Neil Young News: "A Woman or A Black Man": Lookin' for a Leader

Saturday, January 12, 2008

"A Woman or A Black Man": Lookin' for a Leader

Hillary Clinton & Barack Obama

Apropos of nothing really, but we found the lyrics of "Lookin' for a Leader" going through our head the other day after the Iowa caucus and the New Hampshire primary. We see a lot of international traffic here at Thrasher's Wheat and an occasional mail from someone curious about some various "Americanism".

Anyways, for our international audience, there's an election coming up in the U.S. and there are a couple of front runners already -- Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama -- "the woman or a black man" in "Lookin' for a Leader".

"Every American President has left an impact on his country and the World. This musical history lesson from Neil Young takes a look at the past, present and future of US leadership."

Lookin' for a Leader
To bring our country home
Re-unite the red white and blue
Before it turns to stone

Lookin' for somebody
Young enough to take it on
Clean up the corruption
And make the country strong

Walkin' among our people
There's someone who's straight and strong
To lead us from desolation
And a broken world gone wrong

Someone walks among us
And I hope he hears the call
And maybe it's a woman
Or a black man after all

Yeah maybe it's Obama
But he thinks that he's too young
Maybe it's Colin Powell
To right what he's done wrong

America has a leader
But he's not in the house
He's waling here among us
And we've got to seek him out

Yeah we've got our election
But corruption has a chance
We got to have a clean win
To regain confidence

AMERICA is beautiful
But she has an ugly side
We're lookin' for a leader
In this country far and wide

We're lookin' for a leader
With the great spirit on his side

Someone walks among us
And I hope he hears the call
And maybe it's a woman
Or a black man after all.

Documentary of the making of LFAL.

Here are some reviews of "Living with War".

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26 Comments:

At 1/12/2008 09:29:00 PM, Anonymous said...: I never really got that line about Obama being too young? I'd like to see Obama in the White House.
At 1/13/2008 05:36:00 PM, Ben said...: It would really be nice if america could get past the novelty of a woman and a black man and look at the actual qualifications of these candidates.
At 1/14/2008 07:59:00 AM, Anonymous said...: Former illegal alien and current Canadian citizen Neil Young once again showing his political savvy.

Thanks Neil. Now, why don't you head on north and go back home?
At 1/14/2008 08:25:00 AM, Anonymous said...: Thank God for illegal aliens in our country ! Had people with your mentality been running things, you probably would have deported him and we wouldnt have all this great music for 40 + years !
And after 8 years of Bush, we desperately need a real leader.
At 1/14/2008 09:49:00 AM, Anonymous said...: You sound like an illegal alien invader yourself. Not too bright in stating that Neil had to be in The United State to create his music. Obviously your knowledge of music is as limited as is your knowledge of anything else.

Since you're most likely in this country illegally, why don't you leave your name and address here so that you can be reported and returned to where you belong.
At 1/14/2008 11:11:00 AM, Anonymous said...: To the bozo who condones illegal aliens in The United States: What other crimes do you condone?
At 1/14/2008 12:05:00 PM, Anonymous said...: to the moron 2 posts up........

REALITY : Had Neil never entered the U.S., he never would have been heard or had the opportunity that he had after comming to California.
Comming to the U.S. gave him the opportunity to be heard and to "make it" in music. his great career as we know it, never would have happened had he stayed in Toronto !
At 1/14/2008 12:41:00 PM, Anonymous said...: To the moron one post up: Coming is spelled with one "m". Don't make yourself appear to be more stupid than you are.

By the way, since you condone illegal entry into this country, what other crimes are you in favor of?

I guess that your empty shallow life would have had one less thing through which to live vicariously if Neil Young had never made it big in the U.S.

What about all of those other Canadian musicians who had success in the U.S. without being illegal alien invaders- Joni Mitchell, The Guess Who, Gordon Lightfoot, etc.

Now go back to your crib and behave.
At 1/14/2008 01:13:00 PM, Anonymous said...: Sounds like the guy above is comming a bit too much in his shorts to clearly express his idea, never mind his juvenile spelling skills.
At 1/14/2008 02:19:00 PM, Anonymous said...: Nice conversation.
At 1/14/2008 07:00:00 PM, LAK said...: Well he certainly had to be in Southern Cal to write "On the Beach." That's enough reason for me.

What I want to know is what kind of a Bozo has so little use for his time that he goes on a Neil Young blog to bash Neil and make xenophobic remarks about immigrants.

