Home > After Death Threats, Dixie Chicks are not ready to make nice (preview song)

After Death Threats, Dixie Chicks are not ready to make nice (preview song)

by Open-Publishing - Sunday 26 March 2006
11 comments

Music Governments USA

Click Here to Listen to "Not Ready to Make Nice"

Three years is a long time in geopolitics. In 2003 the Dixie Chicks were condemned as traitors in America after telling a London audience they were ashamed that their president came from Texas. Now the group’s angry new song addressing that controversy looks set to become a hit.

Not Ready to Make Nice, due to be released in May, refers to death threats the three Texans received after the Guardian reported how they had criticised George Bush during a concert at the Shepherd’s Bush Empire. "Just so you know, we’re ashamed the president of the United States is from Texas," singer Natalie Maines told the audience.

Numerous US radio stations removed the group from their playlists. "In my book the Dixie Chicks are traitors," one columnist wrote at the time. "Not only to America but also to everything good that country music stands for."

But that was in a year when Mr Bush, who actually comes from Connecticut, enjoyed approval ratings of up to 70%. This month his rating reached a new low of 36%, according to a CNN/Gallup poll.

The song’s lyrics pull no punches: "Forgive, sounds good/Forget, I’m not sure I could/They say time heals everything/ But I’m still waiting ... And how in the world can the words that I said/Send somebody so over the edge/That they’d write me a letter/Sayin’ that I better shut up and sing/Or my life will be over?"

Some Texas stations still refuse to air the group’s music, but those that have played it say it has been well received, and Billboard Radio Monitor predicts a hit.

Maines describes the album as "pure therapy". "I’m way more at peace now. Writing these songs and saying everything we had to say makes it possible to move on," she says on the Dixie Chicks website.

Click Here to Listen to "Not Ready to Make Nice"

http://www.guardian.co.uk/usa/story...

http://music.msn.com/artist/?artist...

LYRICS
Forgive, sounds good,
I’m not sure I could,
They say time heals everything
I’m still waiting...

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
Can’t you just get over it
It turned my whole world around
And I kind of like it
I made my bed and I sleep like a baby
With no regrets and I don’t mind sayin’
It’s a sad sad story when 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
Sayin’ that I better shut up and sing
Or my life will be over

Click Here to Listen to "Not Ready to Make Nice"

Forum posts

  • Ladies, I am so glad to hear from you-shame on the folks that threatened you-PLEASE keep making music AND speaking freely-Kenny B.-kgb-56

  • As a military mom, thank you for calling those you-know-what’s out to the carpet! They should have never put our troops or the Iraqi people in such danger. I was so glad to hear your sweet voices singing again!

  • Way to go Chicks! From a Canadian girl born and raised, I am shocked at the President’s ignorance, but not surprised. I am married to an American who I would say is most enlightened about the US government and their stupidity.
    Keep writing and educating people.
    With respect and admiration,
    Trixie
    xo

  • Dixie Chicks:
    Everyone has their own opinion. However, I cannot stop but think of the soldiers fighting for our country. Regardless of our view on Bush, I think it is an insult to not consider how the soldiers are giving their lives for our country.

    Shame on you Dixie Chicks.

    • What ever happend to FREEDOM OF SPEACH? Mr. Bush is not any more special then you or me just because he is the President. I am a single mom with 4 kids undre the age of 6 and I bet I run my white house better then he runs his. I bet if we where to go and knock on a few doors others would feel the same way. I agree with what Natalie Maines said, I would be ashamed to say that I come from the same place as a man that thinks war will fix our problemes. Don’t you find it ironic that when the first Mr. Bush was President we went to war then Bush Jr. comes along and surprise we are off to war again. I will keep on supporting the Dixie Chicks on there journey to keep the music going and I know I won’t be the only one. I hope that all you Dixie Chicks haters out there will learn to think for yourself and stop feeling sorry for that poor old President Bush, I am sure he has enought money to pay for some therapy to fix is ego. Remember that we all have the FREEDOM OF SPEACH and if the President or other ignorant people out there don’t like it then that is to bad for them. I am teaching my kids right from wrong and to speak there mind and I refuse to ever let anyone tell them that what they feel or think is wrong. I hope that my children will grow up to be strong like the Dixie Chicks.

