Southern Man

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From the MUSIC section: Southern Man by Neil Young

In 1970, Canadian-born musician Neil Young released the song Southern Man on his album After the Gold Rush. After the formation of Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, the song also appeared on the album Four-Way Street in 1971.

The song reveals Neil’s thoughts on racism and abuse against African Americans in the southern part of the United States.

The song begins by telling the Southern Man “to keep his head,” which means to remain calm and think clearly in a difficult moment. Neil Young also tells him not to forget “what your good book said,” referring to the Bible:

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.

The next part includes clear references to slavery, the gap between the rich and the poor, the debt owned to blacks and physical abuse.

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?
Southern Man.

Here’s CSN&Y rocking out to it:



Some say Neil Young was inspired to write the song after getting beaten up by a couple of guys outside a bar in Alabama. Why did they beat him up? Because he had long hair.

The song annoyed many people in the South, including the southern rock group Lynyrd Skynrd. They wrote Sweet Home Alabama, in part, as a response to Neil Young’s Southern Man. In referring to the state of Alabama, Lynyrd Skynrd wrote:

Well I heard old Neil sing about her;
Well I heard old Neil put her down.
Well I hope Neil Young will remember;
A Southern Man don’t need him around, anyhow!

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Vocabulary:

Gap. Distancia, hueco

Shack. Chabola

To pay back. Devolver (dinero)

Bullwhip. Látigo para fustigar (to whip) animales

To get beaten up. Recibir una paliza. Verbo irregular: beat / beat / beaten. (To beat up. Dar una paliza a)

To put down. Menospreciar, rebajar

Published by: Drew Crosby