Good old American values
Taming the tigers and baboons
So they work for us now by the sweet sweat on their brow
That's some good old American values
Good old American cartoons
Indians and cowboys and saloons
It's all history by now and we hold the pen anyhow
Drawing good old American cartoons
Trusty American tycoons
Kicking their feet up in Cancun
They're making us proud, making friends the whole world 'round
Those trusty American tycoons
Good old American values
Conquest, she looks best in costume
But by the end of the day there's a fortune to be made
On those good old American values
There's fortune to be made
Taming the tigers and baboons
So they work for us now by the sweet sweat on their brow
That's some good old American values
Good old American cartoons
Indians and cowboys and saloons
It's all history by now and we hold the pen anyhow
Drawing good old American cartoons
Trusty American tycoons
Kicking their feet up in Cancun
They're making us proud, making friends the whole world 'round
Those trusty American tycoons
Good old American values
Conquest, she looks best in costume
But by the end of the day there's a fortune to be made
On those good old American values
There's fortune to be made
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Album: What Will We Do
One of the more political tunes on the album is “Good Old American Values.” The lyrics are a biting satirical critique of America’s long history of subjugation of Native Americans.
For Obomsawin, who is of Abenaki descent, there are personal reasons for recording this song. In the album’s liner notes, Obomsawin shares: “As an Indigenous songwriter, I hope that it becomes equally unacceptable to write and sing anti-Native lyrics as it now is to write and sing anti-black lyrics.”
“Unfortunately, Indian hating is a good old American tradition. In fact, American culture has depended on it,” Obomsawin adds. “The best I can offer is to reclaim and repurpose the rhetorical and aesthetic space of country music carved out for me by colonialism, in pursuit of beauty and truth.”
Daily Dose of Protest: Good Old American Values – Lula Wiles