Fuck you, I'm America's Son

Gary Clark jr bending strings.

Protest Music For The Current Crisis, Part 3.

Gary Clark jr. is a Grammy-winning, prolific singer and songwriter who was born in Austin, Texas. He early influences are wide ranging and include Green Day, Nirvana, Stevie Ray Vaughn and Jimmy Reed.

This Land

I'd played plenty of Clark's music on my radio show because of his unique take on R&B, which was infused with punk and hip hop energy.

When This Land was released I was excited and disappointed. How was I ever gonna play this amazing song on the radio. It's filled with powerful and necessary curse words.

Gary Clark jr. This Land, directed by Savanah Leaf

Clark wrote This Land as a contemporary companion piece to Woody Guthrie's This Land Is Your Land (more in a later post about that song and the current controversy with Woody's anthem), which was written by Guthrie in reaction to Irving Berlin's God Bless America, a song that became an iconic hit for Kate Smith, and drove Woody to distraction.

Clark learned Guthrie's song as a school student and longed for the days when we could sing it together with the meaning intended.

This Land is a autobiographical commentary on the persistent racism in the US, as reflected through Clark's own life experience.

He released it during Donald Trump's first term when the president constantly signaled to his base that public displays of racism were going to be tolerated, and maybe even celebrated. The dog whistle was turning into a train whistle. And it's only gotten worse in the second term. Witness the recent case of Shiloh Hendrix, from Rochester MN, who has raised more than $700K from enthusiastic bigots after being recorded, repeatedly calling a child the "n" word at a local playground.

Clark's song calls out the ugly endemic racism of the fascist right's racist corea.

Uh, yeah

Paranoid and pissed off

Now that I got the money

Fifty acres and a model A

Right in the middle of Trump country

I told you, "There goes a neighborhood"

Now Mister Williams ain't so funny

I see you looking out your window

Can't wait to call the police on me

Well I know you think I'm up to somethin'

I'm just eating, now we're still hungry

And this is mine now, legit

I ain't leavin' and you can't take it from me

I remember when you used to tell me

Nigga run, nigga run

Go back where you come from

Nigga run, nigga run

Go back where you come from

We don't want, we don't want your kind

We think you's a dog born

Fuck you, I'm America's son

This is where I come from

This land is mine

This land is mine

This land is mine

This land is mine

Up 'till the sun comes up

No I can't start grindin'

And I can't let 'em break me

No I can't let 'em find me

You can meet my friend the governor

Only if you wanna try me

Or you can meet my other friend the judge

Just in case you think I'm lyin'

And I know you think I'm up to somethin'

I'm just eating, now we're still hungry

And this is mine now, legit

I ain't leaving here you can't take it from me

I remember when you used to tell me

Nigga run, nigga run

Go back where you come from

Nigga run, nigga run

Go back where you come from

We don't want, we don't want your kind

We think you's a dog born

Fuck you, I'm America's son

This is where I come from

This land is mine

This land is mine

This land is mine

This land is mine

I remember

I remember when you used to tell me

Nigga run, nigga run

Go back where you come from

Nigga run, nigga run

Go back where you come from

We don't want, we don't want your kind

We think you's a dog born

Well fuck you, I'm America's son

This is where I come from

This land is mine

This land is mine

This land is mine

This land is mine

This land is mine

This land is mine

This land is mine