Tone Analysis - "Racist Friend" by They Might Be Giants

"Racist Friend" | They Might Be Giants

This is where the party ends I can't stand here listening to you And your racist friend I know politics bore you But I feel like a hypocrite talking to you And your racist friend  It was the loveliest party that I've ever attended If anything was broken I'm sure it could be mended My head can't tolerate this bobbing and pretending Listen to some bullet-head and the madness that he's saying This is where the party ends I'll just sit here wondering how you Can stand by your racist friend I know politics bore you But I feel like a hypocrite talking to you You and your racist friend

This is where the party ends I can't stand here listening to you And your racist friend I know politics bore you But I feel like a hypocrite talking to you And your racist friend  Out from the kitchen to the bedroom to the hallway Your friend apologizes, he could see it my way He let the contents of the bottle do the thinking Can't shake the devil's hand and say you're only kidding This is where the party ends I can't stand here listening to you And your racist friend I know politics bore you But I feel like a hypocrite talking to you And your racist friend

--Lyrics From: http://www.lyricsdepot.com/they-might-be-giants/your-racist-friend.html

Analysis:


Disrupting the jovial party in “Racist Friend”, They Might Be Giants incorporates festive imagery, cynical characterization, and assertive point of view to convey their mockingly judgmental tone towards your “bullet-head [friend] and the madness that he’s saying.”

The narrator describes the party as so perfect that “if anything was broken, I’m sure it could be mended.” The scene set by this line indicates the narrator’s happiness to be there, and his belief that all is well. After the narrator introduces the ignorant second-hand friend, the imagery of the ‘wild’ party becomes clearer: they go from the “kitchen to the bedroom to the hallway,” suggesting that there are few boundaries for the partygoers. The narrator could be another partygoer with no boundaries, but the racist friend isn’t the host, and persists in following the narrator around the house. This notion of a wild party is compounded by the image of the racist friend letting the “contents of the bottle do the thinking,” which the narrator, as the host, does not appreciate. The narrator started out excited about his party, but shifts to a condescending view of the racist friend who continues to get in his way.

The narrator expresses his frustration regarding his guest’s racist attitudes by making concrete remarks about his feelings and their character. He describe the racist guest as having “[shook] the devils hand,” which asserts that racist attitudes are comparably mad as demonic acts. He describes the same man as a drunkard by saying he lets the “contents of the bottle do the thinking,” meaning that his penchant for alcohol is to blame for his loose morals. In response to these questionable characteristics, the narrator says that he feels like a hypocrite talking to his friend and the racist person, despite their aversion to politics – which is ironic, since racism is a very political topic. The narrator, fed up with these contradictory characters, essentially ends the party after this encounter, which as host he has the authority to do. The narrator so dislikes the attitudes of this racist man that he ends his own party because of them.

They Might Be Giants took the unique position of second person point of view in “Racist Friend” by directly addressing the listener as ‘you’. They cluster the listener with ‘your’ racist friend in the chorus, implying that all listeners hold some racist attitudes or that they no someone who does. However, this point of view also provides the narrator song to step forward and directly evaluate the character of the racist man and the listeners. Where they could have been subtle in addressing racist attitudes, They Might Be Giants’ point of view draws attention to the severity of the racist man’s behavior and the listener’s responsibly to stop such mad, inhumane ideas from being spread.

They Might Be Giants’ “Racist Friend” reflects a party gone out of control and a racist man who symbolizes such chaos. The indelicate behavior of this individual causes the narrator to call for an end to not only the party, but the listener’s association with such terrible ideologies. The narrator’s tone alone calls for judgment on the ridiculously antiquated concepts of racial superiority.