# Songs badmouthing your state or city **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 25, 2006, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-badmouthing-your-state-or-city/358216 "2006-05-25T18:05:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2006, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-badmouthing-your-state-or-city/358216/1 "2006-05-25T18:05:37Z")
Like the thread title says, are there any songs which speak ill of your state or city? (Or some other state or city you hold dear?) My contribution (for the city of Atlanta and the state of Georgia) is an oldie from **Jimmie Rodgers** (the Singing Brakeman). The song is [“T for Texas”](http://www.bluegrassnet.com/tgbs/T/T_for_texas.html) and the relevant lyrics are: \*I’m going where the water Drinks like cherry wine, sing 'em boy, sing 'em Lawd, I’m going where the water Drinks like cherry wine 'Cause the Georgia water Tastes like turpentine. … Rather drink muddy water Sleep in a hollow log Rather drink muddy water And sleep in a hollow log Than to be in Atlanta Treated like a dirty dog.\* ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2006, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-badmouthing-your-state-or-city/358216/2 "2006-05-25T18:40:01Z")
I was living in Boston when [Dirty Water](http://www.stlyrics.com/lyrics/feverpitch/dirtywater.htm) came out. Created quite an uproar. Down by the river Down by the banks of the River Charles That’s where you find me, Along with the beggers, drunks and thieves. Cause I love that dirty water Boston you’re my home. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2006, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-badmouthing-your-state-or-city/358216/3 "2006-05-25T19:20:36Z")
**Dirty Water** is the champ, of course: versions have set it not only in Boston, but in New York City and London. ---
**Author:** ![rowrrbazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rowrrbazzle/32/414_2.png) [@rowrrbazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rowrrbazzle)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2006, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-badmouthing-your-state-or-city/358216/4 "2006-05-25T19:31:29Z")
I don’t know of any songs bad-mouthing Chicago or Illinois as a whole. There’ve been a few criticizing/satirizing various parts/features/people, like “The Lincoln Park Pirates”. Of course, there’s Tom Lehrer’s Boston song on this page [http://www.iankitching.me.uk/humour/lehrer/misc.html](http://www.iankitching.me.uk/humour/lehrer/misc.html) “Put them all together, they spell… (HCCKKCC… PW… (sounds like somebody spitting)) Which is just about what Boston means to me!” ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2006, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-badmouthing-your-state-or-city/358216/5 "2006-05-25T20:14:31Z")
Can’t leave out Kinky: And I’m proud to be an asshole from El Paso. A place where sweet young virgins aren’t deflowered. You walk down a street knee deep in tacos, And the wetbacks still get twenty cents an hour. ---
**Author:** ![E.Thorp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/898d66/32.png) [@E.Thorp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E.Thorp)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2006, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-badmouthing-your-state-or-city/358216/6 "2006-05-25T20:47:42Z")
Nirvana, “Frances Farmer Will Have Her Revenge on Seattle” ---
**Author:** ![pinkfreud](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pinkfreud/32/17603_2.png) [@pinkfreud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pinkfreud)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2006, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-badmouthing-your-state-or-city/358216/7 "2006-05-25T20:50:34Z")
I don’t know whether this counts as badmouthing, but Merle Haggard’s “Okie from Muskogee” made the claim that “We don’t smoke marijuana in Muskogee,” and that’s a big ol’ lie. ---
**Author:** ![gallows\_fodder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/8c91f0/32.png) [@gallows\_fodder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gallows_fodder)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2006, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-badmouthing-your-state-or-city/358216/8 "2006-05-25T21:26:02Z")
I’m from the Philadelphia area, so this didn’t offend me in the least, but on Morrissey’s latest album he sings: The infirm, the newborn, the stillborn, take people from Pittsburgh Pennsylvania, take anyone, just spare me! ---
**Author:** ![Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troy_mcclure_sf/32/4150_2.png) [@Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Troy_McClure_SF)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2006, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-badmouthing-your-state-or-city/358216/9 "2006-05-25T22:08:59Z")
> [@pinkfreud](#): > > I don’t know whether this counts as badmouthing, but Merle Haggard’s “Okie from Muskogee” made the claim that “We don’t smoke marijuana in Muskogee,” and that’s a big ol’ lie. Like the hippies out here do? ---
**Author:** ![want2know](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/50afbb/32.png) [@want2know](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/want2know)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2006, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-badmouthing-your-state-or-city/358216/10 "2006-05-26T00:15:27Z")
**Randy Newman**'s _I Love L.A._ : “Hate New York City, It’s cold and it’s damp, And all the people dress like monkeys” :mad: ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2006, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-badmouthing-your-state-or-city/358216/11 "2006-05-26T00:20:30Z")
**Baltimore** , by Randy Newman > [@](#): > > And they hide their faces > And they hide their eyes > ‘Cause the city’s dyin’ > And they don’t know why > > Oh Baltimore > Man it’s hard just to live I was living in B’more when that one came out. The politicos got pretty upset, but most of us Baltimorons thought it was pretty much on the money. ---
**Author:** ![Steve\_MB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steve_mb/32/5339_2.png) [@Steve\_MB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steve_MB)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2006, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-badmouthing-your-state-or-city/358216/12 "2006-05-26T00:24:46Z")
The Rolling Mills of New Jersey When I die, bury me low Where I can hear the petroleum flow. A sweeter sound, I never did know The rolling mills of New Jersey… ---
