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A song about white skin privilege, white supremacy culture, and the responsibility of white folks to be active anti-racist activists and allies.
folk political radical political music peace songs riotfolk radical music labor songs political songs radical folk antiwar songs
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Fiery and original radical songs of hope, justice and struggle
Ethan & Kate perform firey and original of hope, liberation and struggle. With hard-hitting lyrics, rich vocal harmonies and rhythmic high-energy acoustic guitar, their music aims to strengthen and inspire movements for social, economic and ecological justice. * * * * * RiOtFoLk "making folk a threat again!" * * * * * Hi friends, All of our music is here for free download (and also at www.riotfolk.org) because we believe in the power of songs as tools of struggle and social change-- and we want these tools to be freely shared with all who might find them useful. The songs here are also anti-copyright (registered into the Public Domain at ), because we believe that art should not be privately owned, but rather shared as part of our "cultural commons" (how could we copyright chords and language and ideas that are a thousand years old?!) "But if all your music is free, how do you eat?" people ask. Well, we work odd jobs, share income, and grow some of our food. We make some money from live gigs and CD sales. We live by mutual-aid and with low-impact ethics. We appreciate any donations you can give for these songs (or CD purchases)-- they help sustain us and allow us to continue our work. CDs can be purchased by mail order (see address below) and are sliding scale, $5-$30. SLiding scale is based on a principle of solidarity-- folks paying at a higher end makes it possible for us to offer this music to others who can't afford the usual high price of a CD. Thanks! CDs are also available for $15 at And of course, we'd love to come play in your town, so drop us a line... Keep loving, keep fighting! -e&k
Song Info
Genre
Acoustic • Acoustic Folk
Charts
Peak #52
Peak in subgenre #3
Author
Ethan Miller
Rights
anti-copyright (public domain)
Uploaded
October 21, 2005
Track Files
MP3
MP3 4.7 MB • 128 kbps • 0:00
Story behind the song
It is all-too-easy for white folks to see racism as simply a white-supremacist attitude (that we, of course, don’t have) or a set of overtly discriminatory actions (that we, of course, don’t do). What more difficult to see—and to acknowledge—is the racism that is built into the very structure of our “whiteness”: racism as a historically-constructed system of power which benefits some people (those marked as “white”) at the expense of others (those marked as “black”, “nonwhite”, or simply “other”). Those of us marked as “white,” no matter how well-intentioned our anti-racist attitude, benefit in various ways (differently, of course, depending on gender, sexuality, age, class, and ethnicity) from “white skin privilege.” By our very birth into a racist system, we exercise this privilege. And we internalize this privilege, along with more subtle elements of racism (vague stereotypes surfacing in the back of our minds, unconscious fears and predjudices, etc). There is no neutrality in this picture, no white person who is “definitely NOT racist.” We who are white, no matter how radical, are complicit in maintaining a racist society—even if it is the complicity of silence, the complicity of looking the other way while others are made to suffer. From this complicity must come not shame (which wallows in self-pity) nor guilt (which often pushes us to run, to escape), but responsibility—the ability-to-respond that inspires us to struggle toward real solidarity and anti-racist practice. For a great introductory resource on white skin privilege and anti-racism, check out the book Uprooting Racism by Paul Kivel (New Society Publishers, 1996).
Lyrics
White Lies (Ethan Miller) White is a tool that was made by a nation To justify slavery and colonization To divide up the world into an Us and a Them The primitive animal savage and the civilized human "Race" is a story we're told, Embedded deep in our brains We call it natural order, but it’s socially ingrained Systematic exploitation by division of the people Into some who're made as slaves To serve the ones created equal Yes, the first thing they conquer Is their own people's minds The colonizer’s the first one to be colonized We're born with pale skin And they tell us we're "white" Implying some will live in darkness And this child will walk in light. What color is God in our pictures? And what is the color of sin? If two came to your door, One pale, one dark-skinned Who'd be the first one that you would let in? Shame hangs its head and guilt tries to run But complicity demands we undo what's been done Name our history, find the courage to rise Shout it out loud, with bold angry cries— No more white lies! We're the wealthiest nation on earth so they say But where did this wealth come from ‘Cept the labor of slaves? All those who suffered and toiled and died Feeding the hunger of rich white men's pride Who works in our orchards? Who picks our fine crops? Who sweats in the sweatshops? Who pushes the mops? Who rots in our prisons for the crime of their skin? Who dies in our wars so that others can win? Who lived here before us and who stole their land? And who where the heroes of Custer's Last Stand? Who wrote the history books? Who makes the rules? And who mines the ore for the master's own tools? (Chorus) "Oh I am not racist," many white folks have said But racism's not just a thought in your head It's the privilege we wield When we walk down the street And don't have to fear each white cop that we meet It's the power we're handed From the moment of birth When we're told our pale skin Is our measure of worth "Colorblind" is a code-word For "the problem's not mine" 'Cause white folk have the privilege to say, "Everything's fine." It's in the history of our families, In the stories that we bear It's in the small, subtle perks along the way that got us there It's in the shit we never went through, All the pain we never felt It's in the stacked deck of cards And the hand we were dealt You know you used to be Irish or Italian or Basque Call up your Grandma if you can and just ask We traded history for power and tradition for slaves Buried our pride with the bodies In the unmarked graves (Chorus) So who's really to blame? It's not easy to say And of course those in power Want to keep it that way These troubles run deep, to the core of our souls For we were formed by the power That our ancestors stole Is it the person or the structure That keeps racism alive? Well it's both, and they're nourished By the great white lie We've got to struggle on the inside, Struggle on the out 'Cause struggling together is what solidarity's about
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