Brad Paisley, as you probably know by now, has a new song called “Accidental Racist,” which features LL Cool J. It’s getting a lot of media attention, and generating a lot of discussion in social media.
Good luck trying to find it on YouTube. You can find it on Spotify, if you’re so inclined. Here’s what some are saying about it on Twitter:
LL Cool J’s 16 bars on that “Accidental Racist” record are the equivalent of Mary J Blige’s Crispy Chicken commercial…..
— Charlamagne Tha God (@cthagod) April 8, 2013
Has LL Cool J become everyone’s embarrassing dad? Thorough examination by @lindseyweber: vult.re/12ECw7q
— Vulture (@vulture) April 9, 2013
BO-RING! You guys hear “Accidental Racist” yet? RT @cnn Worries about North Korea threat at all time high, according to new CNN poll.
— Ben Hoffman (@thebenshow) April 9, 2013
The only thing I don’t understand about “Accidental Racist” is how Kid Rock had nothing to do with it.
— Michael Ian Black (@michaelianblack) April 8, 2013
Just heard Accidental Racist. Next time I hear it will definitely be accidental.
— thesarcastro (@thesarcastro) April 9, 2013
@bradpaisley @llcoolj i just heard Accidental Racist for 1st time & cried. Beauitful honest brave song. I don’t get the “controversy?”-truth
— Penny Lusk (@CaptPirateLady) April 9, 2013
I probably won’t be bumping “Accidental Racist” by Brad Paisley, but the lyrics are actually really good if you just stop & listen.
— Doña Paula (@the1paula) April 9, 2013
Isn’t a non-accidental racist like the bad guys in Captain Planet, who deliberately set out to pollute just for the hell of it?
— Sherwin Siy (@sherwinsiy) April 9, 2013
Is it too late for Mitch Hurwitz to add a scene to Arrested Development where GOB Bluth does an Accidental Racist song with Franklin?
— Josh Spiegel (@mousterpiece) April 9, 2013
We are now living in a post-Accidental Racist society.
— Adam Fasullo (@adamfasullo) April 9, 2013
class discussion in military history class went from the holocaust to Accidental Racist lol wtf
— tloob (@tloob) April 9, 2013
Some of the reactions on YouTube have been interesting:
Here are the lyrics (via AZLyrics):
To the man that waited on me at the Starbucks down on Main, I hope you understand
When I put on that t-shirt, the only thing I meant to say is I’m a Skynyrd fan
The red flag on my chest somehow is like the elephant in the corner of the south
And I just walked him right in the room
Just a proud rebel son with an ‘ol can of worms
Lookin’ like I got a lot to learn but from my point of view
I’m just a white man comin’ to you from the southland
Tryin’ to understand what it’s like not to be
I’m proud of where I’m from but not everything we’ve done
And it ain’t like you and me can re-write history
Our generation didn’t start this nation
We’re still pickin’ up the pieces, walkin’ on eggshells, fightin’ over yesterday
And caught between southern pride and southern blame
They called it Reconstruction, fixed the buildings, dried some tears
We’re still siftin’ through the rubble after a hundred-fifty years
I try to put myself in your shoes and that’s a good place to begin
But it ain’t like I can walk a mile in someone else’s skin
‘Cause I’m a white man livin’ in the southland
Just like you I’m more than what you see
I’m proud of where I’m from but not everything we’ve done
And it ain’t like you and me can re-write history
Our generation didn’t start this nation
And we’re still paying for mistakes
That a bunch of folks made long before we came
And caught between southern pride and southern blame
Dear Mr. White Man, I wish you understood
What the world is really like when you’re livin’ in the hood
Just because my pants are saggin’ doesn’t mean I’m up to no good
You should try to get to know me, I really wish you would
Now my chains are gold but I’m still misunderstood
I wasn’t there when Sherman’s March turned the south into firewood
I want you to get paid but be a slave I never could
Feel like a new fangled Django, dodgin’ invisible white hoods
So when I see that white cowboy hat, I’m thinkin’ it’s not all good
I guess we’re both guilty of judgin’ the cover not the book
I’d love to buy you a beer, conversate and clear the air
But I see that red flag and I think you wish I wasn’t here
I’m just a white man
(If you don’t judge my do-rag)
Comin’ to you from the southland
(I won’t judge your red flag)
Tryin’ to understand what it’s like not to be
I’m proud of where I’m from
(If you don’t judge my gold chains)
But not everything we’ve done
(I’ll forget the iron chains)
it ain’t like you and me can re-write history
(Can’t re-write history baby)
Oh, Dixieland
(The relationship between the Mason-Dixon needs some fixin’)
I hope you understand what this is all about
(Quite frankly I’m a black Yankee but I’ve been thinkin’ about this lately)
I’m a son of the new south
(The past is the past, you feel me)
And I just want to make things right
(Let bygones be bygones)
Where all that’s left is southern pride
(RIP Robert E. Lee but I’ve gotta thank Abraham Lincoln for freeing me, know what I mean)
It’s real, it’s real
It’s truth