Newman, Randy - Rednecks Lyrics






Last night I saw Lester Maddox on a TV show
With some smart-ass New York Jew
And the Jew laughed at Lester Maddox
And the audience laughed at Lester Maddox too
Well, he may be a fool but he's our fool
If they think they're better than him they're wrong
So I went to the park and I took some paper along
And that's where I made this song

We talk real funny down here
We drink too much and we laugh too loud
We're too dumb to make it in no Northern town
And we're keepin' the niggers down
We got no-necked oilmen from Texas
And good ol' boys from Tennessee
And college men from LSU
Went in dumb - come out dumb too
Hustlin' 'round Atlanta in their alligator shoes
Gettin' drunk every weekend at the barbecues
And they're keepin' the niggers down

We're rednecks, rednecks
And we don't know our ass from a hole in the ground
We're rednecks, we're rednecks
And we're keeping the niggers down

Now your northern nigger's a Negro
You see he's got his dignity
Down here we're too ignorant to realize
That the North has set the nigger free
Yes he's free to be put in a cage
In Harlem in New York City
And he's free to be put in a cage in the South-Side of Chicago
And the West-Side
And he's free to be put in a cage in Hough in Cleveland
And he's free to be put in a cage in East St. Louis
And he's free to be put in a cage in Fillmore in San Francisco
And he's free to be put in a cage in Roxbury in Boston
They're gatherin' 'em up from miles around
Keepin' the niggers down

We're rednecks, we're rednecks
We don't know our ass from a hole in the ground
We're rednecks, we're rednecks
And we're keeping the niggers down
We are keeping the niggers down





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Newman, Randy Rednecks Comments
  1. s.... j....

    Fuck Randy Newman!!

  2. P.... ....

    nobody:
    randy newman in 1974: I'M GONNA SAY THE N WORD

  3. p.... G....

    Based and randipilled

  4. C.... ....

    Don't wanna be caught singing this to yourself at work...

  5. H.... H....

    I get that this song is satire and all, but I never expected gamer words to come out of Randy Newman of all people.

  6. E.... F....

    Exposing liberal social justice hypocrisy even back then.

  7. M.... O....

    This song should be our national anthem

  8. C.... D....

    THIS MAN WAS BIRTHED FROM AN EGG

    C.... D....

    Edward Carnby afraid of the dark are we?

  9. G.... ....

    This is definitely not the type of song you play in the company of someone who doesn't know you very well.

  10. d.... ....

    The millennial version of this would be about jews, and the chorus would be "we're white supremes, we're white supremes..."

    d.... ....

    Shut the fuck up.

  11. P.... H....

    Relevant when I was 14, still relevant now I’m a granddad xxx

  12. P.... H....

    Relevant when I was 14, still relevant now I’m a granddad xxx

  13. O.... ....

    Cajuns are Bretons (aka ancient Celts) from Cape Breton to the Breton Sound. I love you Randy Newman. You know much!

  14. J.... D....

    whats this remastered tinny bullshit

  15. Q.... W....

    I’d like to hear Chappelle’s take on this song, it kind of parallel’s his jokes about how open the south is with their racism, it’s not as sneaky as up north.

    “I’d be down in Alabama, ‘Morning, nigger!’”

    Q.... W....

    I didn't see Chappelle's controversial show. Is that why all the (Yankee) critics hated it? Because a black man told it like it is about how white liberals are really just as racist deep down as other whites?

  16. J.... S....

    "Smart-ass New York Jew" - Is there any other kind?

  17. K.... N....

    Randy is probably the most brilliant songwriter we’ve ever had. Songs like this one as well as “Sail Away” and “Short People” show how he hates racism and discrimination yet casual listeners often misinterpret his intentions. It makes an interesting point. People today say that it’s never ok for a white person to use *that* word, but what if they are using it to make fun of people who use it?

    K.... N....

    Short People is not about racism or discrimination. It's just a song for fun. He's said in interviews before that he just started agreeing it was an anti-discrimination song so he didn't have to keep explaining it's not about anything, it's just an absurd song for absurdities sake.

    K.... N....

    @Zach No Its ABOUT HOW PPL HATE ON OTHER PPL FOR NO REASON!! XD MY TABLET IS ON ALL CAP CRAP!

  18. A.... A....

    The thing he said n**a

  19. D.... ....

    Can't believe all of the arguing over a guy who is trying to sing and eat mashed potatoes at the same time

  20. E.... N....

    I remember there was a sound clip from this song used on Ron and Fez when Earl got angry LOL. That's how I know about the song

    E.... N....

    “White people are so scared of black people.”

  21. p.... ....

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7-8WNL5bspg

  22. T.... ....

    This sounds like a handicap person singing a racist song.

