--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I used singing as a safety measure. I…" description: "\"I used singing as a safety measure. I would pay attention to what songs the popular girls liked, learn those songs from the radio or library cassettes,..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3bb/vivek-shraya-14683_attention_i-used-singing-as-a-safety-measure-i-wou_148180.jpg" --- # I used singing as a safety measure. I would pay attention… ![“I used singing as a safety measure. I would pay attention to what songs the popular girls liked, learn those songs from the radio or library cassettes, and then "accidentally" sing or hum these songs in class. This would impress the girls, who would then defend me from the boys.” quote by Vivek Shraya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3bb/vivek-shraya-14683_attention_i-used-singing-as-a-safety-measure-i-wou_148180.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3bb/vivek-shraya-14683_attention_i-used-singing-as-a-safety-measure-i-wou_148180.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3bb/vivek-shraya-14683_attention_i-used-singing-as-a-safety-measure-i-wou_148180.jpg) > “I used singing as a safety measure. I would pay attention to what songs the popular girls liked, learn those songs from the radio or library cassettes, and then "accidentally" sing or hum these songs in class. This would impress the girls, who would then defend me from the boys.” [Vivek Shraya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vivek-shraya/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Singing popular songs served as a protective social strategy, gaining peer acceptance and safety. **In simple terms:** Singing liked songs helped the narrator fit in and stay safe. Key Takeaway Use shared interests to build social bridges. Themes social strategy music peer acceptance self‑protection identity Mood creative strategic protective Type personal social When to use this quote - school environment - friendship building - cultural integration Key Concepts social dynamics cultural adaptation Questions to Reflect On - How do you balance authenticity with social safety? - What other skills can help you fit in? A Different Perspective Reliance on performance may mask true self. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Attention](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/attention/) [Boys](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/boys/) [Class](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/class/) [Girl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/girl/) [Library](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/library/) [Popular girl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/popular-girl/) [Radio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/radio/) [Safety](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/safety/) [Singing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/singing/) [Song](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/song/) ## Related quotes > [I liked Guru Dutt, the way he used songs and the way he shot songs. He was a class apart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mani-ratnam/i-liked-guru-dutt-the-way-he-used-songs-and-the-way-he-shot-songs-he/) [Mani Ratnam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mani-ratnam/) > [Even before I got the record deal, I never really used singing to get girls. I always felt weird about that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/musiq-soulchild/even-before-i-got-the-record-deal-i-never-really-used-singing-to-get/) [Musiq Soulchild](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/musiq-soulchild/) > [When I started writing, I used the singing side of the production as a vehicle for melody and lyrical ideas. Eventually, that process of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-ward/when-i-started-writing-i-used-the-singing-side-of-the-production-as-a/) [M. Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-ward/) > [My love for music was first seen by my father when as a child, I used to hum a lot of songs watching television…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tulsi-kumar/my-love-for-music-was-first-seen-by-my-father-when-as-a-child-i-used/) [Tulsi Kumar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tulsi-kumar/) > [For what St. Augustine said is true, that one can sing nothing worthy of God save what one has received from Him. Wherefore though…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-romaine/for-what-st-augustine-said-is-true-that-one-can-sing-nothing-worthy/) [William Romaine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-romaine/) > [I'm getting used to the singing part but not the talking part.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aurora-aksnes/i-m-getting-used-to-the-singing-part-but-not-the-talking-part/) [Aurora Aksnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aurora-aksnes/) > [I hadn't been exposed to music except in church. They used to have me singing a solo when I was five years old.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willie-dixon/i-hadn-t-been-exposed-to-music-except-in-church-they-used-to-have-me/) [Willie Dixon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willie-dixon/) > [I was always used to singing whatever I liked. I never did pay much attention to what genre it was. Of course, we had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-j-thomas/i-was-always-used-to-singing-whatever-i-liked-i-never-did-pay-much/) [B. J. Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-j-thomas/) > [I used to get bullied by the popular girls at school. Today, I am the popular girl, and the bullies come to my shows.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lady-gaga/i-used-to-get-bullied-by-the-popular-girls-at-school-today-i-am-the/) [Lady Gaga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lady-gaga/) > [On the first day of school, my father told me I'd be the most popular girl and everyone would love me and want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maeve-binchy/on-the-first-day-of-school-my-father-told-me-i-d-be-the-most-popular/) [Maeve Binchy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maeve-binchy/) > [I was pretty much a mess out of primary school. 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O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-j-o-rourke/) ## More by Vivek Shraya > [I am more likely to get paid for my art if it's presented alongside a white artist, so the questions around value and agency…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vivek-shraya/i-am-more-likely-to-get-paid-for-my-art-if-it-s-presented-alongside-a/) [Vivek Shraya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vivek-shraya/) > [My intention was never to write a "trans novel" - which is perhaps an effective strategy for writing a trans novel.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vivek-shraya/my-intention-was-never-to-write-a-trans-novel-which-is-perhaps-an/) [Vivek Shraya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vivek-shraya/) > [I especially worry about the ways Canadians can be glib about our supposed difference from the US in our "acceptance" of "diversity."](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vivek-shraya/i-especially-worry-about-the-ways-canadians-can-be-glib-about-our/) [Vivek Shraya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vivek-shraya/) > [My art career often feels less like an art career and more like a career in educating, usually by using my body.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vivek-shraya/my-art-career-often-feels-less-like-an-art-career-and-more-like-a/) [Vivek Shraya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vivek-shraya/) > [Children's books have great potential to reveal new possibilities to readers, because the intended audience is at an age of genuine learning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vivek-shraya/children-s-books-have-great-potential-to-reveal-new-possibilities-to/) [Vivek Shraya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vivek-shraya/) > [I continue to explore poetry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vivek-shraya/i-continue-to-explore-poetry/) [Vivek Shraya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vivek-shraya/) > [I tend to focus less on genre as a starting point and more on idea or intention and let the idea dictate genre.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vivek-shraya/i-tend-to-focus-less-on-genre-as-a-starting-point-and-more-on-idea-or/) [Vivek Shraya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vivek-shraya/) > [Despite the fact that I'm not highly skilled in any visual art, aesthetics have always played a strong role in my art, including my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vivek-shraya/despite-the-fact-that-i-m-not-highly-skilled-in-any-visual-art/) [Vivek Shraya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vivek-shraya/) > [As a person of color, I know race can't be stripped from admiration or preference.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vivek-shraya/as-a-person-of-color-i-know-race-can-t-be-stripped-from-admiration-or/) [Vivek Shraya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vivek-shraya/) > [It's exciting to consider how art, in its ability to reveal, can be ahead of the artist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vivek-shraya/it-s-exciting-to-consider-how-art-in-its-ability-to-reveal-can-be/) [Vivek Shraya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vivek-shraya/) > [In my thirties, I have felt a greater urgency to make art that highlights what it feels like to be racialized, likely due to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vivek-shraya/in-my-thirties-i-have-felt-a-greater-urgency-to-make-art-that/) [Vivek Shraya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vivek-shraya/) > [Should I be collaborating with artists of color solely because of their race and my politics? 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