Have you any idea the how much illegal immigrant labor reduces cost of food? The meat packing and agricutural industries rely on it to remain as profitable as they are and to keep prices as low as they are. There is a reason the old gurad Republicans want to find a way to keep cheap labor here.

I'd love it if they started enforcing labor law. Meat would cost twice what it does today.

It takes a lot of courage to point out misspellings on blog posts.
At 1/14/2008 07:45:00 PM, Blue Man said...: They say an electorate gets the leader it deserves. Judging by the comments above, we're in for another 4 years of trouble.
At 1/15/2008 08:07:00 AM, Anonymous said...: I'd like to know what other crimes you bozos who condone illegal alien immgrants think are ok? Murder? Rape? Arson? Kidnapping? We have to be sensitive to the scum who commit these crimes as well, don't we?

Short of Bruce Springsteen, Neil Young has got to have the stupidest fans in rock and roll.

What part of "illegal" don't you understand?

And to Lak, If some illegal alien invader was willing to do your job (if you even have one, that is), we could all say, illegal alien invaders are vital to this industry. Look at how their participation reduces the cost.
At 1/15/2008 08:14:00 AM, Anonymous said...: Well, lets start with POT ! There's no reason in 2008 for smoking, possesing, or growing pot
to be illegal.The law is absurd, so the whole country ignores it !

Now getting back to illegal immigrants, remember it was your conservative president,Ronald "if I only had a brain " Reagan that
legalized all the illegal immigrants last time around.

I didnt bother to check spelling.Your not worth the time.
At 1/15/2008 11:38:00 AM, Anonymous said...: Damn! You sound like a whining, screeching old woman.

Obviously you've smoked more than your share of pot. No doubt, you've done lots of other drugs too which have fried what was already shit between your ears.

Who'd you get to type the response for you. Want some munchies to go with that joint?
At 1/15/2008 02:50:00 PM, LAK said...: Pot, drinking before you're 21, j-walking, speeding.

Do you pay use tax to your state when you buy something out of state and don't pay sales tax? I'll bet you don't. That's illegal too.

The argument "It's illegal" is a simplistic and piss poor one for opposing immigration, as that is simply begging the question in the first place. Before we had immigration laws, every white person who immigrated here was also technically illegal too. But I'm sure you din't have problems with that.

You good sir, are a complete idiot. Why would you troll here? I'm a University of Chicago Educated Lawyer. I'll put my education, SAT scores, LSAT scores humility, or ethics up against yours any day. I would be surprised if you went to college given the way you write.

Such black and white thiking is indicative of an uneducated conservative. The immigration issue is a complex one, as is evinced by the fact that republcians are all over the place on the issue. Illegal immigrants are a vital part of our economy and large businesses depend on their cheap labor. That is why Bush and McCain are for allowing illgeals already here to stay (and why Bush doesn't want to enforce labor laws - for the sake of big business). Further, there are ethical considerations to be had? Is it fair to deport people who are established and live here and work here and have families here? Probably not. Further there are practical issues to consider- is it feasable to round up evry illegal and bus them home and then create some kind of barrier on our borders? No. It would be foolish and expensive and ineffective.

The next time I look both ways and cross the street on a red, I'll thank my lucky stars for illegal immigrant labor that cleans my office bathroom, allows my produce to be reasobaly priced, and allows my filet mignon to be affordable.

Troll elsewhere douchebag.

For all others: vote Obama.
At 1/15/2008 08:34:00 PM, Thrasher said...: C'man folks. Let's be civil. Just a reminder on Comments Policy at Thrasher's Wheat.
At 1/16/2008 08:11:00 AM, Anonymous said...: Laky, you're full of shit. You know it and I know it. Even if it were true that you are a lawyer, you act as if that's something to be proud of. Ha! Ha! Everyone would rather have an illegal alien than a lawyer. Lawyers are scum of the earth, the absolute lowest on the evolution scale who do nothing but destroy the hard work of others.

Who's your hero? John Edwards? The King Of Junk Science?
At 1/16/2008 05:29:00 PM, Anonymous said...: Hey Neil, there is a leader to arrive soon on the scene. But as you said in one of your songs, There's more to the picture than meets the eye"... we better be thinking more than one layer deep.

Man of Peace

Look out your window, baby, there's a scene you'd like to catch,
The band is playing "Dixie," a man got his hand outstretched.
Could be the Fuhrer
Could be the local priest.
You know sometimes
Satan comes as a man of peace.

