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

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