Redneck

Album: Sacrament (2006)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Lamb of God guitarist Mark Morton worked up the music for this track after bringing another song to the band called "Descending," which also ended up on the Sacrament album. "Descending" took some unusual musical turns, and Morton's bandmates were lukewarm to it. In response, he worked up a more straightforward rocker that had a hillbilly feel to it. When he brought it to the band, they referred to it as their "Cowboys From Hell" song, noting the Pantera resemblance. They titled it "Redneck" based on the music - Morton said it sounded like "breaking a beer bottle in a parking lot." Even thought it was just a working title and had nothing to do with the song's meaning, they stuck with the title, which doesn't appear in the lyric.
  • This song takes aim at the odious characters the band encounters in the music industry. Lead singer Randy Blythe says it's not about a specific person, nor is it political (some speculated that it was about US President George W. Bush).
  • The video was directed by Bill Fishman and based on a concept drummer Chris Adler came up with: Lamb of God play a children's birthday party.

    The video takes place in whitebread suburbia, where an unsuspecting couple hire the band out of the Yellow Pages to entertain at their daughter's birthday party. They show up with strippers and beer, and are very disruptive, frightening the children and punching the clown.

    "It has absolutely nothing to do with the lyrics, but it's just a fun concept," Randy Blythe said in his Songfacts interview. "We had strippers on the bus, because we wanted to make it as ridiculous as possible. It was great. But the neighbors were completely freaked out: there's trucks, a production company, trailers, catering, all these freaks running around, and then us hopping around on someone's front yard."

    The band typically doesn't enjoy making videos, but this one was different. Adds Blythe: "I had a really fun time recording that - a really good time. There's a part where I fall face forward into a swimming pool, and all the kids were standing there, and I got to do that two or three times, and they just loved it."

Comments: 1

  • Branden from Orange Park, FlRedneck was my first song I heard from lab of god and I grown to love it ever since because it's just so f--king metal and will always remain as my favorite song.
see more comments

Editor's Picks

Dean Pitchford

Dean PitchfordSongwriter Interviews

Dean wrote the screenplay and lyrics to all the songs in Footloose. His other hits include "Fame" and "All The Man That I Need."

David Sancious

David SanciousSongwriter Interviews

Keyboard great David Sancious talks about his work with Sting, Seal, Springsteen, Clapton and Aretha, and explains what quantum physics has to do with making music.

Roger McGuinn of The Byrds

Roger McGuinn of The ByrdsSongwriter Interviews

Roger reveals the songwriting formula Clive Davis told him, and if "Eight Miles High" is really about drugs.

Francis Rossi of Status Quo

Francis Rossi of Status QuoSongwriter Interviews

Doubt led to drive for Francis, who still isn't sure why one of Status Quo's biggest hits is so beloved.

Dan Reed

Dan ReedSongwriter Interviews

Dan cracked the Top 40 with "Ritual," then went to India and spent 2 hours with the Dalai Lama.

Jackie DeShannon - "Put a Little Love in Your Heart"

Jackie DeShannon - "Put a Little Love in Your Heart"They're Playing My Song

It wasn't her biggest hit as a songwriter (that would be "Bette Davis Eyes"), but "Put a Little Love in Your Heart" had a family connection for Jackie.