      P.S. Instead of sending everyone else’s kids to war so you, Mr. President and the other members of the White House play golf, why don’t you and your children put on those beautiful army colors and pick up a gun and fight the war yourself.

    • Impeach G.W. Bush. Dixie Chicks for President.

    • I am responding to this message from an individual saying shame on you, Dixie Chicks. SHAME ON YOU FOR SAYING THAT! The Dixie Chicks never once said that they didnt support our troops. Have you head the song, Travelin Soldier?!! They dont agree with with war, same as me, but they DO support our troops. SHAME ON YOU FOR POSTING A MESSAGE WITHOUT KNOWING ALL THE FACTS!!!!!

  • It wasn’t what they said or that they are anti-war that upset me.

    Any idiot with an IQ above room temperature is anti-war.

    What upset me is two things.

    Where she said it. She goes to some other country and says she is ashamed of the President.

    Then her weird theories of Freedom of Speech. She thinks that freedom of speech means she can say anything she wants and we still have to buy her records. Nat, freedom of speech means you can disagree with the government and they won’t put you in jail. If you don’t know enough to understand that then maybe your political views are equally misinformed.

  • Personally, I believe the Dixie Chicks have just as much of a right to speak their mind as we do, giving our opinions here, on these comments. I’m sure there are SO many people out there who agree with them (and those that disagree), but our voices aren’t publicized, or put in articles, or condemned.
    I LOVE the Dixie Chicks. I believe they have written some of the most inspirational songs ever, and when I heard "Not Ready to Make Nice", I was speechless. It is my new favorite song.
    Yeah, maybe people over-do the "Freedom of Speech" argument, but it’s true. The Dixie Chicks can say what they want, just like we do. I’m not really a "Bush fan", but I still respect him as President. I don’t completely agree with what they did, but I still respect them as strong-voiced, confident, inspirational artists, moms, and people. I will continue to buy their cd’s and I’m just extremely happy that they have come back from this whole ordeal with the same enthusiasm and charm. I only hope that they don’t "back down" to all the hypocritical people out there that have threatened them.

  • I was tickled to death when I saw the new video and heard the song. I have ALWAYS been a Dixie Chicks fan and will continue to be one. It’s amazing how this world can tolerate hatred, murder, racism, rape, abuse, etc. And one comment made Americans threaten the Dixie Chicks. That disgusts me! It makes me ashamed to be living in a country with people like that. This is a FREE country and everyone has their opinion about different things. I WILL BE FIRST IN LINE MAY 23RD WHEN THE CD COMES OUT! You go girls! I have been sending emails and text msgs letting all my friends and family know that yall have a new song and CD coming out. ..........Jason H. Nashville, TN

  • Go Chicks Go! I believe that this album (dating myself with that term) will be the cross over record for the Dixie Chicks. If country fans are so narrow minded as to boycott the Dixie Chicks that is fine, the music tent is plenty big for the Chicks to slide into pop/rock/contempory music. I find ironic that the "typical" country music fan finds something in George W. Bush that they identify with. He is a member of the Lucky Sperm club who never went to a public school in his entire life—Andover/Yale/Harvard, hmmmm, yep, a guy from the Northeast... Too bad that the people of Texas don’t remember what W was called when he lost his race for Congress way back...a carpet bagger is what he was called (with good reason). It is a free country so people can choose to buy they Chicks work, or not. Death threats to them are way out of bounds however. After spending 22 years in the Navy (most of it on an attack submarine) I don’t find anything about Ms. Maines comments offensive, it never affected my morale on bit. What affects a servicemens morale is multiple deployments to Iraq with no sign of relief. I for one will buy the Dixie Chicks works if only to reward them for using their position to take a stand. Why shoud politicians have the only say in America? I think our founding fathers would take up arms against this administration....