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Your Racist Friend

From This Might Be A Wiki
song nameYour Racist Friend
artistThey Might Be Giants
releasesFlood, Your Racist Friend (Single), Dial-A-Song: 20 Years Of They Might Be Giants, A User's Guide To They Might Be Giants: Melody, Fidelity, Quantity, Rhino Hi-Five: They Might Be Giants (EP)
year1990
first playedSep. 28, 1988 (178 known performances)
run time2:54
sung byJohn Flansburgh; John Linnell sings harmony

Trivia/Info

  • "The song is a composite of experiences, and really about the relativistic back-peddling people go through trying to get through this creepy world. This song is really wrapped up in the problem of tacit agreement, and the line 'Can't shake the devil's hand and say you're only kidding' just sums it up." - Flansburgh in a 2009 interview with Rolling Stone.
  • The song title borrows from The Specials song "Racist Friend."
  • "My head can't tolerate" is sometimes replaced with "My head is tired of" in live performances.
  • Covered by Australian singer Mick Thomas in live performances, notably the 2007 album "Paddock Bomb."
  • Also covered by Australian punk band Bodyjar.

Song Themes

Bad English, Drinking, Egoism And Pretentiousness, Friendship, Heads, I Am, Oblique Cliches Or Idiom, Politics, Religion

Videos

  • Live at The Town & Country Club, London England. Watch it on  - Recorded live on June 17, 1990
 
Current Rating

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Your Racist Friend is currently ranked #376 out of 845. (186 wikians have given it an average rating of 8.46)
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