Singled Out: Jive Mother Mary's Hope It Ain't That Bad

Keavin Wiggins | 12-31-2020

Single art courtesy TAG

North Carolina southern rockers Jive Mother Mary recently released their new single and video "Hope It Ain't That Bad" and to celebrate we have asked Mason Keck to tell us about the track. Here is the story:

"Hope It Ain't That Bad" is one of those songs that just kind of wrote itself. I live in North Carolina, and nothing gets people in this area stirring more than the prospect of a strong hurricane coming through. At the time I wrote this song, there were two hurricanes expected to hit land within a week of each other, so you could imagine the pandemonium! I was on the way to the bank to take care of some things, and we were already getting heavy rains. As I was crossing over the smaller branches of our local river, I could already see some signs of flooding, and I thought to myself, "I hope it ain't that bad." When I got to the bank the line was wrapped around the building, as everyone else was trying to get what they needed done before these hurricanes hit. Pulling in to the line I thought, "Damn, I hope this wait isn't that bad." Then it hit me--"Hope it ain't that bad. I hope it aint that, BAAAD!"

After the initial lightning bolt, the song proceeded to write itself as I had plenty of time in line at the bank(I guess I'm thankful for the long line that day). It was easy to take in what was going on around me, as well as things we had experienced in the past and use them as imagery in the song. Strong storms are something we can all relate to, as they effect everyone the same. They are also a powerful metaphor for going through something that we have no control over. This song was my "pessimistically optimistic" take on something my community was about to experience. As every songwriter does, I included things that were going on in my life at the time that went along with the imagery of the song, and tried to tie in things that people can relate to. No one wants to be "under water, over their head" or "left for dead," be it in a storm or a bad situation in life. Those feelings of unsuredness are ones that we all have, even while trying to maintain a positive outlook on the situation. I think that helps this song be easily relatable to most people.

Hearing is believing. Now that you know the story behind the song, listen and watch for yourself below and learn more about the band here