I'm sorry
For something that I didn't do
Lynched somebody
But I don't know who
You blame me for slavery
A hundred years before I was born

[Repeat: x4]
Guilty of being white

I'm sorry
For something that I didn't do
Lynched somebody
But I don't know who
You blame me for slavery
A hundred years before I was born

[Repeat: x4]
Guilty of being white

I'm a convict (Guilty!)
Of a racist crime (Guilty!)
I've only served (Guilty!)
Nineteen years of my time

I'm sorry
For something that I didn't do
Lynched somebody
But I don't know who
You blame me for slavery
A hundred years before I was born

[Repeat: x4]
Guilty of being white


Lyrics submitted by black_cow_of_death

Guilty of Being White Lyrics as written by Mackaye Baker

Lyrics © ROUGH TRADE PUBLISHING

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Guilty of Being White song meanings
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57 Comments

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  • +6
    General Comment

    Look getting beat up, or harassed due to your skin color, is screwed up no matter what your skin color might be. Racism is racism, no matter what the configuration.

    The fact that some people on here are basically saying that certain forms of racism should be tolerated, because 'some people have it easier than others', is a pretty f**ked up argument when you think about it.

    Look: I'm not saying over all, that its not much easier to be white rather than black, because I'm sure it is. Then again, I'm sure its much easier to be President Obama, than an impoverishment white kid from Jersey too.

    My point is, is that ALL forms of racism should never be tolerated. The fact that some of you believe that the protagonist doesn't even have a right to express his emotions over being picked on, due to his race, is a form of racism in itself. Think about it.

    ChloeZer0on December 23, 2012   Link
  • +3
    General Comment

    I'm sorry, but you are WAAAY off. He's talking about how racism of any kind is bad. It's about his experiences in a 70% black highschool, where he and his white friends often took abuse for things like slavery, segreegation, etc. when they clearly had nothing to do with any of those things. He's basically just trying to say that racism is racism, it doesn't matter who does it.

    shadowwiththeeyeson January 31, 2005   Link
  • +3
    General Comment

    well, i think this song is trying to point out how although most white people of this day and age never participated in the slave trade , they still get blamed for it. my family didnt even live in this country until the early 1900's. everyone is prejudice in their own way, but this is just pointing out how there is a reverse discrimination going on. now "all white people are evil because they must be racist against black people" so they are "guilty of being white"

    minorxxthreaton March 19, 2006   Link
  • +3
    General Comment

    Okay, I lived in a predominantly black school system while growing up, and was bullied for it. That's what this song is about. Evil is evil, prejudice is prejudice, no matter who does it. All the idiots here going on about white privilege really need to shut the fuck up, the idea of white privilege is exactly what the "guilty of being white" is about. Talking about white privilege as an absolute is dumb because there is no one thing that dominates all, American society is not perfectly homogenous. There are times, places, and situations where what was the minority on the large scale becomes the majority in the small scale. White man's guilt isn't going to fix the problem, it just breeds more racism.

    Ganondoxon May 07, 2013   Link
  • +2
    General Comment

    In Steven Blush's book American Hardcore: A Tribal History, Iam MacKaye comments on this song. He says it is about his life growing up in DC, where HE was the minority. During history class, while studying the slave trade, he would be beaten up after class for something he had no part of. Also, Slayer covered this song, but they changed the last line to "guilty of being right!" which offended Ian with it's pretty blatant racism. Well, that's all for now.

    TheLocustReignon June 12, 2002   Link
  • +2
    General Comment

    Being a skinhead does not mean you are a racist; that's just an inaccurate generalization the media has been making since the skinhead movement started. They have been around longer than punk rock. It started in the late 60's/early 70's with British football fans who wanted to be involved in something other than the Mod movement that was going on at the time.

    MadWorldon June 04, 2004   Link
  • +2
    General Comment

    Let's end this subject on slayer. They definitely NOT racist, tom araya is from Chile and Dave lombardo is cuban.

    slayerg7on December 19, 2008   Link
  • +2
    General Comment

    I agree with this song 110 percent. Double standards FTL.

    notaminorthreaton January 06, 2009   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    Heh, I find it funny how people go around calling each other morons, when they can't even use the right word. It's YOU'RE, not YOUR, jackass.

    WickedFrigginHoton March 26, 2003   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    I attended a forum in which Ian Mackaye was the keynote speaker and he said that he regretted being so specific in this song because [skinheads/racists] changed the meaning of this song to something that he didn't intend at all.

    BlackLungFeveron June 13, 2003   Link

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