"I'm not ready to make nice,
I'm not ready to back down,
I'm still mad as hell
And I don't have time
To go round and round and round"
I've just heard these words sung live for the first time, and it has made my whole week. Nathalie Manes and the Dixie Chicks are making a passionate personal statement, from deep within their hearts.
And it is really, really good. Judging from the Early Show crowd response, singing along with the chorus, cheering with their fists in the air, this song and album are going to be huge. Full lyrics and some good links on the flip...
The lyrics are simple and powerful (
listen here):
Forgive, sounds good.
Forget, I'm not sure I could.
They say time heals everything,
But I'm still waiting.
I'm through, with doubt,
There's nothing left for me to figure out,
I've paid a price, and I'll keep paying.
I'm not ready to make nice,
I'm not ready to back down,
I'm still mad as hell
And I don't have time
To go round and round and round
It's too late to make it right
I probably wouldn't if I could
Cause I'm mad as hell
Can't bring myself to do what it is
You think I should
I know you said
Why can't you just get over it,
It turned my whole world around
and I kind of like it
I made by bed, and I sleep like a baby,
With no regrets and I don't mind saying,
It's a sad sad story
That a mother will teach her daughter
that she ought to hate a perfect stranger.
And how in the world
Can the words that I said
Send somebody so over the edge
That they'd write me a letter
Saying that I better shut up and sing
Or my life will be over
I'm not ready to make nice,
I'm not ready to back down,
I'm still mad as hell
And I don't have time
To go round and round and round
It's too late to make it right
I probably wouldn't if I could
Cause I'm mad as hell
Can't bring myself to do what it is
You think I should
I'm not ready to make nice,
I'm not ready to back down,
I'm still mad as hell
And I don't have time
To go round and round and round
It's too late to make it right
I probably wouldn't if I could
Cause I'm mad as hell
Can't bring myself to do what it is
You think I should
Forgive, sounds good.
Forget, I'm not sure I could.
They say time heals everything,
But I'm still waiting.
There was real power in the passion and pacing, the changes in tempo, in volume, as they played it live. You could see people singing along. As the host put it right afterward "Well. Well, well, well!. This stage is on fire! Wow!" I've listened to it at least twenty times in a row, saving it to the Tivo and backing it up. And it's still bringing tears to my eyes when Nathalie, spitting mad, fire in her eyes, just belts out the lines I bolded above, her voice soaring higher and higher. The crowd just erupted. I just can't stop myself from rewinding it and watching it again.
Those lines really express my feelings these days, they really resonate with me, my frustration with this lousy war and the ongoing ripoff of regular Americans. And the Freepers going along with it all even though they are getting hurt, too.
Nathalie Manes is my hero. I'm just flat-out smitten :)
Along with her bandmates, sisters Martie Maguire and Emily Robison! After all the derision they've endured to see them come back so strong, so true to themselves, is awesome. You could see in their unstoppable smiles at the crowds' reaction that they've been down a long, long road and are really glad to be home. And so am I, both for them personally, and for their giving me so much joy at the end of such a long, long week of learning about massacres in our name.
You go, grrrls! You go!
Links:
Song streamed free, with option for video
CD from Amazon (there is a cool "making of" video of "Taking The Long Way" on this page)
"Not Ready To Make Nice" Limited Edition CD from Amazon
Dixie Chicks Official Site
Upcoming Tour Dates