**Author:** ![Flutterby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Flutterby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flutterby)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2006, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-badmouthing-your-state-or-city/358216/13 "2006-05-26T01:03:03Z")
Well, there’s [The Toronto Song](http://www.sentex.net/~slink/toronto1.html) by Three Dead Trolls in a Baggie that bashes every province and territory in Canada (except for Alberta, though they still bash Calgary). It always amuses me. ---
**Author:** ![Sublight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/439d5e/32.png) [@Sublight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sublight)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2006, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-badmouthing-your-state-or-city/358216/14 "2006-05-26T01:12:00Z")
I’d imagine there are more than a few songs from the 40’s that mention Japan/Tokyo in a less than flattering way. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2006, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-badmouthing-your-state-or-city/358216/15 "2006-05-26T01:13:14Z")
> [@Steve MB](#): > > The Rolling Mills of New Jersey > When I die, bury me low > Where I can hear the petroleum flow. > A sweeter sound, I never did know > The rolling mills of New Jersey… I can’t believe someone else knows this song. Do you ever go to Clearwater festivals? I came into this thread to post this song. Copyright John Roberts and Tony Barrand Sung to the tune of The Rolling Hills of the Border. see also The Rolling Hills of the Border I have several friends that are minor folk musicians and this is one of the songs they don’t play for general audiences but among themselves when they are trading off songs. Jim ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2006, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-badmouthing-your-state-or-city/358216/16 "2006-05-26T01:33:16Z")
Tin soldiers and Nixon coming, We’re finally on our own. This summer I hear the drumming, Four dead in Ohio. I went back to Ohio But my pretty countryside Had been paved down the middle By a government that had no pride Burn on, big river, burn on Burn on, big river, burn on ---
**Author:** ![dotchan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9d8465/32.png) [@dotchan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dotchan)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2006, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-badmouthing-your-state-or-city/358216/17 "2006-05-26T02:28:42Z")
Not my state or city (or even country, for that matter), but _Ren and Stimpy_ mocked Canada long before _South Park_ was a twinkle in Stone and Terry’s eyes using some very very alternate lyrics to _God Save the Queen_ > [@](#): > > Our Country reeks of trees, > Our yaks are really large, > and they smell like rotting beef carcasses! > > (etc. and so on because I think the entire thing is still copyrighted) I taught my impressionable little brother this song when he was but a toddler. I’m such a bad bad sibling. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Infovore](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/infovore/32/420_2.png) [@Infovore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Infovore)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2006, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-badmouthing-your-state-or-city/358216/18 "2006-05-26T02:31:26Z")
Not my hometown, but my spouse’s: [Creedence Clearwater Revival’s “Lodi”](http://www.songmeanings.net/lyric.php?lid=17160): Rode in on the Greyhound I´ll be walkin´ out if I go I was just passin´ through Must be seven seven months or more Ran out of time and money Looks like they took my friends Oh ! Lord I´m stuck in Lodi again ---
**Author:** ![jackelope](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a6a055/32.png) [@jackelope](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jackelope)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2006, 2:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-badmouthing-your-state-or-city/358216/19 "2006-05-26T02:58:00Z")
There are lots of songs that mention Memphis–I’d never realized how many until I moved here. I can’t think of any that speak badly of it, though there may be some. ---
**Author:** ![flight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/bbce88/32.png) [@flight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flight)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2006, 4:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-badmouthing-your-state-or-city/358216/20 "2006-05-26T04:37:30Z")
[Allentown](http://www.sing365.com/music/Lyric.nsf/Allentown-lyrics-Billy-Joel/0AE8791D80B8FC4948256870001C98F3) by Billy Joel. Pretty close to where I grew up. I don’t think Bruce Springsteen’s [Philadelphia](http://www.lyricsfreak.com/b/bruce+springsteen/streets+of+philadelphia_20025067.html) is really badmouthing the town, but a case could be made for saying it is an uncaring place. I have since moved down south, and though there isn’t one for the particular town, Neil Young takes care of the whole South with [Southern Man](http://www.lyricattack.com/n/neilyounglyrics/southernmanlyrics.html). As for the specific state, Clipse disses it in [Virginia](http://www.sing365.com/music/lyric.nsf/Virginia-lyrics-Clipse/38F5C9643471E61148256C1C0006CFD5). [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-badmouthing-your-state-or-city/358216.md?page=2)