BEYONCÉ’S Lemonade has caused such waves in the ocean that is pop culture, it makes sense that people want several voices and personalities to weigh in on the work. Particularly because it was so different from anything Beyoncé has done before, and seemed to expose some secrets about her marriage.
There have been plenty of theories, takeaways and think pieces. But when Tina Knowles-Lawson, the woman who birthed Beyoncé, offers her take on the work, we have to listen.
In a recent interview with Houston’s ABC 13, Miss. Tina offered this bit of insight.

“People make it all about the cheating and betrayal. And yes! That’s a part of it, because that is something that you have to heal from! But the overall film, if you really listen to the poetry, it is one of hope and redemption, and, hopefully, that can be healing for people… It could be about anyone’s marriage. I think that everybody, at one time or another, has been betrayed; lied to.”
She also spoke about her own troubled 33-year marriage with Matthew Knowles, and how her daughters were the ones who helped build her up again.
“You know, my girls… I remember my first little pitch party. I called them, crying, and they all came… And we had a slumber party. We watched old movies all night, and ate ice cream. It was very healing,” Tina said.
And then, perhaps, most telling was this paraphrased portion from the interviewer, Melanie Lawson.
“As for her daughter, she says Beyoncé is on a path to renewal in her own marriage. And if they ever hit another rough patch, she says they’ve got each other to turn lemons into lemonade.”

In our discussions about Lemonade in the office and among my friends and loved ones, I’ve debated about whether or not Beyoncé was actually singing about her own relationship, or if she’d made up the entire thing to tell a compelling story and sell some albums. I always believed it was real. The fact that Jay Z appeared in the video, and the references to her life and her family members seemed to give credence to the whole idea.
Still, there were others who argued that the Carters, who have been notoriously private about their relationship, would never spill the tea on themselves.
But Miss Tina’s words seem to confirm what most of us believed; No?
I have to be honest. At first, I was a little leery about the fact that much of Miss Tina’s interview was edited and paraphrased. I was wondering if they were putting words in her mouth, as the media has been known to do. It’s plausible. Still, Miss Tina’s Instagram page seemed to suggest that the two women had a pretty good rapport.  Not to mention, misquoting someone like her would be a huge mistake. Plus, that sentence alone tells us all what we need to know, and supports my argument. So, I’m going with it.
Still, as she said, the film and the body of work is about so much more than cheating and spilling tea; it’s about healing. And if I may say so, using the women in your life, your sisters, to do that healing.
Supporting the very prevalent theme of sisterhood we saw in the film, Knowles-Lawson said, “My children are my rock…It’s just been the best gift God could have given me.” (Madamenoire.com)