This is a song that would be sung by a griotte (female griot) to a woman about to be married. One source pointed this song out as proof that women had options in cases of domestic abuse, another that it invited a woman to visit home as a break from her married life. It could also be viewed in light of deferring to ones elders, in this case the mother-in-law. |
Stop Crying
Stop crying, bride.
Stop crying and listen to me.
If your mother-in-law abuses you,
Just cry, but don't say anything.
If your husband's mother abuses you,
Just cry, but don't say anything.
But leaving your house is not a crime.
Source: Research/Penn State