Media outlets slam working class country anthem as ‘right-wing’<\/h2>\n\n![\"\"\/](\"https:\/\/cdn.christianpost.com\/assets\/img\/icon\/chat-rect.svg\")
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<\/source><\/picture>Oliver Anthony sings “Rich Men North of Richmond” in a screenshot.<\/span> | Screenshot: YouTube\/ OliverAnthonyMusic<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\nA Virginia singer-songwriter who became an overnight sensation for his country anthem \u201cRich Men North of Richmond\u201d read a passage from the Bible about the fate of the wicked in his first performance since his video went viral.<\/p>\n
Oliver Anthony hit the top spot on iTunes with \u201cRich Men,\u201d an emotional ballad about the struggles of the working class and a general disillusionment with\u00a0 American life.<\/p>\n
The expletive-laced song \u2014 whose title is an apparent reference to the political ruling class in Washington, D.C., about 100 miles north of Richmond, Virginia \u2014 has topped more than 11 million views on YouTube and rose to the No. 1 spot on the iTunes country chart since its debut.<\/p>\n
The lyrics <\/a>for \u201cRich Men\u201d take aim at Washington bureaucrats and government largess as the nation struggles with both soaring obesity and homelessness: \u201cI’ve been sellin’ my soul, workin’ all day\/ Overtime hours for b\u2014 pay\/ So I can sit out here and waste my life away\/ Drag back home and drown my troubles away\u2026<\/em><\/p>\n\u201cThese rich men north of Richmond\/ Lord knows they all just wanna have total control\/ Wanna know what you think, wanna know what you do\/ And they don\u2019t think you know, but I know that you do\/ ‘Cause your dollar ain’t s\u2014 and it’s taxed to no end\/ ‘Cause of rich men north of Richmond\u2026<\/em><\/p>\n\u201cLord, we got folks in the street, ain\u2019t got nothin\u2019 to eat\/ And the obese milkin\u2019 welfare\/ Well, God, if you\u2019re 5-foot-3 and you\u2019re 300 pounds\/ Taxes ought not to pay for your bags of fudge rounds.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\nFollowing the song\u2019s overnight success, Anthony played a show at Morris Farm Market in Currituck, North Carolina, but not before sharing Scripture with the crowd, which he acknowledged was easily his largest turnout to date.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt’s crazy to me because I remember back in June I played here for like 20 people,\u201d Anthony is heard saying in a video <\/a>from the event. \u201cThat’s the beautiful part of this country though, is even an idiot like me can make something out of himself.\u00a0<\/p>\n\u201cIf I can do it, you can do it.”<\/p>\n
Saying he was \u201ccompelled to share\u201d Psalms 37, Anthony chose specifically to read verses 12 through 20: \u201cThe wicked plot against the righteous and gnash their teeth at them. But the Lord laughs at the wicked for he knows their day is coming. The wicked draw the sword and bend the bow to bring down the poor and needy, to slay those whose ways are upright.\u201d<\/p>\n
\nJUST IN: Oliver Anthony shares a verse from the Bible in his first public appearance since going viral for his \u2018Rich Men North of Richmond\u2019 song.<\/p>\n
\u201cBefore we start singing, and I mean we, ’cause I hope y’all are gonna be singing too. I just had something I felt compelled to share\u2026 pic.twitter.com\/zqJb7tDkvc<\/a><\/p>\n\u2014 Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) August 13, 2023<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cBut their swords will pierce their own hearts, and their bows will be broken. Better the little that have righteousness than the wealth of many wicked. For the power of the wicked will be broken, but the Lord upholds the righteous.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThe blameless spend their days under the Lord\u2019s care, and their inheritance will endure forever. In times of disaster, they will not wither, and in days of famine, they will have plenty. But the wicked will perish,\u201d said Anthony.<\/p>\n
Anthony did not respond to a request for comment from The Christian Post as of Tuesday evening.<\/p>\n
While \u201cRich Men\u201d has launched Anthony\u2019s music career, several mainstream media commentators took exception to the song\u2019s apparent reference to disgraced financier and child trafficker<\/a> Jeffrey Epstein with the song’s lyrics, \u201cI wish politicians would look out for miners\/ And not just minors on an island somewhere\u2026\u201d<\/em><\/p>\nRolling Stone \u2014 which just last month dismissed <\/a>the box-office hit \u201cSound of Freedom\u201d as a \u201csuperhero movie for dads with brainworms” \u2014 called<\/a> Anthony\u2019s reference to Epstein Island a \u201chead-turner\u201d and key to the song\u2019s appeal to \u201cright-wing influencers.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\nThe New York Daily News pointed <\/a>to Anthony\u2019s statements in another YouTube video about human trafficking, which the Daily News said \u201chas often been found at the center of many right-wing conspiracy theories.\u201d<\/p>\nNBC News, meanwhile, said <\/a>the song was an anthem for \u201cconservatives and far-right pundits,\u201d while the Seattle Times opined <\/a>that \u201cRich Men\u201d was \u201ctaking the right-wing spotlight away\u201d from another country song that rose to the top of the charts this summer, Jason Aldean\u2019s \u201cTry That in a Small Town.\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n\nIan M. Giatti is a reporter for The Christian Post and the author of\u00a0BACKWARDS DAD: a children’s book for grownups<\/a><\/em>. He can be reached at:\u00a0ian.giatti@christianpost.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\nFree<\/span> Religious Freedom Updates<\/h2>\nJoin thousands of others to get the FREEDOM POST<\/strong> newsletter for free, sent twice a week from The Christian Post.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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<\/source><\/picture>A Virginia singer-songwriter who became an overnight sensation for his country anthem \u201cRich Men North of Richmond\u201d read a passage from the Bible about the fate of the wicked in his first performance since his video went viral.<\/p>\n
