The 1960's were a time of mass demonstrations against the Vietnam War, sit-ins, the occupation of university buildings and the courageous marches for civil rights in the South. Government officials, many representatives of the press and many businesses denounced these generally peaceful but certainly obstructive activities as "undignified" and "not nice". This song reflects the militant feelings of the times. The song has a more general application than the 1960s, however, as union organizing and civil disobedience continue to be employed to change aspects of social life. As many movements have discovered, part of the definition of "niceness" is that it doesn't upset the way things are currently done.
Malvina didn't just look in the newpaper for an idea and write a song. She was on the line ... in the thick of it ... shoulder to shoulder with the people she was writing about. ... She knew that "nice" doesn't always get it. This one is for everybody on the line for civil rights.