Rednecks (song)
Encyclopedia
"Rednecks" is a song by Randy Newman
, the lead-off track on his 1974 album Good Old Boys.
looks down upon The South
. In particular the narrator describes his ire at watching a "smart-ass, New York
Jew
" mock Lester Maddox
on a television
program. (This is an allusion to Maddox's 1970 appearance on The Dick Cavett Show
whose eponymous host is actually a gentile
.) In response to his frustration at the television show, the narrator goes on to list, sarcastically, a litany of negative qualities that Southerners are reputed to have. He focuses especially on institutionalized racism, or, as the narrator puts it: "keeping the nigger
s down."
As the song ends, the narrator turns the knife on judgmental northerners, calling them out as hypocrites. He achieves this by singing that the "North has set the nigger free" and then sings African-Americans are only "free to be put in a cage," and then lists a number of black ghettos in northern cities (i.e. Roxbury in Boston, East St. Louis and Harlem in New York City
) The song's final lyric is: "They [the Northerners] gatherin' 'em up, from miles around/Keeping the niggers down."
Writing in the Los Angeles Times, Randy Lewis said Newman had "peeled back the curtain on... bigots and hypocrites" with this song.
Steve Earle recorded a country-grunge cover of "Rednecks" in 2006 for the tribute album Sail Away: The Songs of Randy Newman.
Newman said that having written "Rednecks" he felt he had to explain where he was coming from, which led him to write "Marie" and "Birmingham", two other songs that ended up on his Good Old Boys album.
Randy Newman
Randall Stuart "Randy" Newman is an American singer-songwriter, arranger, composer, and pianist who is known for his mordant pop songs and for film scores....
, the lead-off track on his 1974 album Good Old Boys.
Lyrics and interpretation
"Rednecks" is sung from the perspective of a Southern "redneck". In it he expresses his dismay at the way that the NorthNorthern United States
Northern United States, also sometimes the North, may refer to:* A particular grouping of states or regions of the United States of America. The United States Census Bureau divides some of the northernmost United States into the Midwest Region and the Northeast Region...
looks down upon The South
Southern United States
The Southern United States—commonly referred to as the American South, Dixie, or simply the South—constitutes a large distinctive area in the southeastern and south-central United States...
. In particular the narrator describes his ire at watching a "smart-ass, New York
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
Jew
Judaism
Judaism ) is the "religion, philosophy, and way of life" of the Jewish people...
" mock Lester Maddox
Lester Maddox
Lester Garfield Maddox was an American politician who was the 75th Governor of the U.S. state of Georgia from 1967 to 1971....
on a television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
program. (This is an allusion to Maddox's 1970 appearance on The Dick Cavett Show
The Dick Cavett Show
The Dick Cavett Show has been the title of several talk shows hosted by Dick Cavett on various television networks, including:* ABC daytime ...
whose eponymous host is actually a gentile
Gentile
The term Gentile refers to non-Israelite peoples or nations in English translations of the Bible....
.) In response to his frustration at the television show, the narrator goes on to list, sarcastically, a litany of negative qualities that Southerners are reputed to have. He focuses especially on institutionalized racism, or, as the narrator puts it: "keeping the nigger
Nigger
Nigger is a noun in the English language, most notable for its usage in a pejorative context to refer to black people , and also as an informal slang term, among other contexts. It is a common ethnic slur...
s down."
As the song ends, the narrator turns the knife on judgmental northerners, calling them out as hypocrites. He achieves this by singing that the "North has set the nigger free" and then sings African-Americans are only "free to be put in a cage," and then lists a number of black ghettos in northern cities (i.e. Roxbury in Boston, East St. Louis and Harlem in New York City
Harlem
Harlem is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Manhattan, which since the 1920s has been a major African-American residential, cultural and business center. Originally a Dutch village, formally organized in 1658, it is named after the city of Haarlem in the Netherlands...
) The song's final lyric is: "They [the Northerners] gatherin' 'em up, from miles around/Keeping the niggers down."
Writing in the Los Angeles Times, Randy Lewis said Newman had "peeled back the curtain on... bigots and hypocrites" with this song.
Steve Earle recorded a country-grunge cover of "Rednecks" in 2006 for the tribute album Sail Away: The Songs of Randy Newman.
Among His Favorites
Newman has called "Rednecks" one of his favorite compositions. He said he wrote the song after watching Maddox's appearance with Cavett and "seeing him be treated rudely... they had just elected him governor, in a state of 6 million or whatever, and if I were a Georgian, I would have been offended, irrespective of the fact that he was a bigot and a fool."Newman said that having written "Rednecks" he felt he had to explain where he was coming from, which led him to write "Marie" and "Birmingham", two other songs that ended up on his Good Old Boys album.