She's been down and out
She's been wrote about
She's been talked about constantly
She's been up and down
She's been pushed around
But they held her down, N-Y-C
She has no regrets
She accepts the past
All these things they helped make to make she
She's been lost and found
And she's still around
There's a reason for everything, yeah

You know I've been holdin' on
Try to make me weak
But I still stay strong (yeah)
Put my life all up in these songs
Just so you can feel me
So you can get the real me

So take me as I am (take me as I am)
Or have nothing at all (nothing at all)
Just take me as I am
Or have nothing at all (at all)

Yes, she's older now
Yes, she's wiser now
Can't disguise her now
She don't need
No one tellin' her
What to do and say
No one tellin' her
Who to be
She's on solid ground
She's been lost and found
Now she answers to G-O-D
And she's confident
This is not the end
Ask me how I know
'Cause she is me

You know I've been holdin' on (I've been holdin' on)
Tried to make me weak
But I still stay strong (stay strong)
Put my life all up in these songs
Just so you can feel me
So you can get the real me

So take me as I am
Or have nothing at all (nothing at all, at all)
Just take me as I am (as I am)
Or have nothing at all (or nothing, baby)

This is me, this is me

So it's all or nothing at all
All or nothing at all
Don't you know I can only be me
I can only be me (yeah)
I can only be me

So it's all or nothing at all (ooh)
All or nothing at all
Don't you know I can only be me
(I can only be me, yeah)

So take me as I am (take me)
Or have nothing at all
(I can only be, yeah)
Just take me as I am
(I can only be, yeah, so take me)
Or have nothing at all (at all)
(Take me as I am or have nothing at all)

Take me as I am (take me)
Take me as I am
Said it's all or nothing at all
Said it's all or nothing at all
Just take me as I am (oh, yeah)
Or have nothing at all
(Or nothing, baby, this is me, this is me)
Just take me as I am (take me as I am)
Or have nothing, nothing at all (take me as I am)
Just take me as I am (take me as I am)
Or have nothing, nothing at all (take me as I am)

Copyright: BMG Rights Management, REACH MUSIC PUBLISHING, Universal Music Publishing Group
Writer(s): Candice Clotiel Nelson, Ezekiel L. Lewis, Jordan Matthew Suecof, Keri Lynn Hilson, Lonnie Liston Smith, Thabiso Nkhereanye