Oliver Anthony hit the top spot on iTunes with \u201cRich Men,\u201d an emotional ballad about the struggles of the working class and a general disillusionment with\u00a0 American life.<\/p>\n
The expletive-laced song \u2014 whose title is an apparent reference to the political ruling class in Washington, D.C., about 100 miles north of Richmond, Virginia \u2014 has topped more than 11 million views on YouTube and rose to the No. 1 spot on the iTunes country chart since its debut.<\/p>\n
The lyrics <\/a>for \u201cRich Men\u201d take aim at Washington bureaucrats and government largess as the nation struggles with both soaring obesity and homelessness: \u201cI’ve been sellin’ my soul, workin’ all day\/ Overtime hours for b\u2014 pay\/ So I can sit out here and waste my life away\/ Drag back home and drown my troubles away\u2026<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cThese rich men north of Richmond\/ Lord knows they all just wanna have total control\/ Wanna know what you think, wanna know what you do\/ And they don\u2019t think you know, but I know that you do\/ ‘Cause your dollar ain’t s\u2014 and it’s taxed to no end\/ ‘Cause of rich men north of Richmond\u2026<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cLord, we got folks in the street, ain\u2019t got nothin\u2019 to eat\/ And the obese milkin\u2019 welfare\/ Well, God, if you\u2019re 5-foot-3 and you\u2019re 300 pounds\/ Taxes ought not to pay for your bags of fudge rounds.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n Following the song\u2019s overnight success, Anthony played a show at Morris Farm Market in Currituck, North Carolina, but not before sharing Scripture with the crowd, which he acknowledged was easily his largest turnout to date.<\/p>\n \u201cIt’s crazy to me because I remember back in June I played here for like 20 people,\u201d Anthony is heard saying in a video <\/a>from the event. \u201cThat’s the beautiful part of this country though, is even an idiot like me can make something out of himself.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cIf I can do it, you can do it.”<\/p>\n Saying he was \u201ccompelled to share\u201d Psalms 37, Anthony chose specifically to read verses 12 through 20: \u201cThe wicked plot against the righteous and gnash their teeth at them. But the Lord laughs at the wicked for he knows their day is coming. The wicked draw the sword and bend the bow to bring down the poor and needy, to slay those whose ways are upright.\u201d<\/p>\n JUST IN: Oliver Anthony shares a verse from the Bible in his first public appearance since going viral for his \u2018Rich Men North of Richmond\u2019 song.<\/p>\n \u201cBefore we start singing, and I mean we, ’cause I hope y’all are gonna be singing too. I just had something I felt compelled to share\u2026 pic.twitter.com\/zqJb7tDkvc<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) August 13, 2023<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cBut their swords will pierce their own hearts, and their bows will be broken. Better the little that have righteousness than the wealth of many wicked. For the power of the wicked will be broken, but the Lord upholds the righteous.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThe blameless spend their days under the Lord\u2019s care, and their inheritance will endure forever. In times of disaster, they will not wither, and in days of famine, they will have plenty. But the wicked will perish,\u201d said Anthony.<\/p>\n Anthony did not respond to a request for comment from The Christian Post as of Tuesday evening.<\/p>\n While \u201cRich Men\u201d has launched Anthony\u2019s music career, several mainstream media commentators took exception to the song\u2019s apparent reference to disgraced financier and child trafficker<\/a> Jeffrey Epstein with the song’s lyrics, \u201cI wish politicians would look out for miners\/ And not just minors on an island somewhere\u2026\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n Rolling Stone \u2014 which just last month dismissed <\/a>the box-office hit \u201cSound of Freedom\u201d as a \u201csuperhero movie for dads with brainworms” \u2014 called<\/a> Anthony\u2019s reference to Epstein Island a \u201chead-turner\u201d and key to the song\u2019s appeal to \u201cright-wing influencers.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n The New York Daily News pointed <\/a>to Anthony\u2019s statements in another YouTube video about human trafficking, which the Daily News said \u201chas often been found at the center of many right-wing conspiracy theories.\u201d<\/p>\n NBC News, meanwhile, said <\/a>the song was an anthem for \u201cconservatives and far-right pundits,\u201d while the Seattle Times opined <\/a>that \u201cRich Men\u201d was \u201ctaking the right-wing spotlight away\u201d from another country song that rose to the top of the charts this summer, Jason Aldean\u2019s \u201cTry That in a Small Town.\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n Ian M. Giatti is a reporter for The Christian Post and the author of\u00a0BACKWARDS DAD: a children’s book for grownups<\/a><\/em>. He can be reached at:\u00a0ian.giatti@christianpost.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Join thousands of others to get the FREEDOM POST<\/strong> newsletter for free, sent twice a week from The Christian Post.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n
Free<\/span> Religious Freedom Updates<\/h2>\n