanish Version) (2010)
- Promiscuous
- Maneater
- Say It Right
- I’m Like a Bird
- All Good Things (Come to an End)
- Turn Off the Light
- Big Hoops (Bigger the Better)
- Try
- Do It
- Powerless (Say What You Want)
- Pipe Dreams
- Shit on the Radio (Remember the Days)
- Afraid
- Party’s Just Begun (Again) (Choroni mix)
- Party’s Just Begun (Again) (Gavo’s Deep Fried mix)
- All Good Things (Come to an End) [Italian Version]
- What I Wanted
- Party
- All Good Things (Come To An End) [Spanish Version]
- Onde Estás
- Childhood Dreams
- Party’s Just Begun (Again) (Decibel mix)
- Manos al Aire
- Te Busqué