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Ain't What it Ain't (single)

from Mountain Standard Time by Justine Vandergrift

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about

“It’s all smoke and mirrors and pictures you paint", Ain’t What it Ain’t is a quick little number with an old-time bluegrass feel that playfully speaks to modern day feelings of disenchantment.

Writing the song, I imagined an elderly character who has used the saying “it is what it is” as a way of coping with challenges and adversity throughout their life - a farmer whose crop is ruined by bad weather, a factory worker laid off because of a shifting market, a teacher trying to help a student progress in a system that’s not designed for them. But at some point the aphorism fails to satisfy - this pensioner has come to a breaking point in their life where resigned acceptance is an inadequate response. They’ve begun to see and understand the greater systems at play in their environment, and to realize that the struggles and suffering they’ve endured are not the collateral damage generated by the cold indifference of the universe, but rather the inevitable results of corporations and institutions saying anything to further their own interests.

lyrics

It is what it is and it ain’t what it aint
it’s all smoke and mirrors and pictures you paint
(You can) keep telling lies so they think you’re a saint
But it is what it is and it ain’t what it aint

You can slap a nice label on bad table wine
Drink til you’re full / feel empty inside
Keep saying sorry when nothing will change
You can sing when you’re hurting and smile through the pain

Chorus

You can talk a big game even though you can’t win
And get close to someone without letting them in
Political treasons that pine for your soul
Just because something glitters don’t mean that it’s gold

Chorus

credits

from Mountain Standard Time, track released March 3, 2023
Recorded, mixed, and mastered by Jeff Kynoch
Guitars: Trevor McNeely
Banjo: Miles Zurawel
Vocals: Justine Vandergrift and Carter Felker

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Justine Vandergrift Calgary, Alberta

“Occasionally a new artist emerges that immediately demands respect and attention. Justine Vandergrift is one such artist. She will make a solid impact on anyone who has the privilege of hearing her songs.”

-Bill Bourne (Juno award winning Canadian Folk Artist) ... more

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