We are such wretched sinners.
I recently posted about slavery’s effect on our early nation. Long before we killed each other over the expansion of slavery, the practice was already killing parts of our economy, killing the drive of citizens–and of course crushing the souls of slaves.
I mentioned in the post that, though the North was opposed to slavery, it was rife with racism.
On #HornSectionsMakeRockBetter we have featured Randy Newman before. One of those tracks is from Good Old Boys, a very Southern album with a song (“Rednecks”) that makes that exact same point about racism.
All that to say, our sinfulness makes America’s exceptionalism all that more miraculous.
That’s why I love this amateur video for this week’s song. Can you imagine what either side would have thought about people of darker skin watching a Civil War battle? And yet here they are. If you need a chance to rekindle your patriotism, go talk to an immigrant.
Don’t ask me why Elton John and Bernie Taupin decided to write a song about the American South. Or a beloved father. I’ve always assumed Elton had a difficult or nonexistent relationship with his father–maybe Taupin too.
Regardless, the song is a doozy.