Trying to be Nice in light of the Vespers "Not so Nice"

"Verse 1: It's not so nice when they say goodie-goodies you can't stay, not so nice, it's not so nice, not so nice of them to say, when my baby brother fell, you didn't even stop to help, not so nice, it's not so nice, not so nice,

Prechorus: but even though I have this much to say, I just like living my own way, doo doo doo, doo doo doo doo, doo doo doo. Chorus: I am catching all the yellow lights in my hands and in my mind. Just in time we're just in time, just in time I'm just in time. I'm afraid I might be everything I hate, I'm afraid I might be everything I hate.

Verse 2: Now what's the use of preaching to your brother, acting just like you're his mother, not so nice, it's not so nice, you don't take your own advice, not so nice at all, not so nice.

Prechorus: But even though I have this much to say, I just like living my own way, doo doo doo, doo doo doo doo, doo doo doo.

Chorus: I am catching all the yellow lights in my hands and in my mind, I'm just in time, I'm just in time, just in time, I'm just in time. I'm afraid I might be everything I hate, I'm afraid I might be everything I hate, I'm afraid I might be everything I hate, I'm afraid I might be everything I hate.

Verse 3: But I am trying to be nice, trying hard to compromise, between my love, between my vice, "I thank God" (not clear on my recording what this is) I could be nice, I could be nice, I could be nice, I could be nice, I could be nice, I could be nice, I could be nice, I could be nice." (The Vespers, Not so Nice song lyrics, Album: Tell Your Mama)

Something about this song amuses me a lot so I wanted to write a blog post about it. I think it's amusing for me first off because of the voice parts. I like the blend of different women's parts in the song. I think the song amuses me because of the tone of the song. It's played in such a happy key talking about in part how some people can make awful choices, so the paradox is funny. I think the main reason this song appeals to me is because I like ethics and this song brings forth a real struggle that every ethicist has to deal with. There are times where I do things that I spend so much time writing against. It creates a difficult situation as it creates some sense of hypocrisy. But as humans are imperfect, this is always a possibility and conversion is needed sometimes. People also have legitimate struggles and need help from the community and part of doing ethics is working with communities of people who all listen and work to be better people.

However, this song is not about my amusement purely, I want to reflect on what the artists are singing about. The opening verse is particularly telling of things people can do against the common good. We can be closed and cold to people who are different and give them some label like goodie-goodie to make them distant and less human. We can also ignore a suffering, vulnerable person in front of us because it's too hard to make time for someone. If we do this, we can provoke the rage of the artist in this song. Whenever we make a choice against someone, we do not just affect that particular person. We affect a lot of people in someone's present and future. Harm to others can carry over both physical and psychological.

The prechorus gives some interesting context to this song, because the artist admits she has a lot to say about people's behavior, she likes to live by her own standard quickly followed by the chorus where the artist admits she also might act in ways she hates. In particular, she sounds impatient and upset driving and hitting yellow lights on the road, but could also be something the artist is thinking about as she's critiquing other behaviors around her, potentially. (Again, the issue of interpretation is that it can mean a lot of things. :P )

Verse 2 is something I know I'm guilty of, harping on people trying to influence certain people's actions. Now of course, I like blogging, and I like my opinions. I think there's a borderline thought between presentation and nagging, and I know I have to watch that in myself. We have to present ourselves as that is part of our symbolic reality (both of God and ourselves), so it's just practicing and knowing when we hit that borderline, and apologizing and seeking forgiveness when we do.

Verse 3 is the happy resolution to the song because it shows the artist's resolve to try to be nice, even as she's observed unpleasant things around her. She also is admitting she has vice and love and still is trying to be nice. I think that's a nice place to be, as being able to admit imperfection can help connect us to others in their weakness. However, this is a learned skill, as admitting imperfection can be really hard sometimes, especially when we want others to like us. Being imperfect means we're not always useful or pleasant. Even in these times, we still need people to love us, so part of loving and being nice is being available for people even when it's not so nice.

Overall, I love the folky sound this song has. The sound adds to the overall effect that makes this song pleasant. This song is also pleasant because it is not oversaturated. Though things are repeated, and the same lyrics are repeated over and over again to seeming death for some, this song does not become oversaturated. This song connects experience and openness in interpretation in a way that this song can connect to many people's experiences about more than one thing. When a song can promote good values and not be oversaturated, this is a wonderful thing :). I hope though we all try to be nice to someone today by hearing this song. (The tone of the song will encourage you to be nice.) Please God may it be so.

Here's a link to the song.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HrGACJFrjNg

Aristocrates