Sail Away

da Genius

“Sail Away” by Randy Newman appears on his album, Sail Away (1972).


Newman presents “the pitch” of an American slave trader to Africans in Bonny, off the west coast of Nigeria.
The slaver sings a song about the wonderful life to be had in Charleston.
Selling a lie about what life will be was used, but the more common practice was going inland to kidnap and shackle those you found.

(1) A reference to the stereotype that black people enjoy watermelon. This stereotype is rooted in the Reconstruction era, as many freed slaves began growing watermelon as a sign of independence. Racist Southerners began the stereotype to mock the now free African Americans.

(2) Wog (wŏg) aka: Golliwog
(noun) Chiefly British offensive slang
used as a disparaging term for a person of color, especially a person from Africa, or western and southern Asia.

(3) It is estimated that around 40% of slaves brought to North America arrived through Charleston, SC.

(4) This line is ironic because actual living Monkeys do not live in Monkey trees as it is common belief that they do. Monkey trees are too prickly and sharp for actual Monkeys, the trees get their names because the branches look like Monkey tails.
The irony places into the premise that the song is written through the eyes of the slave trader trying to convince the African natives that America is really as great as he is telling them.
“Monkey” being a common racial slur in society.