Queen

Released: December 10, 1976

Songwriter: Brian May

Producer: Queen

[Intro]

[Verse 1]
I'm a simple man
With a simple name
From this soil, my people came
In this soil remain
Oh yeah
Oh yeah

[Verse 2]
And we made us our shoes
And we trod soft on the land
But the immigrant built roads
On our blood and sand
Oh yeah

[Chorus]
White man, white man
Don't you see the light
Behind your blackened skies
White man, white man
You took away sight
To blind my simple eyes
White man, white man
Where you gonna hide
From the hell you've made?

[Verse 3]
Oh, the red man knows war
With his hands and his knives
On the Bible you swore
Fought your battle with lies
Oh yeah

[Verse 4]
Leave my body in shame
Leave my soul in disgrace
But by every God's name
Say your prayers for your race

[Chorus]
White man, white man
Our country was green
And all our rivers wide
White man, white man
You came with a gun
And soon our children died
White man, white man
Don't you give a light
For the blood you've shed?

[Instrumental break]

[Chorus]
White man, white man (oh)
White man, white man
White man (ooh, white man)
Fought your battle with lies
White man
White man (on and on, on and on)
But we weren't too civilized, yeah
White man, white man (look around you)
Take a look around
Every skin and bone
(Yeah, I'll getcha, I'll getcha, yeah)

[Instrumental break]

[Outro]
What is left of your dream?
Just the words on your stone
A man who learned how to teach
Then forgot how to learn
Oh yeah

Formed in 1970, Queen was a British rock band whose classic line-up consisted of Freddie Mercury on lead vocals and piano, Brian May on lead guitar, Roger Taylor on drums, and John Deacon on bass. Although Mercury and May wrote the bulk of the band’s material, all four contributed to the songwriting, churning out huge hits. Initially a progressive rock band with strong metal influences, their sound evolved dramatically over time. The band went on to refine, if not define “stadium rock,” as they grew to become one of the most beloved rock bands of all time.

Their early progressive phase spawned epic tracks like “March of the Black Queen” and one international hit “Killer Queen.” But it was their 1975 track “Bohemian Rhapsody” which catapulted the group to super-stardom. The song reigned at #1 on the UK charts for nine weeks and has since been praised as one of the greatest songs of all time

Moving away from their album-orientated sound, the band only grew in popularity with such songs as November 1976’s “Somebody to Love,” October 1977’s “We Are the Champions,” January 1979’s “Don’t Stop Me Now,” June 1980’s “Another One Bites the Dust,” January 1984’s “Radio Ga Ga,” and many more. These songs are so beloved that a musical based on the band’s discography, titled We Will Rock You, became one of West-End’s longest-running shows with a 12-year run through May 2014—and more events being featured internationally, as well.

more tracks from the album

A Day at the Races

From the album

A Day at the Races (1976)

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A Day at the Races