Southern Man by Neil Young (1970)

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Southern Man by Neil Young

Southern Man is a song by Neil Young from an album released in 1970, After the Gold Rush. The lyrics of the song describe racism towards Black people in the American South. The singer tells a story about White man treating his slaves. The song also mentions the cross burning, a practice referencing the Ku Klux Klan.

Yong was very sensitive about the message brought by the song as both anti-racism and anti-violence. He even cancelled a show in Oakland, California when a fan was beaten and removed from the stage by a guard in a 1973 tour. [1]

Key Lyrics

Southern man better keep your head

Don't forget what your good book said

Southern change gonna come at last

Now your crosses are burning fast

Southern man

I saw cotton and I saw black

Tall white mansions and little shacks

Southern man, when will you pay them back?

I heard screaming and bullwhips cracking

How long? How long? [2]

Black Empowerment

The song refers to the slavery and the Ku Klux Klan, as well as the racism in the American South. Particularly, the song was more about civil rights movement, however many Southern people did not appreciate the generalization, thus Young apologize, in his 2012 biography Waging Heavy Peace, writing:

"I don't like my words when I listen to it. They are accusatory and condescending, not fully thought out, and too easy to misconstrue." [3]

Though the song was released in 1970, the singer Neil Young thinks that Souther Man is still relevant with today’s situation. He posted his performance in 2019 on his Archives Wednesday:

“Here’s me as an old guy singin’ his 50-year-old song that was written after countless years of racism in the USA. And look at us today! This has been going on for way too long. It’s not just ‘Southern Man’ now. It’s everywhere across the USA. It’s time for real change, new laws, new rules for policing.”

He is referring to mass protests against police brutality in response to George Floyd who was killed in the hands of police.

The songs lyrics focus on slavery in the U.S, specifically in the Sout that happened for years.

“It’s like Trump today, treating things like a WWF smackdown,” Devo’s Gerald Casale told Rolling Stone of the clash between students and law enforcement. “It was Governor Rhodes, unbeknownst to us, who conspired with the dean at Kent State University to house the National Guard in buildings on Sunday night so they’d be ready to pounce at the protest that everyone knew was coming.” [4]

References

  1. Southern Man (song). wikipedia.org. Retrieved January 29, 2021
  2. Southern Man Neil Young. genius.com. Retrieved January 29, 2021
  3. Southern Man by Neil Young. songfacts.com. Retrieved January 29, 2021
  4. Ehrlich, Brenna. Neil Young Drops 2019 Live Version of ‘Southern Man,’ Calls for ‘New Rules for Policing’. June 4, 2020. rollingstone.com. Retrieved January 29, 2021