Billy Joel dedicó esta preciosa canción a su primera esposa, Elizabeth Weber, de quien se divorció en 1982. La canción está inspirada en las melodiosas baladas de Gordon Lightfoot y es una especie de retrato de la propia Weber, quien en un momento determinado tomó las riendas de la carrera artística de su marido, convirtiéndose en una manager implacable y temida por sus habilidades negociadoras. La canción habla de una mujer que puede herir con sus ojos («she can wound with her eyes») o robar como un ladrón («she steals like a thief»), sin jamás rendirse («but she never gives in»). Debido a estas cualidades, los adversarios de Weber en los negocios pensaron que era «poco femenina», pero para Billy Joel «she was always a woman».
She can kill with a smile
She can wound with her eyes
She can ruin your faith with her casual lies
And she only reveals what she wants you to see
She hides like a child
But she's always a woman to me
She can lead you to love
She can take you or leave you
She can ask for the truth
But she'll never believe
And she'll take what you give her as long as it's free
Yeah, she steals like a thief
But she's always a woman to me
[Chorus:]
Oh, she takes care of herself
She can wait if she wants
She's ahead of her time
Oh, and she never gives out
And she never gives in
She just changes her mind
She will promise you more
Than the Garden of Eden
Then she'll carelessly cut you
And laugh while you're bleedin'
But she'll bring out the best
And the worst you can be
Blame it all on yourself
Cause she's always a woman to me
[Chorus:]
Oh, she takes care of herself
She can wait if she wants
She's ahead of her time
Oh, and she never gives out
And she never gives in
She just changes her mind
She is frequently kind
And she's suddenly cruel
She can do as she pleases
She's nobody's fool
But she can't be convicted
She's earned her degree
And the most she will do
Is throw shadows at you
But she's always a woman to me