He got a sweet gift of gab, he got a harmonious tongue,
He knows every song of love that ever has been sung.
Good intentions can be evil,
Both hands can be full of grease.
You know that sometimes Satan comes as a man of peace.

Well, first he's in the background, then he's in the front,
Both eyes are looking like they're on a rabbit hunt.
Nobody can see through him,
No, not even the Chief of Police.
You know that sometimes Satan comes as a man of peace.

Well, he catch you when you're hoping for a glimpse of the sun,
Catch you when your troubles feel like they weigh a ton.
He could be standing next to you,
The person that you'd notice least.
I hear that sometimes Satan comes as a man of peace.

Well, he can be fascinating, he can be dull,
He can ride down Niagara Falls in the barrels of your skull.
I can smell something cooking,
I can tell there's going to be a feast.
You know that sometimes Satan comes as a man of peace.

He's a great humanitarian, he's a great philanthropist,
He knows just where to touch you, honey, and how you like to be kissed.
He'll put both his arms around you,
You can feel the tender touch of the beast.
You know that sometimes Satan comes as a man of peace.

Well, the howling wolf will howl tonight, the king snake will crawl,
Trees that've stood for a thousand years suddenly will fall.
Wanna get married? Do it now,
Tomorrow all activity will cease.
You know that sometimes Satan comes as a man of peace.

Somewhere Mama's weeping for her blue-eyed boy,
She's holding them little white shoes and that little broken toy
And he's following a star,
The same one them three men followed from the East.
I hear that sometimes Satan comes as a man of peace.

Bob Dylan
At 1/16/2008 08:02:00 PM, Ben said...: Wow 5 comments in people can already do nothing but be dicks to each other. Why does politics do that to people?
At 1/18/2008 09:47:00 PM, Anonymous said...: Ben- The reason politics does this to people is because no one wants to admit that it doesn't matter if candidates are democrat or republican, they don't represent most ordinary people like us. But naturally people want to believe America is great (which it is in many many ways) and that "democracy" works, so they usually pick sides and have faith that their side is right. The truth is we're all getting bent over with the current political system and instead of speaking out and trying to promote change, people take their frustration and try to blame the other party, hence all of the nonsense that has occured on this thread and all over other forums concerning politics.

I don't understand, however, why this person is coming to a neil young fan site and saying all these wacko things against neil and his fans...ok, I do understand some people get kicks from stuff like that, but as true fans on a true fan site (thanks thrasher!) we'd probably be better off ignoring the a-hole who is an obvious reincarnation of someone who has been kicked off this site in the past.
At 1/25/2008 12:16:00 AM, Anonymous said...: Ok enough of this BS from all you scared white males. Put on your Mit or Huck a mess buttons, forget your past and be Holier then though. I am sick of it. We have got a mess on our hands...Neil Young has an opinion and has the balls to voice it. Let it be. What are you all doing on this site anyway? Is'nt Sean Hannity on scaring you all into a frenzy?
At 2/02/2008 09:09:00 AM, Anonymous said...: 11 months 19 days 22 hours 52 minutes to go. No one elected can get anywhere the damage caused by W. I pity the next president because of how much stuff is yet to hit the fan.
At 2/20/2008 10:13:00 PM, Anonymous said...: As someone who doesn't live in the U.S. and has an outside perspective I get the feeling that America is dying. It's not impossible, great nations eventually crumble like the Roman empire.

Unless there is a big change the future doesn't look bright.
At 4/21/2008 07:28:00 AM, Anonymous said...: Neil Young is a Ronald Reagan Appreciation Society "Member" (read Rolling Stone 1988 approx)......BARACK OBAMA IS JIMMY CARTER......ALL OVER AGAIN.......GOOD TIMES (yea right/remember THAT cluster "F"? of years).....Randy Vaughn, Lakeside, CA....Hippie Dream Productions.....and by the way where is my fuc&$ing bus?......you ass*$hol*S!...
At 10/28/2008 09:58:00 AM, Wendell the Hillbilly said...: PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

YESSIR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It's only going to get better folks! That's the advantage to the sickening, criminal and pathetic crap the Bush years have brought us ... the sun is now on the horizon and shining bright!!!!!!! Too bad 8 years have left us in such a deep shithole that it's going to be tough even for Obama to pull us out ... but it'll be a start and we'll beheaded in the right direction toward a sustainable future with Barack's leadership. He is a great man and America will prosper from his leadership.