    T.... ....

    Its called art buddy, Newman is not racist

  23. M.... O....

    Should be our national anthem!

  24. v.... ....

    Funny to hear that clarinet, so ubiquitous in Newman's Toy Story stuff, prominent here in a very different type of song, ha.

  25. j.... m....

    Amazing how many people just don’t get this song.

    j.... m....

    jack mayhoffer
    I’m Cajun. I get it.

  26. K.... R....

    Anybody here from Revisionist History?

    K.... R....

    Yeah man great podcast! Always eye-opening

    K.... R....

    Guilty as charged!

    K.... R....

    Yuuuuuuuuppp

  27. S.... W....

    Some of the childish comments here are almost as funny as the song itself. Gawd...

  28. D.... _....

    Tim Heidecker brought me here. Also for the comments secrion.

  29. n.... ....

    Me Listening to the First Verse in my Chicago Apartment: Haha yeah the South sure is racist
    Me Listening to the Second Verse: 😳

  30. M.... S....

    "We're redddd-hats, we're redddddd-hats, we're keeping the niggas down."

    M.... S....

    We're M-A-G-A-T-S! We're M-A-G-A-T-S!

  31. n.... ....

    "you've got a friend in me. unless...."

  32. P.... B....

    This is awful

    P.... B....

    I would take old town road anytime after hearing this garbage

    P.... B....

    You must be a traumatized toy story fan

  33. M.... ....

    A Timeless classic

  34. Y.... t....

    Bitch u could never keep us down! Not even your calcified pineal gland spliced with dog rhesus monkey dna having white woman could keep us down! We keep her down ... ON HER KNEES!

  35. T.... G....

    Randy better hope that the Pixar producers ( Tot Story---Cars etc---etc ) and Dodger Stadium ( I Love LA ) people don't stumble across the lyrics to this song ( 'Keepin' the niggas down" ) or he will go the way of Kate Smith---banned ! Man, bleeding heart liberals need to get a life.

  36. S.... B....

    Even more relevant now...too many people in society these days don't know their ass from a hole in the ground!

    S.... B....

    Sebastian Baca
    That’s exactly the plan. Take it from a Cajun.

  37. K.... S....

    LSU boys go in dumb and come out dumb too. True story.

  38. k.... ....

    Could this song be written and performed today? Not too sure about that...

    k.... ....

    I don't know so.
    It would hurt someone's feelings lol.

    k.... ....

    It can definitely be written, but it would never get an real air time and democrats would pick the lyrics apart, taking them out of context to make some race bating news worthy story.

    k.... ....

    If it could be written and performed today (and I'm not sure it could be), I don't think it could be sung by a white musician without causing controversy. And I think that's one of the most shocking things about listening to this song in 2019: We've become accustomed to hearing black musicians use the n-word, but to hear it said by a white musician, and said so frequently, is appropriately jarring. But that's how it should be, and how it needs to be. To soften the song or make it politically correct would totally sap it of its meaning and relevance.

  39. E.... A....

    Cool 70s song

  40. 4.... ....

    reminds me of Trump supporters when he sings "he may be a fool but he's our fool!!"

    4.... ....

    Ironically, he lampooning people like you.

    4.... ....

    @cometclear But he's to ignorant to realize....

  41. M.... K....

    Listening to this song is like taking a U turn at 100 miles an hour

  42. J.... G....

    Randy Newman is a genius songwriter. I love his jaunty melodies and witty lyrics.

  43. D.... ....

    Articulately illustrates the hypocrisy of neo-liberals, their two-faces ignorance of the plight of minorities, failures to address income inequality and police brutality, which ultimately resulted in the rise of neo-con populism.

    D.... ....

    Neoliberalism a free-market economic philosophy favored by conservatives.

    D.... ....

    NuncNuncNuncNunc And first adopted by a Democratic administration in the US

    D.... ....

    Absolutely. Brilliant take on a brilliant song.

    D.... ....

    Hit the nail on the head.

    D.... ....

    Neoliberalism is good though

  44. f.... ....

    Arresting. Sardonic. Facetious. Adjectives.

  45. R.... C....

    My Toy Story memories are shattered

    R.... C....

    Yeah same

    R.... C....

    hey there

  46. D.... ....

    Sher is fun to sing along, 'n' make fun of racists. They're fair game, right? No, wait - it's a trap!

    D.... ....

    Dreamwell racists are trash

    D.... ....

    @Andrew A. Fuchs Who gives a shit? It isn't going anywhere. You're one yourself but just like to signal to the world that you aren't.

  47. t.... ....

    Amazing that the ACLU and the JDL haven't demanded a "retroactive apology" from Newman. The only reason he got away with it is 'cause he's a jew, too.

    t.... ....

