It Could Be Worse

James Fortune names specific, sympathetic complaints before answering each one plainly in "It Could Be Worse" — "you've been saying that you're tired of going through, seems like everyone else is blessed but you... paid your tithes, you're confused cause your rent is late." The frustrations aren't dismissed as trivial; they're named in detail first.

"So you may not have a mansion in a gated neighborhood, but at least you have a roof over your head" keeps the comparison modest rather than guilt-inducing, and "boss is telling you, your raise is coming soon, with no notice, you're laid off, what do you do" adds a second, unrelated hardship rather than treating one complaint as the whole problem.

"You should thank the Lord for what you already have, if it wasn't for Jesus, tell me where would you be" closes each verse by redirecting gratitude toward a specific person rather than a vague positive outlook, repeating "praise now, it could be worse" as the song's entire, simple instruction.