Saturday, December 4, 2021

Isn't It a Pity

There are plenty of places to start exploring Nina Simone’s music, from the songs that have worked their way into our cultural fabric through soundtracks and TV commercials to the more challenging music she made as she evolved musically, personally, and politically. One thing we’d beg you to check out on the way is her epic expansion of George Harrison’s “Isn’t It A Pity.”                                                                                                            Isn't it a pity  

                                                          Isn't it a pity 
You don't know what I'm talking about yet
 But I will tell you soon
 It's a pity
 Isn't it a pity
 Isn't it a shame
 Yes, how we break each other's hearts And cause each other pain

 How we take each other's love
 Without thinking anymore
 Forgetting to give back
 Forgetting to remember
 Just forgetting and no thank you
 
Isn't it a pity
 Some things take so long
 But how do I explain
 Why not too many people can see
 That we are all just the same
 We're all guilty

 Because of all the tears
 Our eyes just can't hope to see
 But I don't think it's applicable to me
 The beauty that surrounds them
 Child isn't it a pity
 How we break each other's hearts
 And cause each other pain
 How we take each other's love The most precious thing

 Without thinking anymore
 Forgetting to give back 
Forgetting to keep open our door
 Isn't it a pity Isn't it a pity
 Some things take so long 
But how do I explain

 Isn't it a pity 
Why not too many people
 Can see we're all the same
 Because we cry so much
 Our eyes can't, can't hope to see 
That's not quite true 
The beauty that surrounds them

 Maybe that's why we cry God, isn't it a pity
 Lord knows it's a pity
 Mankind has been so programmed
 That they don't care about nothin'
 That has to do with care C-a-r-e
 How we take each other's love The most precious thing
 Without thinking anymore
 Forgetting to give back
 Forgetting to keep open the door

 But I understand some things take so long
 But how do I explain
 Why not too many people Can see we're just the same
 And because of all their tears
 Their eyes can't hope to see 
The beauty that surrounds them
 God, isn't it a pity 
The beauty that surrounds them
 It's a pity We take each other's love
 Just take it for granted Without thinking anymore

 We give each other pain And we shut every door
 We take each other's minds 
And we're capable of taking each other's souls
 We do it every day Just to reach some financial goal
 Lord, isn't it a pity, my God
 Isn't it a pity, my God
 And so unnecessary
 Just a little time, a little care A little note was written in the air
 
Just the little thank you,
 We just forget to give back 
Cause we're moving too fast Moving too fast
 Forgetting to give back But some things take so long
 And I cannot explain 
The beauty that surrounds us
 And we don't see it We think things are just the same

 We've been programmed that way
 Isn't it a pity
 If you want to feel sorry Isn't it a pity
 Isn't it a pity
 The beauty sets the beauty that surrounds us 
Because of all our tears
 Our eyes can't hope to see

 Maybe one day at least
 I'll see me And just concentrate on givin',
 givin', givin', givin' 
And till that day
 Mankind doesn't stand a chance 
Don't know nothin' about romance
 Everything is plastic Isn't it a pity My God.

 Harrison wrote the song about the breakup of the Beatles, but Simone moves it somewhere more personal in terms of her own struggles and more global in terms of the civil rights movement and the disillusionment that followed. She makes critical changes to the lyrics — sometimes as simple as changing a pronoun, sometimes profound as adding entire lines that call the motives, morality, and future of all mankind into question — and with little more than her voice and piano, turns a rock song into an expansive mix of all the music she knows, from Bach to the blues to gospel to jazz. She sings she cries, she preaches. And she plays her ass off. It’s a performance as complex and beautiful and challenging as Miss Simone herself.