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I Hated Shirley Temple Lyrics by Toni Morrison

The Bluest Eye

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When we discovered that she clearly did not want to dominate us, we liked her. She laughed when I clowned for her, and smiled and accepted gracefully the food gifts my sister gave her
"Would you like some graham crackers?"
"I don't care."
Frieda brought her four graham crackers on a saucer and some milk in a blue-and-white Shirley Temple cup. She was a long time with the milk, and gazed fondly at the silhouette of Shirley Temple's dimpled face. Frieda and she had a loving conversation about how cu-ute Shirley Temple was. I couldn't join them in their adoration because I hated Shirley. Not because she was cute, but because she danced with Bojangles, who was my friend, my uncle, my daddy, and who ought to have been soft-shoeing it and chuckling with me. Instead he was enjoying, sharing, giving a lovely dance thing with one of those little white girls whose socks never slid down under their heels. So I said, "I like Jane Withers."
They gave me a puzzled look, decided I was incomprehensible, and continued their reminiscing about old squint-eyed Shirley
Younger than both Frieda and Pecola, I had not yet arrived at the turning point in the development of my psyche which would allow me to love her. What I felt at that time was unsullied hatred. But before that I had felt a stranger, more frightening thing than hatred for all the Shirley Temples of the world
Credits
Toni Morrison

Toni Morrison

About “I Hated Shirley Temple” by Toni Morrison

Read the complete lyrics to "I Hated Shirley Temple" by Toni Morrison from the album "The Bluest Eye". 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 Rap.

"I Hated Shirley Temple" is performed by Toni Morrison. from the album "The Bluest Eye" 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 "I Hated Shirley Temple", explore more songs by Toni Morrison 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

"I Hated Shirley Temple" is credited to Toni Morrison. Songwriting credits may include additional writers listed on the release; check the credits section on this page for linked collaborators.

"I Hated Shirley Temple" appears on "The Bluest Eye".

Visit the Toni Morrison artist page at /artist/toni-morrison for biography, popular tracks, and links to more lyric pages.