Much More Beautiful Person :: Bowling for Soup

Song: A Much More Beautiful Person
Band: Bowling for Soup
Album: The Great Burrito Extortion Case

Jeanie has a dad that might as well be dead.
A case a day habit and three other kids.
She's a much more beautiful person
Then you’ll ever know.
She hates the world
At least the one outside.
She's a Myspace kid livin a virtual life.
She's a much more beautiful person
Than she'll ever know.

Close your eyes and the time ticks by.
In this life, it’s OK to cry, sometimes,
It can be hard to see what’s right in front of you
You’re gonna smile sometimes,
Your worlds collide
I know you’re tired of waiting
So when you’re through with hating,
You’ll be a much more beautiful person
And Now You Know.
And Now You Know.

Tommy can’t help but feelin’ alone
Walking the halls with his head hung low.
And he’s a much more beautiful person
Than he’ll ever know
High School kids can be so nasty
In a cut-throat war for popularity
He’s a much more beautiful person
Than he’ll ever know

Close your eyes and the time ticks by.
In this life, it’s OK to cry, sometimes,
It can be hard to see what’s right in front of you
You’re gonna smile sometimes,
Your worlds collide
I know you’re tired of waiting
So when you’re through with hating,
You’ll be a much more beautiful person
And Now You Know.
And Now You Know.

And you don’t feel so lucky,
But I’ve seen so many things in you.
Believe me, I know just what you’re going through
So stand up and take a bow,
Hold your head high
Don’t ever let them get you down
It’s all about you
And it’s not what they do
You’re gonna smile sometimes
Your worlds will collide
I know you’re tired of waiting
So when you’re through with hating,
You’ll be a much more beautiful person
And Now You Know.
And Now You Know.

Questions to ponder:

1.    What lyric gets your attention the most?

2.    Do you relate more to Jeanie or Tommy?  Or, do know people like Jeanie or Tommy? 

3.    What does the song tell you about appearances and judging?

4.    What would help them or you to know that you're a much more beautiful person?

5.    What makes something beautiful?  What makes you beautiful?  What are the good things in you?

6.    With the lyric "When you're through with hating," what is it that you hate?  What seems to be the      
       obstacle in the song to not hating?

7.    What makes up "your worlds" and how do they collide?

8.    What are you looking forward to that makes the waiting now easier?

Comments

[Mikey G]

This song is a really good choice for bible study. I like the idea of how it kinda tied in with the clip we watched from luther about how the only judgment that counts is gods and that he judge us by what we are but who we are. And that sometimes the most ugliest looking people can in turn be very beautiful and that we should always take a chance to talk to that tom or jeanie.

[Jessika]

I like the lyrics,
"Close your eyes and the time ticks by.
In this life, it’s OK to cry..."
Mostly because I like to think something along the same lines, to me, these lines kind of say to wait it out and things will get better.
I have a friend a lot like Jeanie, whose folks seem to keep her from realizing just how great she is. It's hard, trying to counter that, to make her realize that she is amazing no matter what they let her know. Every time it seems we're taking a step forward with her self-esteem and self-confidence, she goes home and takes 2 steps backward. But hopefully someday soon she'll be able to get out of that poisoning environment and see herself as she really is.
I hate when I'm asked questions I don't understand. And then I have to either ask for clarification or end up answering the question incorrectly, it may seem like a silly thing to despise, but it ends up making me feel incompetent. I feel like, in this song, a big obstacle in NOT hating is that there is so much out there that makes you WANT to hate it, such as the bad parents or mean kids, and learning to look past that rough exterior and try to help or find the good in the situation is sometimes really hard.