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Centering Myself Lyrics by Michael R. Jackson, James Jackson Jr.

White Girl in Danger: A New Musical (Original Off-Broadway Cast Album)

2024

Because I love Black people
I set out to honor us both in story and in song, yeah
That's what I set out to do
And to dismantle the Allwhiteness that's in all of the stories
That we're all forced to consume
On every stage and every screen
I grew up on soap operas I used to watch with my great-aunt
We used to watch them every day
Before I started in Pre-K
So all my earliest childhood memories
Were of these white women fighting
In sparkly eighties evening gowns
Having sex in conference rooms
This all shaped my consciousness
Before I came to blackness
In the intervening years
When names like Trayvon hit the news
Names that long stayed in the background
Or what you know as the Blackground
And that made me really sad
Then that made me really mad
And I heard shouting on my Facebook
'Cause all my news comes from my Facebook
That Black girls have it just as bad
Or even worse, Facebook would say
Plus in the stories we consume
Black women are almost always the servants
Of a world that is Allwhite
On every stage and every screen
I mean, like, even in most musicals
Writers have Black women screaming and belting
Which is a form of servitude
A form of violence I have seen
So I set out to fix that
And to write a juicy story
Where Black females ruled the day
And took the Allwhite power away
But even though I love black women
And wanted them to have a story
I wound up centering myself
I wound up centering myself
Which is a form of misogynoir
Which means a hatred of Black women
Which I am trying to resist
And will keep trying to resist
Like how I really hate Beyoncé
Look, I don't really hate Beyoncé
Just how she takes up so much space
Both with her class and with her race
But that's just childhood misogynoir
Oh, fuck, the word misogynoir
Black oppression has no gender specialty
And these divisions are why niggas can get free
And also girls like Florence Blackbitch
Who used to call me faggot
In the same voice she loved Jesus in
Which totally reminds me of Beyoncé
Even though Beyoncé loves her faggots
And her faggots love Beyoncé- oh!
I keep on centering myself
Oh God, I'm centering myself
When all I want to do is make a world
That Black people can inhabit
A world that's nurturing and safe
A world where Black people are free
A world where we're to big to fail
But should that world include me
'Cause maybe I don't belong here
If I keep centering myself
I keep on centering myself
I keep on centering myself
I keep on centering my-
Credits
Michael R. Jackson

Michael R. Jackson

James Jackson Jr.

James Jackson Jr.

About “Centering Myself” by Michael R. Jackson

Read the complete lyrics to "Centering Myself" by Michael R. Jackson, James Jackson Jr. from the album "White Girl in Danger: A New Musical (Original Off-Broadway Cast Album)" in 2024. On Lyrks you can follow along with the full text, explore the artist's discography, and discover related songs. The track is often categorized under Pop.

"Centering Myself" is performed by Michael R. Jackson, James Jackson Jr.. from the album "White Girl in Danger: A New Musical (Original Off-Broadway Cast Album)" in 2024 This page provides the full lyric text for fans who want to sing along, study the songwriting, or compare versions across releases. Lyrks organizes lyrics by artist and song slug so you can bookmark and share a stable URL. Music lyrics help listeners connect with emotion, narrative, and rhythm in a track. Whether you are learning English, researching a favorite chorus, or preparing for karaoke, having accurate line breaks and section labels (verse, chorus, bridge) makes the experience easier. We link to the official artist profile on Lyrks where available, including biography snippets, top songs, and chart placements when we have that data. If you enjoy "Centering Myself", explore more songs by Michael R. Jackson, James Jackson Jr. using the links below. Chart and trending pages on Lyrks highlight what listeners are searching for this week. For copyright or correction requests, see our DMCA and contact pages.

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Frequently asked questions

"Centering Myself" is credited to Michael R. Jackson, James Jackson Jr.. Songwriting credits may include additional writers listed on the release; check the credits section on this page for linked collaborators.

"Centering Myself" appears on "White Girl in Danger: A New Musical (Original Off-Broadway Cast Album)" in 2024.

Visit the Michael R. Jackson, James Jackson Jr. artist page at /artist/michael-r-jackson for biography, popular tracks, and links to more lyric pages.