27 ContributorsRednecks Lyrics

Newman employs his normal songwriting technique – writing in character – to pen one of the most devastating, yet simple, anti-racism songs ever.

The first two verses are standard fare redneck mocking, though… Read More 

[Intro]

Last night, I saw Lester Maddox on a TV show

With some smart-ass New York Jew

And the Jew laughed at Lester Maddox

And the audience laughed at Lester Maddox too

Well, he may be a fool, but he's our fool

If they think they're better than him, they're wrong

So I went to the park and I took some paper along

And that's where I made this song

[Verse 1]

We talk real funny down here

We drink too much and we laugh too loud

We're too dumb to make it in no northern town

We're keepin' the niggers down

[Verse 2]

We got no-necked oilmen from Texas

Good ol' boys from Tennessee

College men from LSU

Went in dumb, come out dumb too

Hustlin' 'round Atlanta in their alligator shoes

Gettin' drunk every weekend at the barbecues

They're keepin' the niggers down

[Chorus]

We're rednecks, we're rednecks

We don't know our ass from a hole in the ground

We're rednecks, we're rednecks

We're keepin' the niggers down

[Verse 3]

Now, your northern nigga's a Negro

You see, he's got his dignity

Down here, we too ignorant to realize

The North has set the nigga free

[Verse 4]

Yes, he's free to be put in a cage in Harlem in New York City

And he's free to be put in a cage on the south side of Chicago

And the west side

And he's free to be put in a cage in Hough in Cleveland

And he's free to be put in a cage in East St. Louis

And he's free to be put in a cage in Fillmore in San Francisco

And he's free to be put in a cage in Roxbury in Boston

They're gatherin' 'em up from miles around

Keepin' the niggers down

[Chorus]

We're rednecks, we're rednecks

We don't know our ass from a hole in the ground

We're rednecks, we're rednecks

We're keepin' the niggers down

We are keepin' the niggers down