    Apparently you missed the irony of the lyrics.

    t.... ....

    Rich Cooper And apparenty you missed the mocking and sarcasm in my post...

    t.... ....

    I guess so. @takoda9

    t.... ....

    @John Kemp Why do you have such a big head? Because air is free

    t.... ....

    Cygnus Floyd really? I’m Jewish and it hasn’t sprouted yet.... mind you, I’m only 60 you fucking asshat.

  48. P.... ....

    Scrolled down for people who don't know their ass from a hole in the ground; was not disappointed.

  49. S.... ....

    This song was brilliant and remains as relevant as the day it was released.

    S.... ....

    @Pizza Boy You must be having trouble understanding the meaning behind the song. You're a passive listener, unable to break things down beyond what you see at face value. Life must be a drag with no understanding of how art works.

  50. j.... m....

    Smart assed New York Jews.

    j.... m....

    gfoot99 no kidding Einstein.

    j.... m....

    My Jew doctor is from New York...a bit of a smart ass too

  51. F.... H....

    An early attempt at Jews trying to blame whites for Jewish crimes. Can you imagine the 'cry foul' hypocrisy if we wrote a song exposing the Jews as being the real slave masters and oppressors?

  52. M.... L....

    Randy is a genius. Always relevant.

  53. J.... R....

    True so True we have regressed everyday since Reagan was elected. Hate will begin the next Civil War God Help Us.

    J.... R....

    John Rivers Hate created by liberals?

    J.... R....

    And it's the hate from the left that will start all this. They are the only ones pushing that agenda.

    J.... R....

    Oh put a fucking lid on it. Both of you numbskulls.

  54. s.... ....

    So many pubescent asshats demonstrating just how clueless they are not onlyt regarding the intent of the album as well as the work of Randy Newman! Ironically they are the same asshats who caused "Short People", a song specifically AGAINST discrimination to be banned as they 'thought'(sic) the song advocated discrimination! Dumbfucks on Parade

  55. J.... G....

    Good Lord someone lynch this man

    J.... G....

    John Gregory You are a fucking asshat fool!

  56. l.... ....

    After Trayvon, Michael Brown, and BLM, we needed this '74 throwback? Cmon

    l.... ....

    Your comment proves we still need it.

    l.... ....

    How ironic that you mention the utterly fabricated Ferguson-Michael Brown 'Hands up Don't shoot' bullshit!

    l.... ....

    If he sang this today everyone would want his head for saying nigger because context doesn't matter anymore.

    l.... ....

    Typical dummy that hears a word and doesn’t have enough brains to look at the entire concept.

    l.... ....

    Go to the library,and S T U D Y the relationships between Either political party,and the decisions reached by Either party over the last eight decades of urban growth.
    The shitholes, and the inhabitants thereby produced,are a product of long term
    growth of ideas hatched per special interests,and also have been subjected to the waxing and waning of economic patterns.Race does NOT have that much to do with it outright.It is the decision makers up on the hill.If someone truly Wants to
    succeed in any capacity in this country,it takes a lot of Hard Work and Determination to better one's self.Please look around and take notice of all the different races and nationalities who have come here.THEY know that this is still
    the best place on earth to work at that chance for a better life.If somebody chooses to sit on their lazy ass and play any kind of victim card,so be it.That's your choice.A better understanding behind the lyrics of this song would be a good
    project to work on,Trayvon.

  57. T.... D....

    Really don't agree with the belief system of this song's view of America. However THIS is how you do satirical music. Biting and visceral. It's making a point. It's kind of irrelevant whether you agree with the point or not, you gotta respect the talent.

  58. W.... ....

    The chorus could be the theme song for Attorney General Jeff Sessions.

    W.... ....

    or the Pres!!

  59. K.... B....

    His satire and commentary are as spot on as ever. The guy packs a punch. Visceral.

  60. J.... K....

    The biggest issue with Randy Newman is fake black voice. He talks like what he is: A rich Jewish boy who speaks like an accountant yet tries to sing with a Ray Charles thang. Plus everything he creates sounds like Scott fucking Joplin.

    J.... K....

    Hey look, I found the Jew-hater.

    J.... K....

    He sounds like a cajun to me.

    J.... K....

    He sounds nothing like Charles or Joplin, you tone deaf douche. He's Tin Pan Alley, blues, musicals. His uncle as an influence as well. Steve Winwood could sing JUST LIKE Ray.

    J.... K....

