If you are an R&B music fan, by now you have heard the buzz about “A Seat at the Table” Solange’s long-awaited, new album. Like her big sister, Solange has penned an ode to the being that is Black womanhood. Her single, Cranes in the Sky has me open, feeling (and to be honest, reveling in) the Black Girl Blues in a “this song hurts so good” kind of way, and I’m not really sure what to do with it. I even tried to talk myself out of writing this post because I’m supposed to promote mental health, not romanticize the blues, right?
Most theorize that this song is about the end of a relationship, but for me it described so much more than a break up with a lover. Solange gives voice (impeccably, I might add) to that nebulous, sadness, displeasure with life, and feeling like you are not “enough” that so many Black women have felt. It’s the feeling of being tired, but not giving up. It’s the pain of not seeing your beauty reflected in the world or by your brothers and sisters who are fighting the same fight.
This song makes me wonder, marvel at how we are doing it. How have we thrived as Black women, despite every horror time has tried to come against us with? We are miracles! We have learned to take care of ourselves, affirm ourselves and our sisters, so we grow beyond what should be possible. What I love about this song is that it reminds me that we are still flying. You can’t run into metal clouds, unless you are already in the air. We are soaring and that should be celebrated!
Envision 