So it is a song praising the good ole days of vigilante lynchings of 'those people'. But 'those people' absolutely cannot be understood to be black. And anyone for whom the image of vigilante lynchings immediately brings racial lynching to mind, is an idiot. Actually, much worse than an idiot--a bleeding heart liberal.

That seems to be the gist of the 'it isn't a racist song' argument. Which doesn't seem convincing in the least to me.

Here is my argument in a nutshell. Anytime white folks feel their heros threatened by charges of racism, they attack the messenger savagely in an effort to 'prove' they and their hero aren't racist. So the response here is entirely predictable.

For myself, whenever the spectre of vigilante lynching is raised, my mind's eye sees an image of racial lynching. No denials of the reality of race lynchings by white folks will ever change that.

I see the song as ignorant, racist, reactionary, inflammatory, AND a really piss poor, clumsy lyric to boot.

I also know that this song, along with that abomination 'Angry American' song, are this asshole's anthems. So frankly, if that is what Willie Nelson is stooping to these days, he deserves to fade into obscurity.