Wo, are we movin' too slow?
Have you seen us,
Uncle Remus . . .
We look pretty sharp in these clothes (yes, we do)
Unless we get sprayed with a hose
It ain't bad in the day
If they squirt it your way
'Cept in the winter, when it's froze
An' it's hard if it hits
On yer nose
On yer nose

Just keep yer nose
To the grindstone, they say
Will that redeem us,
Uncle Remus . . .
I can't wait till my Fro is full-grown
I'll just throw 'way my Doo-Rag at home
I'll take a drive to BEVERLY HILLS
Just before dawn
An' knock the little jockeys
Off the rich people's lawn
An' before they get up
I'll be gone, I'll be gone
Before they get up
I'll be knocking the jockeys off the lawn
Down in the dew


Lyrics submitted by nicole

Uncle Remus Lyrics as written by George Duke Frank Vincent Zappa

Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Downtown Music Publishing, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.

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Uncle Remus song meanings
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  • +2
    My Interpretation

    No nonsense lyrics here. It's obviously a sardonic song about the status of the civil rights movement in 1973 when the song was released. "Are we moving too slow? Have you seen us?" Instead blacks are worried about fashion ("We look pretty sharp in these clothes", "Can't wait till my fro is full grown") while either tolerating the fire hose or neglecting to remember the old fights of the generation past. Now their version of fighting the man is minor vandalism against rich white people.

    By the way, the "fro" line is remarkably reminiscent of the song Who Needs the Peace Corps about the hippie delighted by the fact that his "hair is getting good in the back."

    uncleremuson December 10, 2011   Link

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