The 462nd-greatest song of all time, according to Rolling Stone, is "Respect Yourself," recorded by The Staple Singers in 1971.
At first glance, you'd think this would be a positive, uplifting, encouraging message of truth, brotherhood, and the American way...but at SECOND glance...uhhhh.
The title implies the song is going to encourage the listener to accentuate the positive, eliminate the negative, and don't mess with Mister Inbetween, but just look at some of the lyrics:
If you don't give a heck 'bout the man with the Bible in his hand
Just get out the way and let the gentleman do his thing
You the kind of gentleman that want everything your way
Take the sheet off your face, boy, it's a brand new day
If you're walking 'round thinkin' that the world owes you something 'cause you're here
You goin' out the world backwards like you did when you first come here
Oh, you cuss around women and you don't even know their names
And you dumb enough to think that'll make you a big ol man
Respect yourself, respect yourself...
Translation: Respect yourself, you atheistic, narcissistic, foul-mouthed, breech-born, ignorant racist.
Peace and love, man. Peace and love.
2 comments:
I think the song is actually a rebuke of those behaviors.
To act in those selfish, racist, intolerant, disrespectful ways is, ultimately, utter disrespect for yourself.
Change your ways, stop acting that way, take the sheet off your face, stop being inconsiderate to others. Quit being a dummy and have some respect for yourself.
Of course, you are absolutely correct, but if I had said all that, it wouldn't have made anybody grin, would it? (There is a method to my madness...)
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