Story Behind The Song
"Red and yellow, black and white/ We are all to Him alike" goes the Christian children's song. We meet them all in our "Race of Glory, Race of Shame."
Song Description
We all have a rich heritage, a heritage that retains both glory and shame - and we can't run from either one.
| Song Length |
5:11 |
Genre |
Folk - Rock, Folk - General |
| Tempo |
Medium Fast (131 - 150) |
Lead Vocal |
Male Vocal |
| Mood |
Anxious, Diplomatic |
Subject |
Existence, Life |
| Similar Artists |
Bob Dylan, Tom Petty |
Language |
English |
| Era |
2000 and later |
| |
Lyrics
RACE OF GLORY, RACE OF SHAME
I came upon a white house,
I saw a man upon his knees,
I said, ?You?d better take care now!
He said, ?I do just as I please!?
?I can whistle ?Dixie? and play harmonica,
Smuggle my cigars straight out of Cuba.?
It was then I had to tell him
Exactly why I came.
I said, ?I?ve been sent to warn you
We?re all running in the same
Race of glory, race of shame.?
I came upon a black house
And I sensed the anger there;
It was a thin disguise
For the fear and despair
That have plagued these proud people
Since before they had a name,
Before the bigots took their deadly aim
And began this most dangerous game.
Now, they?re all gunning for the same
Race of glory, race of shame.
No sense giving it a brand new name,
No sense even trying to explain.
Ever since young Abel tried to outrun Cain,
We?ve all been running in the same
Race of glory, race of shame.
I came upon a yellow house,
Where I heard the party spokesman say,
That Ho Ho Ho Chi Minh
Was the Santa of his day,
And how his comrades would
Rule the world some way.
I just had to tell him,
?We?re all coming from the same
Race of glory, race of shame.?
I came upon a red house
And smoked the peace pipe there.
I didn?t know what it was then,
But I could feel it in the air.
The bitter taste of betrayal
And the rancid smell of blame.
Ever since we started playing that buffalo game,
We?ve all been running in the same
Race of glory, race of shame.
You may be wild, may be tame,
Run a record mile or pull up lame,
Reach your heart out to claim
Fleeting glory or eternal fame.
We?re all running in the same
Race of glory, race of shame.
It?s not a story, not a game;
We?re all running in the same
Race of glory, race of shame.
Copyright © 1999 Lex Zaleta