P100 – Racists
Artist: Anti-Flag
Song: Racists
Album: American Fall
Producer: Benji Madden
Label: Spinefarm
Year: 2017
Notes:
Pittsburgh’s Anti-Flag wrote and released this song in the wake of the 2017 violence in Charlottesville, Va., later including it on their ‘American Fall’ album. “We stand in solidarity with those fighting racism and fascism in the streets of Charlottesville and beyond. We believe it is time for the removal of all monuments to the confederacy and the racism for which they stand. We must put these symbols of white supremacy into places where the proper context can be provided for what they actually are; outdated, backwards, and antithetical to what we believe the values of humanity should be. It is past time to have real conversations on systemic racism and America’s history of it. There are museums memorializing the Holocaust all across Europe, while America continues to try to hide from its racist and murderous past and present.” – Anti-Flag
Excerpt from ‘Unreality’ —
He dug the idea of restitution and didn’t care one way or the other what the fate of any of the individuals on the ship was, but he was in no way down with blanket racism.
Lyrics
It’s in the things that you say and you don’t say
You don’t know it ’cause you’re such a fucking cliche
The way you define them and us
Those you fear and those you trust
You know a black guy and he’s very articulate
You know a mexican and she’s honest and diligent
You don’t see color
But some people need discipline
And thug is a thug
Some people need to learn a lesson
Your justifications
One dead give away
Your qualifications
One dead give away
You’d never endorse the Jim Crowe days
But the malice in your voice is a god damn give away
Just ’cause you don’t know you’re racist
A bigot with a check list
Just ’cause you don’t know you’re racist
You don’t get a pass when you’re talking your shit
Just ’cause you don’t know you’re racist
A bigot with a check list
Just ’cause you don’t know you’re racist
You don’t get a pass, get a pass for your ignorance
Black lives matter and you don’t know why
And reverse racism isn’t a real thing
No, you weren’t alive in the time of slavery
But that’s no excuse to ignore its legacy
Not afraid of refugees
But don’t want a mosque built on your street
Offended by the claim of bigotry
More than the racism in your face
Your justifications
One dead give away
Your qualifications
One dead give away
You’d never endorse the Bull Connor days
But the malice in your voice is a god dams give away
Just ’cause you don’t know you’re racist
A bigot with a check list
Just ’cause you don’t know you’re racist
You don’t get a pass when you’re talking your shit
Just ’cause you don’t know you’re racist
A bigot with a check list
Just ’cause you don’t know you’re racist
You don’t get a pass, get a pass for your ignorance
You fly the flag of the confederacy
You say to celebrate your history
The south was fighting to save slavery
To preserve and protect white surpremacy
Just ’cause you don’t know you’re racist
A bigot with a check list
Just ’cause you don’t know you’re racist
You don’t get a pass when you’re talking your shit
Just ’cause you don’t know you’re racist
A bigot with a check list
Just ’cause you don’t know you’re racist
You don’t get a pass, get a pass for your ignorance
Just ’cause you don’t know you’re racist
Just ’cause you don’t know you’re sexist
Just ’cause you don’t know you’re fascist
You don’t get a pass for your ignorance
Just ’cause you don’t know you’re racist
Just ’cause you don’t know you’re sexist
Just ’cause you don’t know you’re fascist
You don’t get a pass, get a pass for your ignorance
—
‘Protest 100’s mission is two-fold: dispelling the myth that heavy metal is a brainless, socially unaware music genre, and raising awareness of the issues facing our country in the Nov. 3, 2020 election. The path won’t be exclusively metal—some punk and rap and other stuff will be in here too, including the classics—and is not a ranking. All songs are songs I’ve heard while putting this list together, ordered in a manner designed to entertain and educate.
Chris Smith, Author 