Old West lyrics

Song information

Artist: Five Iron Frenzy
Album: Upbeats & Beatdowns

Lyrics

Up until the middle of the 20th century
Many americans believed in the idea known as the "manifest destiny."
It held that all of north america
From sea to shining sea
Was rightfully the property of the u.s. and was given to us by god
Native americans were unscrupulously thrown off their homelands
And slaughtered in the name of jesus
Horror stories of entire tribes being led through rivers while being baptized
Just to be shot and scalped on the other side
Rival those of the spanish inquisition
Today, I see street corner preachers screaming at passers-by
While the amount of neo-nazi hate crimes are escalating every day
All of this under a blanket name of "christianity."
Read your bible
Jesus never beat people or insulted them into believing in him
He spoke the truth
And set an example by loving every man
We are called to follow his example
Remember the massacres at sand creek and meeker
Those who forget the past are doomed to repeat it

Some cowboys were a ridin', ridin' on the range;
The grass was over grazed there
And spotted like some mange;
The buffalo were dead there
The trees they all were through
And if they saw some injuns
Why they would kill them too
West or bust, in god we trust
"Let's rape, let's kill, let's steal"
We can almost justify, anything we feel;
I'm climbing up that ladder
More brownie points for me I'll work my way to jesus you wait and see
Said one cowboy to another
"I think it would be nice
If we could take these injuns and convert them all to christ;
See, they are all disgusting, and bringing me great pain
And if they don't believe me
We'll put a bullet in their brains!"
I am always shoutin'
When I go outside
How people should repent now
Or they're going to die
My motives are all selfish
I'm a cannon brimmed with powder
If people don't believe me
I just beat them and yell louder