Oliver Anthony describes the struggles of working people in the opening lyrics of “The Rich Man North of Richmond.'' Next, he targets socio-political issues.
Anthony's viral song arrived on August 8th, and within days the video on YouTube had been viewed millions and even tens of millions of times, as well as being streamed on Spotify and other digital providers. He wrote the song himself, and the song resonated with conservative country music fans, even though the former factory worker says he sits politically in the middle of the road. It's clear that there are.
The “rich man” described in the lyrics of “Rich Men North of Richmond” is probably a politician who lives in Washington, D.C. (160 miles north on Interstate 95), but he is still The songwriting process has not been revealed in detail. Before the second verse, he speaks in vague terms about working hard for little pay, but then, in a surprising turn, he focuses on child trafficking, welfare, and obesity.
Full lyrics for “Rich Men of North Richmond” can be found below.
Who is Oliver Anthony?
Oliver Anthony (real name: Christopher Anthony Lunsford) is a native of Farmville, Virginia. Information about his life before “Rich Men…” became a hot topic mostly comes from him directly and from people who say they know him on social media.
In a video shared to his YouTube page the day before the song was released on YouTube, he describes living the life he sings about in the first verse. This contributed to mental health issues and an unhealthy relationship with alcohol. He says he promised God he would get sober in July 2023 to help him pursue his dreams. About 30 days later, he trended as the #1 country song in America.
Oliver Anthony “The Rich Man of Richmond” Lyrics:
I've sold my soul and worked all day / Overtime for a bullshit paycheck / So I can sit here and waste my life / I can go home and forget my worries.
Pre-chorus:
It's such a shame that the world has turned out like this / For people like me, for people like you / I wish we could wake up and realize it's not true / But it is. Yes, oh, yes.
chorus:
Living in a new world / With an old soul / Rich people north of Richmond / Lord knows they all just want total control / I wanna know what you're thinking, dude I want to know what they're doing / And they don't think you know but I know you do / 'Cause your dollars ain't shit and they're endlessly taxed / Because there are rich people north of Richmond.
I wish the politicians cared about the miners / Not just the minors on some island / Lord, there are people on the streets and there's nothing to eat / And Also the welfare of obese people who are milking.
God, if you're 5-foot-3 and weigh 300 pounds / No taxes should be paid on a bag of fudge rounds / Young people are six feet off the ground / 'Cause this damn thing All the country has to do is keep kicking them.
repeat before chorus
repeat chorus
I sold my soul and work all day/overtime for bullshit pay.
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