LISTEN: Brad Paisley's 'Accidental Racist' featuring LL Cool J
This is a real lyric: "If you don't judge my doo-rag, I won't judge your red flag"

Does your idealistic dream of a post-racial America include Brad Paisley and LL Cool J collaborating on an infectiously terrible country song? Well, you're in luck! A new track called "Accidental Racist," set to appear on Paisley's upcoming album, Wheelhouse, details the internal monologues of (1) a white southern gentleman who casually wears his beloved confederate flag T-shirt to a local Starbucks, and (2) the black guy taking his order behind the counter. Behold:
Yes, this song is a real thing. A few sample lyrics:
"I'm just a white man, coming to you from the south land / trying to understand what it's like not to be…"
"I'm proud of where I'm from/ but not everything we've done/ and it ain't like you and me can rewrite history"
"Our generation didn't start this nation / we're still picking up the pieces / walking on eggshells / fighting over yesterday"
But wait. It gets better. Some highlights from LL's verse a few minutes in:
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
"[I] feel like a newfangled Django dodging invisible white hoods"
"If you don't judge my doo-rag, I won't judge your red flag"
"If you don't judge my gold chains, I'll forget the iron chains"
In a radio interview, Paisley says at first he was hesitant about asking the '90s rapper to appear on the song. Those fears, apparently, were for naught. "I'm in," said Cool J. "This is important."
How are critics reacting? "Holy (expletive)," country music journalist Chris Willman tells The Tennessean. "I think this is pretty radical. He's got cojones." But why would the duo release such a song in the first place? wonders Bobby Finger at The Hairpin. "Whatever the reason, the song itself is a lyrical disgrace filled with awkward non-apologies and faux-pensiveness over the history of racism in the south." Dammit, LL, says Rembert Browne at Grantland. "Did you really have to start off with 'Dear Mr. White Man'? His name is Brad. He's right there. Just call him Brad. You're allowed to. It's 2013." It's cool, you guys, says Aylin Zafar at BuzzFeed. "Brad Paisley and LL Cool J have ended racism."
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
'Alligator Alcatraz will be a blight on the Everglades'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Kirsty Coventry: the former Olympian and first woman to lead the IOC
In the Spotlight Coventry, a former competitive swimmer, won two Olympic gold medals
-
Critics' choice: Carrying the flag
Feature The best barbecue in town, Bradley Cooper's cheesesteak restaurant, and more