A new folk song with edgy lyrics is causing quite a stir in America, and it’s not “Try That in a Small Town.”
Oliver Anthony's blue-collar anthem "Rich Men North of Richmond" has exploded across the internet, racking up 15 million views in its very first week after debuting on Aug. 9.
Mr. Anthony’s mournful ballad has an almost Depression-era feel. Sporting a bushy red beard and a twangy guitar, the Virginia native channels the struggles of working-class Americans while strumming away in the woods in front of what appears to be a hunting blind.
"I've been sellin' my soul, workin' all day/Overtime hours for [expletive] pay/So I can sit out here and waste my life away/Drag back home and drown my troubles away.
"It's a damn shame what the world's gotten to/For people like me and people like you/Wish I could just wake up and it not be true/But it is, oh, it is.
"Livin' in the new world/With an old soul/These rich men north of Richmond/Lord knows they all just wanna have total control/Wanna know what you think, wanna know what you do/And they don't think you know, but I know that you do/'Cause your dollar ain't [expletive] and it's taxed to no end/'Cause of rich men north of Richmond."
The song has resonated broadly with listeners, but it has also become a sort of political bellwether with lyrics that take aim at taxes, inflation, and welfare.
The Los Angeles Times notes Mr. Anthony’s song has been criticized by leftists, who’ve dubbed the tune an "alt-right anthem" that's "offensive" and "fatphobic."