Song/Analysis

Analysis Tim Radovich

Racism has been an issue in our great country since it's beginning. The common beliefs or biases about a certain race or people have been factors in our lives and communities for centuries. Blacks are thugs and always good at sports. Jews are extremely common and misconstrued smart and cheap. These are just a couple of the thousands of beliefs throughout not just our country, but also the world. Though not all of these biased beliefs are negative, they are still stereotypical, and help strengthen racism and prejudice in general.
The worst forms of racism, however, are the violent ones. There are too many cases and examples of often pointless and thoughtless crimes against a person based only on his race or country of origin. People are often hurt, beaten, or killed just because of the way they look or the religion they believe in. I believe that racism is a terrible thing that our world has been stricken with. The idea of judging a person because of the color of their skin or the way they look is awful, as well as thoughtless and crude. This is why I chose to write my song about racism. I feel that racism is a sickness that must be cured in our world, or it could well be the end of us all.

My name is Tim and I'm pretty damn white
In the past other races wanted to fight.
But man I am sick of all this discrimination
Cause in the end we all live under one united nation

My opening lines act as opening up my song, and my views of discrimination. I start with something simple and kind of funny. I say my name, and say that I am full white. Then I say that in the past, whites had riffs with many other races, including mainly problems of slavery. After this, I talk briefly about how I feel about discrimination, and that I am tired of it, because I think, in the end, everyone in this world lives together, in a sense. And though it may not seem like it, when it all comes down to the basics of life, everybody wants the same things in their life.

Discrimination should be a thing of the past
And yet such a monster it is, wide and vast
And no, this is not about just whites and blacks
It's about prejudice, which should all be given the axe.

The first line expresses how I think that racism should really have died out a long time ago. Wars have been fought over racism numerous times, each with the same goal: To end racism, once and for all. And yet, through numerous wars, prejudice still remains. I describe it as a monster, large and wide, destroying everything in sight. I say that this is not just about blacks and whites, two races that are often found in conflict. The song is about all prejudice, which should all entirely be cut out of our lives.

For every origin, there is a bias to match.
Whites can't jump, can't ball, can't catch.
Blacks are just thugs, waiting to take your stuff.
Immigrants steal jobs, making our lives tough.

These next four lines talk about the common biases of different races. The first line says how for every race, there is a bias for them, whether it be good or bad. I then name a couple well-known biases; that whites are rarely superior athletes, blacks are generally thieves, and immigrants do nothing but take the jobs that should be going to Americans.

Throughout the years most has changed, but racism still remains.
It's always there, won't go away, but we gotta break these chains.
People focus on the bad; their first answer is the gun.
But maybe we should take a look, and see what some others have done.

The first line says that throughout the years this world has seen, much has changed. However, racism seems too stand intact. It has always been there, and never seems to go away. So we must break away from racism, and its chains that hold us down. The next line says how people usually pay attention to the bad things that other races have done, and their usual first reaction to these things are violence. The last line talks about how that instead of violence, people should take a look at the past, and see how other people have reacted to and dealt with racism.

MLK junior, a truly great man of our time.
He gave his life for our country and didn’t expect a dime.
Honest Abe, our country's hero, all the slaves he freed.
Both great people, they helped a lot of people in need.

Mahatma Gandhi preached nonviolence and truth
He taught the ways of peace and kindness to the youth.
Gandhi was perhaps the purest man this world has ever known.
The reason that he was shot remains to be unknown.

These two verses talk about three prominent peace figures, who did great things in the fight against racism, and each of them doing it in their own ways. Martin Luther King Jr. spent much of his life giving speeches and leading marches fighting racism against blacks. He did great things for black people and communities, all the while never using violence to show his ways. Abraham Lincoln almost single handedly abolished slavery. Mahatma Ghandi used truth, peace, and nonviolence to help in the Indian community's struggle for civil rights in South Africa. The endings to both verses say how all three of these people were great men.

Why is it that the good ones seem to die too young?
Killed for the ways they spoke, for the songs they sung.
It seems like once a person comes along, preaches the right ways.
Another comes along, and ends the other person's days.

This verse asks a general question: Why is it that the good people are killed young? Others who did not share the same beliefs as them killed all these three men. This forces me to ask the question; "Why is it that when the world is blessed with a figure who finally has views on something perfect, he or she is taken away?" We must ask; if this sad trend persists, will racism ever be defeated?
Racism is a beast, swallowing people up whole.
Judging people on their looks will surely take its toll.
It always grows, and we must break down its wall,
Or else it will surely be the end of us all.

My last verse sums the entire song up in a sort, and tries to recap on the messages of the song. It compares racism to a beast, a beast that swallows people in its way. The beast grows, and we must break it down and destroy it. The last line of the song leaves the listeners with a final ultimatum: If we do not come together and end racism, it could mean the end of us all.