Accidental Racist
To the man that waited on meAt the Starbucks down on MainI hope you understandWhen I put on that t-shirtThe only thing I meant to sayIs I'm a Skynyrd fanThe red flag on my chest somehow isLike the elephant in the corner of the southAnd I just walked him right in the roomJust a proud rebel son with an 'ol can of wormsLookin' like I got a lot to learnBut from my point of view
[Chorus: Brad Paisley]I'm just a white man coming to you from the SouthlandTryin' to understand what it's like not to beI'm proud of where I'm from but not everything we've doneAnd it ain't like you and me can re-write historyOur generation didn't start this nationWe're still picking up the pieces, walking on eggshells, fighting over yesterdayAnd caught between Southern pride and Southern blame
[Verse 2: Brad Paisley]They called it Reconstruction, fixed the buildings, dried some tearsWe're still siftin' through the rubble after a hundred-fifty yearsI try to put myself in your shoes and that's a good place to beginBut it ain't like I can walk a mile in someone else's skin
[Chorus: Brad Paisley]Cause I'm a white man livin' in the southlandJust like you I'm more than what you seeI'm proud of where I'm from but not everything we've doneAnd it ain't like you and me can re-write historyOur generation didn't start this nationAnd we're still paying for the mistakesThat a bunch of folks made long before we cameAnd caught somewhere between southern pride and southern blame
[Verse 3: LL Cool J]Dear Mr. White Man, I wish you understoodWhat the world is really like when you're living in the hoodJust because my pants are sagging doesn't mean I'm up to no goodYou should try to get to know me, I really wish you wouldNow my chains are gold but I'm still misunderstoodI wasn't there when Sherman's March turned the south into firewoodI want you to get paid but be a slave I never couldFeel like a new fangled Django, dodging invisible white hoodsSo when I see that white cowboy hat, I'm thinking it's not all goodI guess we're both guilty of judging the cover not the bookI'd love to buy you a beer, conversate and clear the airBut I see that red flag and I think you wish I wasn't here
[Chorus: Brad Paisley (w/ LL Cool J ad libs)]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 beI'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)
[Verse 4]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 realIt's truth