Song Title

Artist

Writers

Producer

Arranger

Orchestra Conductor

Concertmaster/Orchestra

Release-
Date

Don't Give It Up

Linda Clifford
[with The Jones Girls (Shirley, Brenda, Valerie)]

Gil Askey
Linda Clifford

Curtis Mayfield

Gil Askey

Gil Askey

Sol Bobrov/
Chicago

1979

Lyrics

Introduction
All right, girls, here we go again.
We gonna have to get together and figure out what we gonna do with all these men.
You know how they can be, don't you:
They sit back and take all the good years away.
Take everything they can get; and, then, when you hit 25, talk about,
"Oh, you too old for me; I'm gonna have to go out and find somebody about 18."
They ain't playin':
See, you laugh it off if you want to, but they serious as a heart attack,
You know what I mean.
(Beware, sister, sister; you better beware.)
So, what we gotta do is get our heads together and figure out how we gonna change things around a little bit.
(Beware, sister, sister; you better beware.)
We got to work on this from morning 'til night...
(Look out!)
...'Cause, as long as you let them get away with it, they gonna do it.
(Look out!)
They'll do it every time.


Now, take for instance, when a dude drives up, see, in this big, fine car.
Starts tellin' you how fine you are, "oh, baby, you fine."
(Beware, sister, sister; you better beware.)
Yeah... and, then, he gonna try to get you inside that car, talkin' 'bout,
"I'm gonna make you a star, baby."
(Beware, sister, sister; you better beware.)
Beware, sister; you got to look out for that.
Then, there's always the type that's gonna come over and bring diamonds and furs and all this stuff.
(Look out!)
I tell you what, girls, I want you to take 'em.
That's right.

Refrain
You gotta keep what you got while you're hot
And don't give nothin' up to nobody.
And, no matter what they say,
You got to tell them right away
That you ain't givin' nothin' up to nobody, no how.
(When you're hot, you're hot; when you're not, you're not.)
That's right, girls, don't give nothing away.

Verse 1
Temptation is such -
It won't get you half as much
As you get when your man is good to you.
And, as long as he makes you feel
That his love is really real,
Then, baby, here's what you got to do.
You gotta dig the situation,
Have a good relation,
Show appreciation,
But, without hesitation,
You got to let him know
That he's gonna have to go
If he ever starts messin' 'round on you.

Bridge
(Beware, sister, sister; you better beware.)
I ain't givin' nothin' up; you ain't gettin' nothin' yet, junior.
That's right.

Verse 2
Now, I'm gonna hold on to my man just as long as I can hold him.
See, but, I ain't gonna take no stuff
'Cause, like I told you, I had enough.
And, even though my love is strong
I ain't gonna let him do me wrong.
And, if he acts like he wants to go,
I'm gonna walk him right out the door.