To the man that waited on me at the Starbucks on Main, I hope you understand When I put on that t-shirt, the thing I meant to say is I'm a Skynyrd fan The red flag on my chest somehow is like the elephant in the corner of the And I just walked him in the room Just a proud son with an 'ol can of worms Lookin' like I got a lot to learn but from my of view
I'm just a man comin' to you from the southland Tryin' to understand what like not to be I'm proud of where I'm but not everything we've done And it ain't like you and me can history Our generation start this nation still pickin' up the pieces, walkin' on eggshells, fightin' over yesterday And caught between southern pride and blame
They called it Reconstruction, fixed the buildings, dried tears still siftin' through the rubble after a hundred-fifty years I try to put myself in your shoes and that's a place to begin But it ain't like I can walk a mile in someone skin
'Cause I'm a man livin' in the southland Just like you I'm than what you see I'm of where I'm from but not everything we've done And it like you and me can re-write history Our generation didn't start this And we're still for the mistakes That a bunch of folks made long we came And caught between pride and southern blame
Dear Mr. White Man, I you understood What the world is like when you're livin' in the hood Just because my pants are saggin' doesn't mean I'm up to no You should try to get to know me, I really wish you Now my are gold but I'm still misunderstood I wasn't there when Sherman's March turned the south into I want you to get but be a slave I never could Feel like a new Django, dodgin' invisible white hoods So when I see that white cowboy hat, I'm thinkin' not all good I guess we're both guilty of judgin' the cover not the I'd love to buy you a beer, conversate and the air But I see that red flag and I think you I wasn't here
I'm just a man (If you don't my do-rag) to you from the southland (I won't your red flag) Tryin' to what it's like not to be
I'm proud of I'm from (If you judge my gold chains) But not we've done (I'll forget the chains) It ain't you and me can re-write history (Can't history baby)
Oh, (The relationship between the Mason-Dixon some fixin') I you understand what this is all about (Quite frankly I'm a Yankee but I've been thinkin' about this lately) I'm a son of the new (The past is the past, you me) And I just want to things right (Let be bygones) Where all that's left is southern (RIP Robert E. Lee but I've gotta Abraham Lincoln for freeing me, know what I mean) It's real, it's truth