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Long Summer Day Lyrics
Well, the summer day make a white man lazy
Well, all I've ever known is poor
Owe my skin to the country store
Don't own my walls, my roof, my door
But he tells me I'm free
But why fight the will to live
Hell might take but heaven gives
It's the only one so I'll forgive
And I ain't one to grieve
And the summer day make a white man lazy
He sits on his porch killing time
I gotta work to feed my wife and baby
I work so god damn hard that it's a crime
Well, I went down to the polling place
The white men there just laughed in my face
Saying "Boy, this ain't no nigger's race
You best get on your way"
"Sir, I believe I've got the right"
Said "You ain't got nothing if you ain't white
And I thought I said, get out of sight!"
Well, what was I to say?
And the summer day make a white man lazy
He sits on his porch killing time
I gotta work to feed my wife and baby
I work so god damn hard that it's a crime
When I was 'bout the age of five
Watched my daddy burned alive
They cut him low and they hung him high
Swaying in the breeze
The last words I heard him say
Before they stole his life that day
Was "Forgive them Lord, they gone astray
Now take me to my ease"
And the summer day make a white man lazy
He sits on his porch killing time
But the summer day make a nigger feel crazy
Might make me do something out of line
Well, I don't know but I heard tell
Of a furnace below, a place called hell
And who would catch me if I fell?
Who would pray for me?
But one thing I see for sure
It's hot as hell up here I know
And the devil lives right down the road
It's all the same to me
And a summer day make a white man feel lazy
He sits on his porch killing time
But the summer day make a nigger feel crazy
Might make me do something out of line
But if you should see my wife
Tell her I won't be home tonight
So don't leave on the light
I got a little business down the road
And if I'm dead by sunrise
Kiss my baby girl for me
It ain't life if it ain't free
I got a mighty burden to unload
Owe my skin to the country store
Don't own my walls, my roof, my door
But he tells me I'm free
But why fight the will to live
Hell might take but heaven gives
It's the only one so I'll forgive
And I ain't one to grieve
He sits on his porch killing time
I gotta work to feed my wife and baby
I work so god damn hard that it's a crime
The white men there just laughed in my face
Saying "Boy, this ain't no nigger's race
You best get on your way"
"Sir, I believe I've got the right"
Said "You ain't got nothing if you ain't white
And I thought I said, get out of sight!"
Well, what was I to say?
He sits on his porch killing time
I gotta work to feed my wife and baby
I work so god damn hard that it's a crime
Watched my daddy burned alive
They cut him low and they hung him high
Swaying in the breeze
The last words I heard him say
Before they stole his life that day
Was "Forgive them Lord, they gone astray
Now take me to my ease"
He sits on his porch killing time
But the summer day make a nigger feel crazy
Might make me do something out of line
Of a furnace below, a place called hell
And who would catch me if I fell?
Who would pray for me?
But one thing I see for sure
It's hot as hell up here I know
And the devil lives right down the road
It's all the same to me
He sits on his porch killing time
But the summer day make a nigger feel crazy
Might make me do something out of line
Tell her I won't be home tonight
So don't leave on the light
I got a little business down the road
And if I'm dead by sunrise
Kiss my baby girl for me
It ain't life if it ain't free
I got a mighty burden to unload
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Them using the word "nigger" was a wise choice, it makes the song have the impact any artist should aim for and got people talking.
pitchfork, spin, and some other publications blasted this album and song for being racists. music is one of the last mediums where artists can still truly write without fear of having to water everything down to appease the masses. its sad pitchfork is so wrapped up in their own sense of what musicians can and can't do that artists are bastardize for it.
You took the words right out of my mouth. Thanks for that. I logged in, after a 6 year hiatus, just to compliment you. Awesome!
You took the words right out of my mouth. Thanks for that. I logged in, after a 6 year hiatus, just to compliment you. Awesome!
this song is from a black mans point of view. and it is very anti-white. Probably set in america, it tells tales of racial attacks and murder. it is how a black man living in white america feels and what he witnesses
This song was based on a song of the same name by Moses Clear Rock Platt, which you can hear playing at the end of the album version. This was writen about the song in a 2gs e-mail. "we haven't the right to write about our country's embarrassing past. instead we must stick to the trials of two pale skinned urbanites who have never known a day of struggle in their lives. if anyone needs us we'll be combing the aisles of the local library, seeking out the song writing rule book for white kids. it must be in there somewhere." I just heard the song in a new light at a show where I felt the pain I'm not allowed to feel being white too. The lyrics here are a bit wrong but the story of man in a living hell taking off to kill the man who 'owns' him.
last line isnt "ive got a mighty buggin one to love" its ive got a mighty burden to unload. n00bs
correction for my above post. spin.com reported the song as being an account of racisim and generally had good things to say about the band.
some corrections:
'Throw my walls, my roof, my door' is 'Owns my walls, my roof, my door'
'take me to my knees' is 'take me to my ease.'
'Of a fungus below a place called hell' is 'Of a furnace below, a place called hell'
Awesome song. One of their best, except all of their songs are one of the best. I fail to see how someone can see this song as racist. Those critics must have had an extra large bowl of Moron Flakes that morning.
Can ANYONE please tell me where to find the Original by Moses Clearwater Platt?!?! Please helppp!
Okay, to add on...I see many people critizing this song...Not on here, but on the internet in general because they use the the N word. Ive read countless books with use that word in school. I think one of them was "Of mine and men" but im not positive. Also, the Bob Dylan song "Hurricane" says something along the lines of "there was no doubt he pulled the triggger....he was just a crazy nigger". I cant remember word by word, but yeah you get the point. Two gallants, used this word, to obviously bring up the emotional content that comes with it. It is very important in this song because IT IS ABOUT Americas past. Like the Two Gallants said, wheres the book on songwriting? They can write about whatever they hell they want to write about. Maybe if all the critics were black and it brought great offense to the black community, then maybe, just maybe, I could see a problem.
i dont think that nigger in this song is used as racial slang nigger is defined as a member of a socially disadvantaged class of persons. In the past all races were used as slaves or indentured servants. The white man in this song just means the rich man. i believe their diction in this song is spot on