    I don't hear anyone complaining about Louis Armstrong's adaptation of klezmer when he more or less invented modern jazz

  61. N.... L....

    Mr. Newman's exposition is based in a time, a place, and a mindset. He speaks with authority on all. And yes, his observations can be extrapolated as a commentary on the rise of Donnie-John. No, they are not a blanket condemnation of the entire United States. In another four years they may be, however. Imitate Mr. Newman's strategy : When taking the bull by the horns, remember to first cut off the bull's head. Take no prisoners. Mr. Newman never did.

    N.... L....

    They should do something about them young zoot-suiters too while they at it.

    N.... L....

    Leach speaks volumes.
    I mean the name "Leach"
    fit for a parasite.

    N.... L....

    +Joe Kelly
    ...and those !\| ! & & € r ♠$ giving black folks a bad name, and those 👃z 🔯s egging them on with false info.

    N.... L....

    Foggy Harbor Dispatch and “foggy” clearly refers to your thinking...

  62. x.... ....

    you guys took this song the wrong way

  63. D.... W....

    went in dumb
    come out dumb, too.

    D.... W....

    Every modern liberal university now.

    D.... W....

    RapidAscension1989 I suppose an open mind, empathy, and an understanding of how the world truly works is dumb...?

  64. M.... P....

    Shut the fuck up all of you

  65. R.... H....

    Brilliant song. The point is made. Very true.

  66. P.... M....

    FUCK TOD AND TYLER!!!

    P.... M....

    Tod and Tyler were the name of two twins who used to live in my neighborhood. And that's what we used to call them. "Tod and Tyler"

  67. F.... ....

    Brilliant song. Arresting, but it makes the point.

  68. I.... H....

    Would like this song if the lyrics didn't contain the discriminating words (n word).

    I.... H....

    Intelligent Horse?????? You are an ignorant dumbfuck. Now go whine to those who use it routinely.

    I.... H....

    This ws 1974. Redd Foxx used this word on prime-time TV. Saturday Night Live had a with Richard Pryor where this word was used. The context in which the word was used mattered then. See John Lennon's Woman is the N--- of the World. How could he write Keepin' the N-words down?

    I.... H....

    oh nooz.   he said a poo-poo word.  Quick, everybody to their safe spaces!

    I.... H....

    IH: the song would not make sense without the N-word.

    I.... H....

    "We are keeping those neer do wells from the other side of the tracks down"
    The 1950's are calling you....I think it's Pat Boone on the other end of the line.

  69. B.... H....

    @Googlesucksbigwoodies, on behalf of humans with a brain, please shut up.

  70. q.... ....

    And amazingly enough, /sarc off/, some of the posters here absolutely do not understand what the sang says. Listen closely to the lyrics. But I then would suppose, that sometimes sarcasm is entirely too subtle for small minded people to get it.

    And before anyone tries to 'trash' me as what f*cking ever, read 'The Ruling Class' by Professor Angelo Codevilla. On-line for free, and he expanded that into a full length book. Or not...

    q.... ....

    +queyntelover My sincere and humble apologies for misspelling 'song' as 'sang'. Rat B*stards won't allow me to edit after posting

    q.... ....

    +queyntelover Most people just don't get satire. Sad, really.

    q.... ....

    Very tolerant of people who are different. Must not like diversity.

    q.... ....

    Liberal tolerance on display

    q.... ....

    @heydudedolfan13 chip on your shoulder much?

  71. w.... ....

    Jeb Bush campaign song anyone?

    w.... ....

    @weewilliewagtail randy newman would let him have that time of day. would fit well though.

    w.... ....

    +Irate Carolinian see again, its deeper than that. This whole album is Rand Newman using a persona of an ignorant southerner. so this is how his character sees it. not reality.

    w.... ....

    +Irate Carolinian you are really ignorant. He's openly said he is playing a persona. Have you ever read his book? Listened to his interview? It's all a persona. The character is not RANDY NEWMAN. You can't deny the own mans words.

    w.... ....

    +Mark Irwin he said this song in no way is his actual views but please go on

    w.... ....

    The character is not Randy Newman but Newman is putting some of his own observations into the character's mouth, though obviously Newman would never use the N- word in conversation.

  72. D.... C....

    Everytime I see MOCKINGBIRD  I think of this. Randy was tres sardonic. DC

  73. D.... X....

    It sure makes me laugh.
    Randy is great. Nothing has changed since 1974.

    D.... X....

    +Gooooglesucksbigwoodies What makes you think Doctor X doesn't get it? His comment makes it very clear that he gets it.

    D.... X....

    +DGardn100
    Thanks for championing me. I spent many years in the music biz, and learned to never criticize anyone's musical choices. If you can't say something nice, don't say anything. I'm glad you could recognize my lack of agenda.

    D.... X....

    Actually it isn't comedy.

    D.... X....

    And therefore he laughed?