John Wayne Is Big Leggy

Album: Battle Hymns for Children Singing (1982)
Charted: 11
Play Video
  • John Wayne in the trailer for the movie The Searchers (1956).

Comments: 8

  • Lecheffre from Wherever You Aren’t@Common Sense is Dead. Jeremy Healy had read Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee by Dee Brown (suggest you do as well), and was inspired to write the song.

    Quote: It was an allegory for treatment of which the white settlers used, but on the Native American Indians. However, I wrote it like John Wayne having anal sex with a squaw. I thought this was hilarious!

    Wayne is a stand-in for white settlers, colonizers. Speckled Hen is an avatar for Native Americans.

    It very much is about the things Anon from the US wrote. Most New Wave 80’s pop had leftist leanings. Folks seem to forget that because they made dance music.
  • Glyn Davies from UkChrist the pampered brigade are out in force, it's a f--king Pop song get over it. I swear to god these people wake up trying to find ways to be offended, it must give the sad little muffins a purpose in life.
  • Ava from Monroe"I believe in white supremacy until the blacks are educated to a point of responsibility." - John Wayne. Whoever wrote this incredibly silly rejoinder (a person who's married Latina women can't be racist? Latinas can be white, that makes no sense) sounds like they probably hold similar views. Sorry, the Confederacy lost and it's never coming back.

    No comment on the song itself, but the defensive language is extremely telling.
  • Common Sense Is Dead. from Uk Anon from USA, please shut your mouth and give your arse a go, it's sh*t probably makes more sense than the pile you spewed here. It's a tongue in cheek song about sh*gging with a hint of the attitude towards native Americans but none of the sh*te you dropped about disrespecting her in her own home. He 's a cowboy, so wouldn't be parted from his gun, and so when she said it was in the way, he moved it behind him so he could take her from behind. People read way too much into things. Not every f'ing thing is racist!!!
  • Mo Johnny Yen Riaz from Manchester UkAlways thought it was “and he knows that god is with him cos he’s white” and I guess that’s what they really meant anyway.
  • Anon from UsaThe song isn’t an homage to John Wayne; the John Wayne they mention is an exemplar, a stereotype. The song absolutely is about racism and the ‘cowboy’ image of not just the United States, but of any person or group that uses themselves as the yardstick by which to measure and place some kind of meritorious value on other peoples, cultures, and countries. For example, Speckled Hen is good enough to have sex with, but she doesn’t merit respect, even when she puts her foot down and asserted her rights to her own preferences in her own teepee. She doesn’t even merit an explanation for why it is okay to invalidate her wishes, as shown in the line, ‘turn right over, you’ll know why’. What gives this stereotype called John Wayne the right to do all this? Because he’s White/right.

    This is 100% a song about racism, and all of the baggage that comes with it, like manifest destiny.
  • Anne from LondonI thought it was 'he knows that God is with him cos he's white. John Wayne was known to hold racist views.
  • Daniel from Uk, United KingdomThis song is about sexual intercourse - specifically the 'doggy' position as a solution to a troublesome gunbelt!
see more comments

Editor's Picks

Kelly Keagy of Night Ranger

Kelly Keagy of Night RangerSongwriter Interviews

Kelly Keagy of Night Ranger tells the "Sister Christian" story and explains why he started sweating when he saw it in Boogie Nights.

Adam Duritz of Counting Crows

Adam Duritz of Counting CrowsSongwriter Interviews

"Mr. Jones" took on new meaning when the song about a misguided view of fame made Adam famous.

Psychedelic Lyrics

Psychedelic LyricsMusic Quiz

Whoa man! Do you know which band came up with these cosmic lyrics?

Which Restaurants Are Most Mentioned In Song Lyrics?

Which Restaurants Are Most Mentioned In Song Lyrics?Song Writing

Katy Perry mentions McDonald's, Beyoncé calls out Red Lobster, and Supertramp shouts out Taco Bell - we found the 10 restaurants most often mentioned in songs.

Yacht Rock Quiz

Yacht Rock QuizFact or Fiction

Christopher Cross with Deep Purple? Kenny Loggins in Caddyshack? A Fact or Fiction all about yacht rock and those who made it.

Kevin Godley

Kevin GodleySongwriter Interviews

Kevin Godley talks about directing classic videos for The Police, U2 and Duran Duran, and discusses song and videos he made with 10cc and Godley & Creme.