White Man

Album: A Day At The Races (1976)
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  • I'm a simple man
    With a simple name
    From this soil my people came
    In this soil remain
    Oh yeah, oh yeah

    We made us our shoes
    We trod soft on the land
    But the immigrant built roads
    On our blood and sand
    Oh yeah, oh yeah

    White man, White man
    Don't you see the light behind your blackened skies
    White man, White man
    You took away the sight to blind my simple eyes
    White man, White man
    Where you gonna hide
    From the hell you've made ?

    Oh the Red man knows war
    With his hands and his knives
    On the bible you swore
    Fought your battle with lies
    Oh yeah

    Leave my body in shame
    Leave my soul in disgrace
    But by every God's name
    Say your prayers for your race
    Oh yeah

    White man, White man
    Our country was green and all our rivers wide
    White man, White man
    You came with a gun and soon our children died
    White man, White man
    Don't you give a light for the blood you've shed
    Oooh yeah

    Oh White man, White man (White man)
    White man, White man
    Fought your battle with lies, yeah
    White man, White man - but weren't too civilized yeah
    White man, White man
    Take a look around
    Every skin and bone
    Hey

    What is left of your dream ?
    Just the words on your stone
    A man who learned how to teach
    Then forgot how to learn
    Oh yeah Writer/s: BRIAN HAROLD MAY
    Publisher: Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
    Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind

Comments: 6

  • Jamie from EnglandThis song is really silly. Making it about skin colour oversimplifies and overwrites a difficult subject that is really about the historical process of civilisational expansion and retraction. And to demonstrate how dishonest or dumb Brian May is in framing this as a race issue - For thousands of years before Europeans arrived on their continent, native Americans were at war with one another and spilled tremendous amounts of blood. This is before we acknowledge the deeds of non-"white man" Hispanic Europeans who helped colonise America. It's a ridiculous, uneducated, unintelligent, and ultimately irresponsible way of writing about history that does nothing but fuel animosity.

    So, if we're asking why this song doesn't garner much attention, that's why, which is a good thing because it has nothing worthwhile to give, as opposed to, say, Iron Madien's "Run to the Hills."
  • Stefano from Rome, ItalyStu, maybe this song have attracted very little comment because the music industry (meaning not only discography majors like EMI, but also the specialised press) have never been comfortable with Queen as "socially meaningful" group. It's very far easier considering them as the typical glam, fashionable, frivolous, eccentric pop band exactly fitting its glam, fashionable etc. frontman. Most media have always talked about Queen only for gossip-esque, sometimes absolutely false, news. Brian May also wrote a song about this (Scandal).
  • Jonathon from Clermont, FlOne of the most underrated Queen songs. Brain may detuned his guitar on this number.
  • Stu from Fife, ScotlandI find it interesting that this song (which is about the terrible fate of native Americans after Europeans arrived) attracts very little comment, while Zombie by the Cranberries (which is about Northern Ireland's troubled history)has caused all hell to break loose! Selective memory is a dangerous thing.
  • Theresa from San Diego, CaI love this song, along with all the other Queen songs! Queen ROcks
  • Amy from Dallas, TxGreat, they're all great
see more comments

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